Friends, let's talk about our Football Coach

[B Lifsey]

Drownproofing???

Which I managed to get transfer credit for an advanced swimming class

 

[Supersizethatorder-mutt]

I had "drownproofing" under Freddie Lanoue, who invented it. I hated that man. LOL

 

[AE 87]

I can't remember who taught our drown proofing class, but I remember feeling really bad for the football player in our class. Guy had like 1 or 2% body fat. His buoyancy point was like 3 or 4 inches below the surface, and I don't think he knew how to swim very well before the class started.

@dressedcheeseside I disagree with you a bit on your defense of Tech fans. I think some of the most ardent of our dissatisfied fans come from the sidewalk. I think we sometimes fail to appreciate what they go through. They experience all the pain of the mediocre records without the academic ties to the school. They can probably appreciate the academic challenges at an abstract level without really grasping it concretely. I know one sidewalk fan who's been critical of our recent records talking about a grandson, iirc, who was able to succeed in college Algebra or something like that because of a good tutor with patience. I don't think he fully appreciated that his grandson apparently didn't meet the math requirements to get into Tech and that a lot of High School football players fall into the same camp.

So, imagine getting grief from dwags about GT's record (which is all that they're capable of understanding) and not having the benefits of being a GT alum. Here's to our sidewalk fans! I sympathize with your pain.

 

[GPD]

I can't remember who taught our drown proofing class, but I remember feeling really bad for the football player in our class. Guy had like 1 or 2% body fat. His buoyancy point was like 3 or 4 inches below the surface, and I don't think he knew how to swim very well before the class started.

@dressedcheeseside I disagree with you a bit on your defense of Tech fans. I think some of the most ardent of our dissatisfied fans come from the sidewalk. I think we sometimes fail to appreciate what they go through. They experience all the pain of the mediocre records without the academic ties to the school. They can probably appreciate the academic challenges at an abstract level without really grasping it concretely. I know one sidewalk fan who's been critical of our recent records talking about a grandson, iirc, who was able to succeed in college Algebra or something like that because of a good tutor with patience. I don't think he fully appreciated that his grandson apparently didn't meet the math requirements to get into Tech and that a lot of High School football players fall into the same camp.

So, imagine getting grief from dwags about GT's record (which is all that they're capable of understanding) and not having the benefits of being a GT alum. Here's to our sidewalk fans! I sympathize with your pain.

You make an interesting point AE87... Many of our sidewalk fans are "legacies" from family members or some other natural connection with Tech, but many are just attracted to our style of play, or support Tech because it's a local, home state team, or they are simply answering the Institute's call to "Come buy season tickets and become a Tech fan".

This is where your point becomes even stronger... our marketing message isn't "Buy Season Football tickets so you can relish in the academic rigors of GT" hahaha

We market ourselves as big time college football which is exactly what we are... I'm sure sidewalk fans have a degree of pride that their chosen team has a good academic reputation.. but they bought season football tickets for big time football, not front row seating for the National Spelling Bee... they do not want to hear about academic rigors on Saturday...they want to hear about what they paid for...high level, competitive football.

There seems to be an increased realization of that reality with regards to recruiting... I am highly supportive of the increased support coming from the administration towards our football program... seems to be paying off already.

 

[Augusta_Jacket]

I can't remember who taught our drown proofing class, but I remember feeling really bad for the football player in our class. Guy had like 1 or 2% body fat. His buoyancy point was like 3 or 4 inches below the surface, and I don't think he knew how to swim very well before the class started.

@dressedcheeseside I disagree with you a bit on your defense of Tech fans. I think some of the most ardent of our dissatisfied fans come from the sidewalk. I think we sometimes fail to appreciate what they go through. They experience all the pain of the mediocre records without the academic ties to the school. They can probably appreciate the academic challenges at an abstract level without really grasping it concretely. I know one sidewalk fan who's been critical of our recent records talking about a grandson, iirc, who was able to succeed in college Algebra or something like that because of a good tutor with patience. I don't think he fully appreciated that his grandson apparently didn't meet the math requirements to get into Tech and that a lot of High School football players fall into the same camp.

So, imagine getting grief from dwags about GT's record (which is all that they're capable of understanding) and not having the benefits of being a GT alum. Here's to our sidewalk fans! I sympathize with your pain.

