Oso planning to go pro
This is a much-overlooked aspect of Vanderbilt's non-monetary value to the SEC. Two recent National Championships (2014 and 2019) in baseball; 2015 National Champions in women's tennis; strong programs in men's tennis, women's lacrosse and soccer, and men's and women's golf. Those programs don't directly bring $$ to the SEC like football and basketball, but they help keep the conference's name in front of sports fans year-round. And speaking of revenue sports, Vandy's women's hoops program is excellent, and the men's hoops program is very competitive. So while they are very different from the football power schools in what they bring, they most certainly bring more to the conference than just academics.
Yeah I don't know. I mean, the 2019 College World Series had FOUR SEC teams. Vandy winning it was obviously good for the conference, but it's not as though they lacked exposure otherwise.I doubt if the conference were forming today that Vandy would be invited.
Vandy’s women’s team hasn’t made the tourney in over 5 years and is more than 10 years removed from a Sweet Sixteen. They had a nice stretch in the early 2000s under their previous coach, but they arent an “excellent” program. Similarly with the Men’s team. A few nice stretches with Stallings, but haven’t won a tourney game in a decade. Neither are light years behind the rest of the conference like football, but neither are a particular boon that keeps Vandy in the SEC limelight
Under Phil Lee, Jim Foster, Melanie Balcomb? Vandy has been a 27 time NCAA team. 15 Sweet 16 appearances. Vandy has had one of the better women's basketball programs nationally, an excellent program.They parted ways with Melanie Balcomb because she "only" made the NCAA's 12 of 14 seasons. Stephanie White was set to be fired the same year as Bryce Drew, but they didn't want to do both in the same season. Vandy didn't have air conditioning in its basketball gym up until this oast year. When their baseball team won another World Series last year, the watch party on their baseball field had to go inside the gym due to rain in the summer. Not ideal without AC. Summer workouts have been known to be pretty brutal. Vandy just finished work on its practice gym. This is great, until you realize they only have one practice gym. Kevin Stallings paid $100k of his money one year, so the team could travel oversees.Vandy of course as mentioned has had college baseball's best program this past decade and has a good chance to do that again this decade. They have excellent other non-revenue programs as well. It's pretty remarkable considering the athletic challenges there. Great school, one of the country's best, great campus, one of the country's best, many great things accomplished under Milwaukee native Nick Zeppos. The football program (football thread) will finally get long overdue facility upgrades, infrastructure, resources just to try to remain competitive with its peers. And it can't come soon enough there.
Vandy's womens team hasnt been to the S16 in over a decade like I mentioned, hasnt been to an E8 in nearly 20. In that time, programs like South Carolina, Oregon, Oregon St, Mississippi St and Baylor have come on exceptionally strong. Vandy has more in common with Lousiana Tech, a program with tons of historical success but little in the current game, than they do with those schools or the other excellent programs/powers.I'm not arguing that Vandy trails others in facilities or program investment. Thats not up for debate. The athletic investment dwarfs the stature of the school in all other regards, especially for being in such a cutthroat conference. That being said, as I mentioned, as it currently stands for recruiting, coach attracting, or the like, neither Vandy BB program would be excellent. Historical success means very little these days if you dont have recent success or facilities or appeal to match.
Sure it does. You are what your record says you are. It isn't limited to only a small specific set of years.
Vanderbilt would either be an ACC school (but even they can take only one Duke football program), an OVC school or when the Big East reconstructed, a Big East School.
Vandy is basically Rice and Tulane but in the SEC. A world-class academic institution, lots of money, located in a major urban area, not willing to fully commit to being a successful athletic program. They would probably be in the AAC or CUSA if conferences were formed today.
Right. Just look at Tulane. They were in the SEC until 1966. If Vandy had made that choice instead, Tulane would be the perennial football dormat. (With a cooler logo.)
The "Angry Wave" is best logo in college football! Too bad we don't have an old "Golden Avalanche" logo we could bring back. And let's not forget that the old BE brass bringing Tulane into the conference was the final straw and led to the current incarnation of the BE forming.
Yes, Vandy's football is atrocious...but it does not have the worst FBS football record of any P5 school during the 2010s. Not even close. Here is a list of all FBS football schools' records in the 2010s: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NCAA_Division_I_FBS_football_win-loss_records_in_the_2010sYou will see several P5 schools below Vandy on that list...including UVa, Iowa State, Maryland, Indiana, Rutgers, Illinois, Colorado, Oregon State, Purdue and Kansas. Oh yeah...and Ole Miss - an SEC school with a considerably worse football record in the 2010s than Vandy (!). Betcha didn't know there were that many FBS schools (all but Ole Miss in inferior conferences) that had worse football records than Vandy over the previous 10 seasons, did ya?
Vandy will try to hire a long term coach as opposed to another James Franklin. Tim Corbin, Geoff McDonald, Darren Ambrose, etc...and so on as they have had in their successful other sports. They want what James Franklin gave them in on field results, but they want a coach that will either stay longer term and identify with the school, and/or someone who would have a successor plan in place.
I mean...good luck. You have just described what everybody wants, but is very difficult to achieve. Northwestern got very serendipitous with Fitzgerald. He was on staff when Randy Walker died, and was competent enough to succeed AND he is an alum.
I dont think anyone with knowledge of CFB would guess Vandy would be at or near the bottom of that list considering that encompasses the tenure of James Franklin who won something like 25 games over a few years, which was good enough to get him one of the more prestigious jobs in CFB.
Franklin also covered up a gang rape an Vandy and lied about it. But he did get them 2 of their 4 winning seasons since 1975 so, yeah, go James Franklin.Since joining the SEC in 1933 they have a 26% winning percentage in conference.https://www.si.com/college/2014/10/08/james-franklin-vanderbilt-rape-case-penn-state-video
Franklin also covered up a gang rape an Vandy and lied about it.https://www.si.com/college/2014/10/08/james-franklin-vanderbilt-rape-case-penn-state-video
Vandy's academic and athletic conference peers include Stanford, Northwestern, Duke, etc...Vandy is seeking a long term football coach that can win enough and be competitive enough. A big difference has been that more often than not it has been easier to be more competitive in football in the Pac 12, Big Ten, ACC etc....than the SEC in football.
To the best of my knowledge, the only two coaches Vandy had in recent memory who had a modicum of success -- at a consistent level that would make their programs on par with, say, Ole Miss -- were the aforementioned James Franklin, who may be available again if Penn State has another year like this one, and Steve Sloan in the mid-1970s.Neither stayed.Vanderbilt has the problem with football coaches we have had of late with basketball coaches. If you're capable of winning at a high level, you are not going to stay at Vanderbilt. A "real" P5 school will lure you away with Big Dollars, Wonderful Facilities and the chance to have something Vanderbilt will NEVER, EVER Have -- a national championship!We at least have the facilities and history to try to keep our coaches. Vanderbilt's football history is a disaster. And, try to admit an average Alabama recruit to Vanderbilt AND keep him eligible. Good luck on that one.