The firing of Tom Crean

[Bocephys]

As I said, the better part of $100. Couldn't recall the exact amount. My wife though always used the $100 figure as she would tell me it would have been cheaper to fly down for just one game...and she used to be part of the basketball program!

At the time, that was the only way you could see your team in the first two rounds if you didn't live in their region so there was no question I was getting it. I remember I was the DO of the squadron and actually took leave for the day to watch Marquette play Alabama as the game was around noon on the west coast. That kid, Pierre (?), torched us for 30 some and we lost. When I got to the hangar the score was written in huge letters on my office white board.

I believe you're thinking of Jean Felix.

[4everwarriors]

Lens,

Any insight on what sort of severance package Crean was given?

Years supply of Miracle Gro. But, after the plant was tossed at his coconut, the fertilizer only helped cover up his bald spot.

[The Lens]

Lens,

Any insight on what sort of severance package Crean was given?

It's my understanding that the severance package was significant but a savvy team of MU Law Grads has it off-set.  With Colt Legend Jim Harbaugh working the phones, Tom found work right away and MU never had to pay a penny.  Also they forgave his soccer donation. 

[The Lens]

 That was a lot of fun and I did everything I could to slip Marquette into the marketing...direct mail, some of the television spots, screen captures, online marketing, etc.

That's awesome.  Similarly, wasn't there a connection with MU and ABC in the 80's / 90's, a prominent alum who would get them on network TV at least once a year?  And perhaps I am really mixing up stories but that ABC exec died in the TWA Flight 800 tragedy?

[ChicosBailBonds]

That's awesome.  Similarly, wasn't there a connection with MU and ABC in the 80's / 90's, a prominent alum who would get them on network TV at least once a year?  And perhaps I am really mixing up stories but that ABC exec died in the TWA Flight 800 tragedy?

ABC...Jack O'Hara.  Very tragic.  He passed away along with his wife and their daughter.  His twin sons were not on the flight.  I remember the day after the crash we were in the office and Bill Cords got the call that Jack was on the flight and Bill was obviously extremely upset.  Tragic.  He was only 39.  His sons were 12 at the time which would put them at 29 now.  O'Hara had a fear of flying which makes it even worse in my mind.  He had just been "fired" by Steve Bornstein (of ESPN fame) and this was his last assignment to do the Tour de France before stepping away from ABC....makes it doubly tragic....die for a company that just fired you for a sport that is as corrupt as the day is long.

[79Warrior]

ABC...Jack O'Hara.  Very tragic.  He passed away along with his wife and their daughter.  His twin sons were not on the flight.  I remember the day after the crash we were in the office and Bill Cords got the call that Jack was on the flight and Bill was obviously extremely upset.  Tragic.  He was only 39.  His sons were 12 at the time which would put them at 29 now.  O'Hara had a fear of flying which makes it even worse in my mind.  He had just been "fired" by Steve Bornstein (of ESPN fame) and this was his last assignment to do the Tour de France before stepping away from ABC....makes it doubly tragic....die for a company that just fired you for a sport that is as corrupt as the day is long.

Graduated with Jack. He was in the J School. Worked for him at ABC for a few years. Great guy, always trying to help out the Warriors. Your recollection of the story is spot on. When Dennis Swanson lost the Olympics he fu#### up the whole ABC Sports dynamic and Jack was a victim of that. Not sure Bornstein was that instrumental though as ESPN really was separate from ABC Sports then. Union vs Non Union, etc. I wonder how the boys are doing. Just a horrible sequence of events.

[77ncaachamps]

I'm not above it all. I was skeptical, believed in the players, but doubted Buzz.

[keefe]

ABC...Jack O'Hara.  Very tragic.  He passed away along with his wife and their daughter.  His twin sons were not on the flight.  I remember the day after the crash we were in the office and Bill Cords got the call that Jack was on the flight and Bill was obviously extremely upset.  Tragic.  He was only 39.  His sons were 12 at the time which would put them at 29 now.  O'Hara had a fear of flying which makes it even worse in my mind.  He had just been "fired" by Steve Bornstein (of ESPN fame) and this was his last assignment to do the Tour de France before stepping away from ABC....makes it doubly tragic....die for a company that just fired you for a sport that is as corrupt as the day is long.

What a f@cked up way to go out - dying for a company that just sh1tcanned you. And your point - to cover a fraudulent "sporting event" - makes it even more f@cked.

I'm not a conspiracy theorist but that NTSB report was pure BS. I remember discussing it with bros through emails. We were all pilots and a lot of the guys were flying the line for various flag carriers. I recall they said a short ignited vapors in a fuel cell shortly after they got wheels in the well. Those bladders were filled for a TransLant and there weren't vapors that early in a flight. Anyhow, that was the last, dying gasp of Howard Hughes' once proud airline and AMR devoured the carcass, essentially buying gates and routes.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Graduated with Jack. He was in the J School. Worked for him at ABC for a few years. Great guy, always trying to help out the Warriors. Your recollection of the story is spot on. When Dennis Swanson lost the Olympics he fu#### up the whole ABC Sports dynamic and Jack was a victim of that. Not sure Bornstein was that instrumental though as ESPN really was separate from ABC Sports then. Union vs Non Union, etc. I wonder how the boys are doing. Just a horrible sequence of events.

My memory was Bornstein was named president of ABC Sports in 1996, right before all this went down.  He basically held both roles at the time until 1999 when Howard Katz took over as President.  Katz's son was at IU with me in the Sports Management and Marketing program.

Today Bornstein is the guy at NFL that negotiates the television deals.  We have a bit of history with him (good history) on Sunday Ticket as you can imagine.