As a sidewalk fan, I would say you are painting with too broad a brush. A lot of the sidewalk fans I know fall on the far side of the argument. If anything, they probably think GT's academics are TOO difficult. For myself, I went to the US Coast Guard Academy, so I am fully aware of how difficult an academically rigorous school can be, but I am not the exception. Even growing up, I was awed by the academic rigor of GT. Most of us are fully aware of the academic limitations that GT places on itself, and THAT'S EXACTLY WHY WE LOVE THE TEAM. We root for GT BECAUSE GT refuses to become a factory. We root for GT BECAUSE GT insists on their student athletes being STUDENTS above all else. I, for one, would be greatly disappointed and shamed if ever GT abased itself the way UNC has done recently.

If nothing else, I think sometimes the GT alumni too easily dismiss the actual intelligence of the sidewalk fans. We're not all college dropouts who couldn't get into GT.

I am not saying that this is what you intended, but it's the way it comes across frequently from GT alums.

 

[AE 87]

As a sidewalk fan, I would say you are painting with too broad a brush. A lot of the sidewalk fans I know fall on the far side of the argument. If anything, they probably think GT's academics are TOO difficult. For myself, I went to the US Coast Guard Academy, so I am fully aware of how difficult an academically rigorous school can be, but I am not the exception. Even growing up, I was awed by the academic rigor of GT. Most of us are fully aware of the academic limitations that GT places on itself, and THAT'S EXACTLY WHY WE LOVE THE TEAM. We root for GT BECAUSE GT refuses to become a factory. We root for GT BECAUSE GT insists on their student athletes being STUDENTS above all else. I, for one, would be greatly disappointed and shamed if ever GT abased itself the way UNC has done recently.

If nothing else, I think sometimes the GT alumni too easily dismiss the actual intelligence of the sidewalk fans. We're not all college dropouts who couldn't get into GT.

I am not saying that this is what you intended, but it's the way it comes across frequently from GT alums.

Thanks. I did not intend to imply all.

 

[Augusta_Jacket]

Thanks. I did not intend to imply all.

I didn't think so, but wanted to defend us guys (and gals) with nothing more than a deep love for GT keeping us in the stands.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

The td catch to Days is a perfect example of what this offense can do in 3rd and long situations. You really need a qb who can read the play and find the right guy. JT gets big props from me on this play. Smelter beat his man running a post, but the safety had the deep middle covered. He may have been able to lazer one in but it was risky. The other receivers looked covered too, but nobody picked up Days on the wheel. Maybe Days was the primary target all the way and I'm giving JT too much credit, I dunno.

Is it possible to give Smoooth too much credit? Just teasing, I love Thomas and am glad he seems to have no ego (only confidence) and is a team first guy who works hard to get better every day. That is how legendary players are created, they are not born.

 

[Supersizethatorder-mutt]

Has anybody heard a KO time for the Clemson game yet? I thought it would have already been posted; they usually do early afternoon on Monday of the week before a game.

 

[jeffgt14]

Has anybody heard a KO time for the Clemson game yet? I thought it would have already been posted; they usually do early afternoon on Monday of the week before a game.

http://gtswarm.com/threads/gt-clemson-kickoff-either-12-or-3-30.4576/

 

[Supersizethatorder-mutt]

http://gtswarm.com/threads/gt-clemson-kickoff-either-12-or-3-30.4576/

Thanks. Had not seen that. That sucks though not knowing till the weekend. I sure hope it's not yet another damn noon game. I HATE them

 

[Bruce Wayne]

On the sidewalk aspect of fandom for Tech.

If you went to a good academic school and are now living in the transient city of Atlanta like a U Michigan friend of mine then it makes total sense to gravitate to being a fan of Tech for local sports entertainment. This is very natural exactly because of Tech's academic reputation and then secondarily because of the terribly obvious bias and propaganda for the SEC these days. If you have a more direct allegiance to a team and conference NOT the SEC and you move to Atlanta then Tech is a great "anti-SEC" non-factory school right in the heart of the "enemy's" territory. So I actually think that the AA should find certain discrete ways to reach out and appeal to sidewalk support from alums of really good academic schools and from other non-regional conferences and areas.

