Whether it be a scheme issue, a talent issue or a coaching issue, cases can be made with regard to all of the aforementioned areas as to why we not only find ourselves in the midst of a four game losing streak but also why we continue to under perform year after year. Many of you throughout the years have provided cogent analyses as to the state of Cal football and what needs to happen in order for us to be recognized not only as the # 1 public university in the world but also as a football program that rises to household name recognition. We have talked about how in this down year in the north division how accessible the Pac 12 championship game could be. We have talked about how injuries to UCLA this year and sanctions against USC over the years would allow us to rise to the top of the PAC 12. For all of these conversations that took place, we have mentioned what has challenged us on the field far more often than what has fettered our consistent success off of it. As I see it and as most of you probably see it as well, we have a leadership problem at the highest levels of our university. Historically, we have had a culture at the very top that believes that a highly successful football team and world class academics cannot exist within the same space. Because of this belief, we hire people like Robert Birgeneau who in turn hires Sandy Barbour who in turn hires Sonny Dykes. The last 3 years has provided us with ample information to believe that Sonny and his staff were ill equipped to step up to the rigors of the PAC 12 at the time they were hired and are subsequently not prepared at this moment in time to effectively compete in the PAC 12 over the long term and should be shown the door.
Until our collective leadership at the very top (Cal Senior Administrators/ alumni donors that have influence on Cal's senior administrators etc.), recognizes the benefits of a consistently successful football team and the collateral benefits that it provides ( subsidize non-revenue generating sports, greater brand recognition which increases the number of applicants to the school in general, greater opportunities for increased donor support via fundraising etc.), we will continue to commiserate about what prevents us from reaching the Rose Bowl and beyond. The right Athletic Director will hire the right Head Coach who in turn will have the ability to recruit the players that will take us to the next level on a consistent basis. Sonny and his staff were used to recruiting a certain caliber of player prior to their arrival at Cal and unfortunately for us these are not the types of players that will put an end to our Rose Bowl absence any time soon.
If our ultimate challenge is money (hiring a top caliber coach that can hire top quality assistants etc.)then the administration needs to figure out how to fundraise the additional capital. Given the intellectual firepower that exists at Haas and on the campus in general, I cannot believe it is due to a lack of knowledge but more so due to a lack of will. Our current situation should not be our consistent fate for years to come. The majority of the PAC 12 has beaten USC in football at least once in the past few years but somehow someway we continually find ways to be to them what Washington State has been to us over the last 10 years. If current trends continue, Washington State may not even be our Washington State for long.
What will it take for us to get it? What will serve as the tipping point for us to recognize that our past as an underperforming football school does not have to be our future?
Until our collective leadership at the very top (Cal Senior Administrators/ alumni donors that have influence on Cal's senior administrators etc.), recognizes the benefits of a consistently successful football team and the collateral benefits that it provides ( subsidize non-revenue generating sports, greater brand recognition which increases the number of applicants to the school in general, greater opportunities for increased donor support via fundraising etc.), we will continue to commiserate about what prevents us from reaching the Rose Bowl and beyond. The right Athletic Director will hire the right Head Coach who in turn will have the ability to recruit the players that will take us to the next level on a consistent basis. Sonny and his staff were used to recruiting a certain caliber of player prior to their arrival at Cal and unfortunately for us these are not the types of players that will put an end to our Rose Bowl absence any time soon.
If our ultimate challenge is money (hiring a top caliber coach that can hire top quality assistants etc.)then the administration needs to figure out how to fundraise the additional capital. Given the intellectual firepower that exists at Haas and on the campus in general, I cannot believe it is due to a lack of knowledge but more so due to a lack of will. Our current situation should not be our consistent fate for years to come. The majority of the PAC 12 has beaten USC in football at least once in the past few years but somehow someway we continually find ways to be to them what Washington State has been to us over the last 10 years. If current trends continue, Washington State may not even be our Washington State for long.
What will it take for us to get it? What will serve as the tipping point for us to recognize that our past as an underperforming football school does not have to be our future?