[mugrad2006]

I believe you're thinking of Jean Felix.

Yup, that's right.  Game in San Diego, was there on spring break with some friends. Guy averaged something like 8 points a game all season and just got hot.  Same game where Novak had a wide open three in the corner to win it at the buzzer and missed.... at least UCLA was there with their dance team.

[keefe]

Years supply of Miracle Gro. But, after the plant was tossed at his coconut, the fertilizer only helped cover up his bald spot.

Wasn't Joani at the scene of this outrage? I always wondered why she was in the room while Tanned Tommy was dressing down a player. Perhaps Joani was there to dispense some of that justly famous Harbaugh "Tough Love?"

[ChicosBailBonds]

What a f@cked up way to go out - dying for a company that just sh1tcanned you. And your point - to cover a fraudulent "sporting event" - makes it even more f@cked.

I'm not a conspiracy theorist but that NTSB report was pure BS. I remember discussing it with bros through emails. We were all pilots and a lot of the guys were flying the line for various flag carriers. I recall they said a short ignited vapors in a fuel cell shortly after they got wheels in the well. Those bladders were filled for a TransLant and there weren't vapors that early in a flight. Anyhow, that was the last, dying gasp of Howard Hughes' once proud airline and AMR devoured the carcass, essentially buying gates and routes.

A lot of theories about that flight going down, including a streak of light that some claimed was a missile of some kind.  I don't know and I suspect if it did go down in a nefarious way we won't find out either.

An article on this last year...16 years later and still no questions (danger, conspiracy article so read at your own risk)

http://www.americanthinker.com/2012/07/twa_flight_800_16_years_and_still_no_questions.html

Interesting video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mZQ4v6Hlww

[dgies9156]

Did I miss something? When was it confirmed Tom Crean was fired??

Thank you. I was wondering the same thing!

It's like a woman breaking up with you. You put the best face on it abnd say "you dumped her," even you though know it was the other way around. Helps you save face.

Look, I'm no fan of the tanned one, but let's face it. He left the best job in College Basketball for Indiana. I suspect his ego had a lot to do with it, but the reality is he must have had a bout of insanity. I wish him well but, well, not too well.

[dgies9156]

Lest we forget - Against MSU we were shutout for the first 10 minutes of the game...not a single point...

What's worse is flying to Greensboro to watch the Michigan State game, all fired up at MU's re-emergence after the DWade era and then seeing us so miserable for 10 minutes. It was ugly and an incredible waste of money. At least my 12 year old daughter had a great time!

[keefe]

What's worse is flying to Greensboro to watch the Michigan State game, all fired up at MU's re-emergence after the DWade era and then seeing us so miserable for 10 minutes. It was ugly and an incredible waste of money. At least my 12 year old daughter had a great time!

Hey, I spent better part of $100 on the DirecTv Tournament Pass. My wife talked about my $100 game for weeks!

I think I stopped watching that game at the 9 minute mark. We still had a big goose egg on the board. 

[keefe]

I believe you're thinking of Jean Felix.

That's it. Not as devastating as Rick Mount's last second shot to beat us in the Elite 8 as Mount was an All American. Felix was nothing!

[dgies9156]

That's it. Not as devastating as Rick Mount's last second shot to beat us in the Elite 8 as Mount was an All American. Felix was nothing!

Right after we missed a free throw in regulation that would have sent us to the Final Four. It was 1969 and the game was played in Madison, WI

[keefe]

Right after we missed a free throw in regulation that would have sent us to the Final Four. It was 1969 and the game was played in Madison, WI

One for the ages. I know Purdue alum who still cherish the memory of Mount's shot

[hdog1017]

I watched that Michigan State game in New Orleans.  We happened to be sitting next to a couple of mouth-breathers from Michigan State who couldn't have been more annoying.  I thought one of my friends was going to go after them with an ax. 

[keefe]

I watched that Michigan State game in New Orleans.  We happened to be sitting next to a couple of mouth-breathers from Michigan State who couldn't have been more annoying.  I thought one of my friends was going to go after them with an ax. 

They are uncouth, aren't they?

[4everwarriors]

That's it. Not as devastating as Rick Mount's last second shot to beat us in the Elite 8 as Mount was an All American. Felix was nothing!

Believe Mount's shot at the barn in Madison was in OT. Wouldn't have been a factor if Cobb hadn't been an apprentice in freethrow bricklayin'.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Hey, I spent better part of $100 on the DirecTv Tournament Pass. My wife talked about my $100 game for weeks!

I think I stopped watching that game at the 9 minute mark. We still had a big goose egg on the board. 

We never charged $100.  The most we ever charged was $79 (2010 pricing..the last year of the package, it was $69 prior and lower than that in the beginning years) and that got you 37 games.

[keefe]

We never charged $100.  The most we ever charged was $79 (2010 pricing..the last year of the package, it was $69 prior and lower than that in the beginning years) and that got you 37 games.

As I said, I paid the better part of $100 but my wife thought attacking me with the $100 figure was more impactful.

Funny thing is that I would get that NCAA Ticket thing every year and she would give me sh1t about it but she herself would spend more on one shoe and that was somehow ok.

[Lennys Tap]

Right after we missed a free throw in regulation that would have sent us to the Final Four. It was 1969 and the game was played in Madison, WI

I was there - still the toughest loss I've ever witnessed.

[4everwarriors]

I hear ya, Lenny Man. I was in Athens, GA when Dean fouled out on a bogus offensive foul vs tOSU and we end up playin' UK in the consolation game rather than Jim McDaniels and WKU in the Mideast Regional championship game. Potential FF meeting vs. UCLA was anticipated. Woulda been cool to see Chones and the Warriors go up against Sidney Wicks.