Johnny Football

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

How did we get here?

[real chili 83]

How did we get here?

At least no one mentioned Crean yet.

I've got a recent ('13) A&M grad working for me.  He went back home for the Rice game and is going back for the Bama game.  He loves Manziel.  Thinks he can do no wrong.  He thinks kid gets a bad rap cause he comes from a successful family.

[Atticus]

http://deadspin.com/texas-a-m-raised-a-record-740-million-in-donations-las-1334527524

Impressive.


For the fiscal year ending Aug. 31, Texas A&M received a mammoth $740 million in pledges and gifts, according to an email sent out by chancellor John Sharp. When it's all collected and finalized, it should be an all-time record for a public university. And make no mistake: it's about football.

Let's put that number in context: The previous year, when A&M was just a mediocre Big 12 team, the university's fundraising haul was just $181 million. One move to the SEC, one stadium renovation drive, and one Johnny Manziel later, and donations went up more than 400 300 percent.

[GGGG]

http://deadspin.com/texas-a-m-raised-a-record-740-million-in-donations-las-1334527524

Impressive.


For the fiscal year ending Aug. 31, Texas A&M received a mammoth $740 million in pledges and gifts, according to an email sent out by chancellor John Sharp. When it's all collected and finalized, it should be an all-time record for a public university. And make no mistake: it's about football.

Let's put that number in context: The previous year, when A&M was just a mediocre Big 12 team, the university's fundraising haul was just $181 million. One move to the SEC, one stadium renovation drive, and one Johnny Manziel later, and donations went up more than 400 300 percent.

It has a great deal to do with football, but a lot of this is simply timing when the pledges come in.

[forgetful]

http://deadspin.com/texas-a-m-raised-a-record-740-million-in-donations-las-1334527524

Impressive.


For the fiscal year ending Aug. 31, Texas A&M received a mammoth $740 million in pledges and gifts, according to an email sent out by chancellor John Sharp. When it's all collected and finalized, it should be an all-time record for a public university. And make no mistake: it's about football.

Let's put that number in context: The previous year, when A&M was just a mediocre Big 12 team, the university's fundraising haul was just $181 million. One move to the SEC, one stadium renovation drive, and one Johnny Manziel later, and donations went up more than 400 300 percent.

They also launched a very large federal biosecurity center.  It accounts for probably at least $185M of the increase (depending on how they decide to do the accounting possibly up to $375M), along with around $250 million for the new stadium. 

Both would have occurred without Mr. Football.

[brandx]

They also launched a very large federal biosecurity center.  It accounts for probably at least $185M of the increase (depending on how they decide to do the accounting possibly up to $375M), along with around $250 million for the new stadium. 

Both would have occurred without Mr. Football.

Fortunately for all of us, you are much more informed than the chancellor of the school.

“Everything about A&M is hitting exactly at the right time and people want to be part of a winning program and, right now, A&M is winning with faculty and students and winning in football,” chancellor John Sharp said.

Texas A&M Foundation President Ed Davis said the school’s last fiscal year was the best fundraising effort in his 20 years with the program. Davis also made the correlation between football and fundraising.


“People ask me all the time if you have a winning football team, do you raise more money,” Davis said. “In normal times, the statistical data wouldn’t support that, but in an era where we are in, effectively, in the news everywhere and you have a young man like our quarterback who has been a media magnet and you have the success you have, I do think that euphoria does spill over into success in fundraising. I’m hoping we can keep it up.”



Yup - nothing to do with Johnny Football at all.

[forgetful]

Fortunately for all of us, you are much more informed than the chancellor of the school.

“Everything about A&M is hitting exactly at the right time and people want to be part of a winning program and, right now, A&M is winning with faculty and students and winning in football,” chancellor John Sharp said.

Texas A&M Foundation President Ed Davis said the school’s last fiscal year was the best fundraising effort in his 20 years with the program. Davis also made the correlation between football and fundraising.


“People ask me all the time if you have a winning football team, do you raise more money,” Davis said. “In normal times, the statistical data wouldn’t support that, but in an era where we are in, effectively, in the news everywhere and you have a young man like our quarterback who has been a media magnet and you have the success you have, I do think that euphoria does spill over into success in fundraising. I’m hoping we can keep it up.”



Yup - nothing to do with Johnny Football at all.

You have to realize there is a lot of politics in "education".  A&M took some criticism in the state for leaving the Big 12, to get out from under Texas's shadow.  One of the reasons is they argued they would bring in more money being part of the SEC.

Year 1 didn't work out that way.  Fundraising was relatively flat.  They took hits for this in some circles.  The new capital campaigns brought in a lot of money, spinning that as a "look what joining the SEC did for us" is a bit of politicking.  If you venture away from sports news sources you will hear him distance away from the sport impact.

http://www.texastribune.org/2013/09/16/texas-am-touts-record-breaking-fundraising-year/

But Texas A&M University System Chancellor John Sharp told the Tribune that he believes there is more to it than athletics, though he acknowledged it helps. "Athletics," he said, "while it's certainly not the reason we're here, serves as a heck of a message to get the message out about what's happening at A&M."

And more.

Ed Davis, the president of the Texas A&M Foundation, which raises money to support the university, including nearly $351 million in the last year, said that some of the increases in gifts could be attributed to demographics.

The "magic age" for gift giving, he said, is 55 years and older. In the last decade, the total number of former A&M students in that range has more than doubled, from slightly more than 20,000 to nearly 50,000. Davis said it is expected to double again by 2020.

"The future is bright in terms of people who are going to be making gifts from wealth that they have accumulated," Davis said, adding that a thriving energy sector in the state also contributed to the number of individuals with money to donate.

The school also has a number of high-profile projects — pertaining to both athletics and research — under way, including a major renovation of Kyle Field and the establishment of a major federal biosecurity center.

As I posted above, the federal biosecurity center is bringing in insane amounts of money.  None of that money has anything to do with football.  Did the success likely help raise money for the stadium, yes, does that do anything to help the University, no.

Also note in your quote they admit that statistics indicate no correlation between fundraising and successful football, but he thinks the euphoria spills over. 

[forgetful]

Fortunately for all of us, you are much more informed than the chancellor of the school.

“Everything about A&M is hitting exactly at the right time and people want to be part of a winning program and, right now, A&M is winning with faculty and students and winning in football,” chancellor John Sharp said.

Texas A&M Foundation President Ed Davis said the school’s last fiscal year was the best fundraising effort in his 20 years with the program. Davis also made the correlation between football and fundraising.


“People ask me all the time if you have a winning football team, do you raise more money,” Davis said. “In normal times, the statistical data wouldn’t support that, but in an era where we are in, effectively, in the news everywhere and you have a young man like our quarterback who has been a media magnet and you have the success you have, I do think that euphoria does spill over into success in fundraising. I’m hoping we can keep it up.”



Yup - nothing to do with Johnny Football at all.

Also, what about the grand total of less than $60,000 that A&M brought in total last year from jersey sales? 

The biggest value that football brings to a University is recruiting top students to come because of the culture.  Top students graduate to high pay and can return lots of money in donations to the University.  As the man in charge of fundraising at A&M said, there is no statistical correlation between a winning program and donations to the University.

I can cite numerous examples of Universities that admit the only reason for their football/basketball programs is to keep enrollment up.  They also admit that frankly they don't care if they ever win a game as it has no bearing on the publicity/fundraising. 

[real chili 83]

TAMU, going to be in College Station first week in October.  Got any recommendations for BBQ?  Been to C&J and Rudy's. Both good, like C&J better.