For example:
1) find out the local info for all of the PAC or B10 or Ivy's local alumni chapters and send them invites and discounted or even maybe some 5$ to free tickets to some Tech games. You can even make appeals to such focused groups specifically on a pitch of "hey come out and see some live college sports the way you want to see it played . . . by real student-athletes who actually go to class and earn serious degrees at a great academic Institute right here close to where you now call home." Give them tours of the campus where you appeal to their own love of academic rigor to make them proud of living in a place that has a world-class Institute like Tech (hint . . . they may send their kids there one day as well!).

2) Do the same technique with the old Big East basketball schools during basketball season. You know, all the Catholic colleges that thumbed their nose at college football tv money which was turning their conference into a monstrosity?

3) Use the same technique with local colleges and their students like Emory students (my alma mater). The Emory bookstore has always sold a shirt that says "Emory Football . . . still undefeated!" because they have never had a football program. Tech and Emory have a long history of working close together and used to have a ton of cross-listed courses so that Tech math and engineering students could have access to taking more rigorous humanities courses and Emory students could get the same in engineering fields. In my opinion (as the son of a Tech grad who grew up in Atlanta and went to Emory for a humanities education) there is no reason not to invite all the Emory students to get the same (or a little more expensive) access to Tech games as Tech students. Maybe include Agnes Scott (another with a long history of being tied close to Tech) and other schools in this as well (Morehouse, Oglethorpe, whomever). Run a shuttle bus for the students at other local colleges without big-time sports teams to root for, especially football.

Don't put up billboards that are snobbish/elitist and celebrate Tech having "real student-athletes and not being a factory". . . but do this discretely to specific audiences and I think such a campaign could have real appeal and results in boosting sidewalk Atlanta fandom in Tech.

 

[Supersizethatorder-mutt]

On the sidewalk aspect of fandom for Tech.

If you went to a good academic school and are now living in the transient city of Atlanta like a U Michigan friend of mine then it makes total sense to gravitate to being a fan of Tech for local sports entertainment. This is very natural exactly because of Tech's academic reputation and then secondarily because of the terribly obvious bias and propaganda for the SEC these days. If you have a more direct allegiance to a team and conference NOT the SEC and you move to Atlanta then Tech is a great "anti-SEC" non-factory school right in the heart of the "enemy's" territory. So I actually think that the AA should find certain discrete ways to reach out and appeal to sidewalk support from alums of really good academic schools and from other non-regional conferences and areas.

For example:
1) find out the local info for all of the PAC or B10 or Ivy's local alumni chapters and send them invites and discounted or even maybe some 5$ to free tickets to some Tech games. You can even make appeals to such focused groups specifically on a pitch of "hey come out and see some live college sports the way you want to see it played . . . by real student-athletes who actually go to class and earn serious degrees at a great academic Institute right here close to where you now call home." Give them tours of the campus where you appeal to their own love of academic rigor to make them proud of living in a place that has a world-class Institute like Tech (hint . . . they may send their kids there one day as well!).

2) Do the same technique with the old Big East basketball schools during basketball season. You know, all the Catholic colleges that thumbed their nose at college football tv money which was turning their conference into a monstrosity?

3) Use the same technique with local colleges and their students like Emory students (my alma mater). The Emory bookstore has always sold a shirt that says "Emory Football . . . still undefeated!" because they have never had a football program. Tech and Emory have a long history of working close together and used to have a ton of cross-listed courses so that Tech math and engineering students could have access to taking more rigorous humanities courses and Emory students could get the same in engineering fields. In my opinion (as the son of a Tech grad who grew up in Atlanta and went to Emory for a humanities education) there is no reason not to invite all the Emory students to get the same (or a little more expensive) access to Tech games as Tech students. Maybe include Agnes Scott (another with a long history of being tied close to Tech) and other schools in this as well (Morehouse, Oglethorpe, whomever). Run a shuttle bus for the students at other local colleges without big-time sports teams to root for, especially football.

Don't put up billboards that are snobbish/elitist and celebrate Tech having "real student-athletes and not being a factory". . . but do this discretely to specific audiences and I think such a campaign could have real appeal and results in boosting sidewalk Atlanta fandom in Tech.

You should send those ideas to MBob or the new SID at Tech. Those are terrific ideas and should at least be considered.

 

[GPD]

On the sidewalk aspect of fandom for Tech.

If you went to a good academic school and are now living in the transient city of Atlanta like a U Michigan friend of mine then it makes total sense to gravitate to being a fan of Tech for local sports entertainment. This is very natural exactly because of Tech's academic reputation and then secondarily because of the terribly obvious bias and propaganda for the SEC these days. If you have a more direct allegiance to a team and conference NOT the SEC and you move to Atlanta then Tech is a great "anti-SEC" non-factory school right in the heart of the "enemy's" territory. So I actually think that the AA should find certain discrete ways to reach out and appeal to sidewalk support from alums of really good academic schools and from other non-regional conferences and areas.

For example:
1) find out the local info for all of the PAC or B10 or Ivy's local alumni chapters and send them invites and discounted or even maybe some 5$ to free tickets to some Tech games. You can even make appeals to such focused groups specifically on a pitch of "hey come out and see some live college sports the way you want to see it played . . . by real student-athletes who actually go to class and earn serious degrees at a great academic Institute right here close to where you now call home." Give them tours of the campus where you appeal to their own love of academic rigor to make them proud of living in a place that has a world-class Institute like Tech (hint . . . they may send their kids there one day as well!).

2) Do the same technique with the old Big East basketball schools during basketball season. You know, all the Catholic colleges that thumbed their nose at college football tv money which was turning their conference into a monstrosity?

3) Use the same technique with local colleges and their students like Emory students (my alma mater). The Emory bookstore has always sold a shirt that says "Emory Football . . . still undefeated!" because they have never had a football program. Tech and Emory have a long history of working close together and used to have a ton of cross-listed courses so that Tech math and engineering students could have access to taking more rigorous humanities courses and Emory students could get the same in engineering fields. In my opinion (as the son of a Tech grad who grew up in Atlanta and went to Emory for a humanities education) there is no reason not to invite all the Emory students to get the same (or a little more expensive) access to Tech games as Tech students. Maybe include Agnes Scott (another with a long history of being tied close to Tech) and other schools in this as well (Morehouse, Oglethorpe, whomever). Run a shuttle bus for the students at other local colleges without big-time sports teams to root for, especially football.

Holy marketing prowess Batman... Outstanding!!!

Don't put up billboards that are snobbish/elitist and celebrate Tech having "real student-athletes and not being a factory". . . but do this discretely to specific audiences and I think such a campaign could have real appeal and results in boosting sidewalk Atlanta fandom in Tech.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

You should send those ideas to MBob or the new SID at Tech. Those are terrific ideas and should at least be considered.

I have never emailed anyone at Tech. I am sure I could figure out how but if you have done so then feel free to send the ideas along. I am not proprietary about ideas to help improve the bottom line for the GTAA.

I am sure that any number of variables on my ideas could be constructed as well.

I will flesh out the case at the school I have the most intimate knowledge of, Emory. It draws a huge amount of northern students who get there and live on or very close to campus for their entire stay. Again, Emory has no football team of its own at any collegiate level and all those Yankees at Emory may have allegiances to professional football teams like the Giants or Pats but will be an untapped resource for college football teams. Also, they think of themselves as attending an Ivy League school but just down in the south. Finally, there is a pretty active Greek life at Emory so the sister and brother fraternities and sororities at Tech should reach out to invite the Emory students over for tailgates and football games on fall Saturdays.

Emory has a beautiful little campus but it is rather nestled in the surrounding upscale neighborhoods and so can be kind of isolated for the northern kids who attend it and are living in the dorms as 18-20 year olds with no cars (you don't own a car as a teenager growing up in NYC area) and being underage means it is harder to find entertainment. So Tech's AA and Greek Life should arrange for shuttle buses to get those cooped up Emory kids (they come from money, btw) over for the college football Saturday game-day experience. They would love it!

Many of these students become doctors and lawyers and even stay in Atlanta so they are a huge potential resource for the GTAA specifically because of the academic prestige of Tech and the fact that Emory has no football program and so does not offer a fall Saturday "college" experience that Tech can offer. Tech historically has maintained ties academically to Emory as a sister "elite" academic school only on the liberal arts flipside of the coin to Tech's science, technology, and engineering focus. The GTAA can really push that academic angle to form connections to the Emory students and get them over to experience all the pageantry that occurs at a college with big-time football.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

your comment seems to have gotten lost GPD.

 

[Supersizethatorder-mutt]

I have never emailed anyone at Tech. I am sure I could figure out how but if you have done so then feel free to send the ideas along. I am not proprietary about ideas to help improve the bottom line for the GTAA.

I am sure that any number of variables on my ideas could be constructed as well.

I will flesh out the case at the school I have the most intimate knowledge of, Emory. It draws a huge amount of northern students who get there and live on or very close to campus for their entire stay. Again, Emory has no football team of its own at any collegiate level and all those Yankees at Emory may have allegiances to professional football teams like the Giants or Pats but will be an untapped resource for college football teams. Also, they think of themselves as attending an Ivy League school but just down in the south. Finally, there is a pretty active Greek life at Emory so the sister and brother fraternities and sororities at Tech should reach out to invite the Emory students over for tailgates and football games on fall Saturdays.

Emory has a beautiful little campus but it is rather nestled in the surrounding upscale neighborhoods and so can be kind of isolated for the northern kids who attend it and are living in the dorms as 18-20 year olds with no cars (you don't own a car as a teenager growing up in NYC area) and being underage means it is harder to find entertainment. So Tech's AA and Greek Life should arrange for shuttle buses to get those cooped up Emory kids (they come from money, btw) over for the college football Saturday game-day experience. They would love it! Many of these students become doctors and lawyers and even stay in Atlanta so they are a huge potential resource for the GTAA specifically because of the academic prestige of Tech and the fact that Emory has no football program and so does not offer a fall Saturday "college" experience that Tech can offer.

I have written letters to MBob twice and emailed him once; he responded to me each time, and he actually acted on what I suggested in the two letters. He is definitely open to suggestions. I don't feel good forwarding other people's ideas though, so I hope you will do it yourself. You have more background information to offer supporting your suggestions than I do and could do a far better job. When I wrote him, it was concerning something that I felt deeply about and could support with my comments. Give it a go.....hey, what do you have to lose?

 

[GPD]

your comment seems to have gotten lost GPD.

Somehow my comment got embedded within your quoted comments Bruce Wayne

Not sure how that happened but my comment said "Holy Marketing prowess Batman... Outstanding!!!"

Your ideas are excellent... relatively inexpensive with a high degree of some success... Love it!

 

[Bruce Wayne]

Somehow my comment got embedded within your quoted comments Bruce Wayne

Not sure how that happened but my comment said "Holy Marketing prowess Batman... Outstanding!!!"

Your ideas are excellent... relatively inexpensive with a high degree of some success... Love it!

Thanks. It was the comments about Tech being elite academically and whether this can be off-putting to sidewalk fans that spurred my comment.

I am a son of a Tech alum so grew up a fan of Tech teams anyway. But I know from a wide swath of experience that the academic prestige of Tech is not at all a detriment to certain sectors of the population that the GTAA could appeal to and try and get involved in supporting Tech as their adopted hometown team. It can't be done too above ground though or of course would look elitist and snobbish to the general Georgia populace and I know a lot of Tech fans fight amongst themselves over variously wanting to embrace or downplay a "nerdy" reputation.

The key for the GTAA though is to successfully do both, to downplay the elitist and "nerdy" side in certain market segments and then to utilize that reputation to appeal to other market segments. After all, it is just about watching a sporting event (!) and getting people (for whatever reason) to root for your team.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

I have written letters to MBob twice and emailed him once; he responded to me each time, and he actually acted on what I suggested in the two letters. He is definitely open to suggestions. I don't feel good forwarding other people's ideas though, so I hope you will do it yourself. You have more background information to offer supporting your suggestions than I do and could do a far better job. When I wrote him, it was concerning something that I felt deeply about and could support with my comments. Give it a go.....hey, what do you have to lose?

If the GTAA knows whats good for them they have one intern or staffer assigned to read all the Tech message boards and provide a bulletins point review on the "pulse" of at least that portion of the fan base crazy enough or with enough free time to participate on these sites.

So maybe they already read my ideas.

But if you want to pm me the email address you used then I can copy and paste and send one over to the GTAA later on today.