Georgia Tech’s Inability to Land In-State Talent is Becoming Problematic

[quadf]

We have these same discussions every year when this article inevitably surfaces. (And cpj initially tried to focus in ga as others have said).

It would be better if we stuck a few polls up so we can perform analysis on the results and track trends through the years.

 

[Sideways]

When I was in school, there were classes with nicknames like "rocks for jocks" (Earth Science) and even majors, "socks for jocks" (Textile Engineering.)

I resent the "socks for jocks" insult. (this is TIC of course) My father was a textile engineering major class of 1950. Of course, he readily admits that he majored in textile engineering for two reasons:

He wanted to get a job with one of the textile mills that back then were all over the state
He was a World War II veteran with a shaky academic background, was married, had a child, and worked a part l time job. For the life of me, I don't know how he did it. He remembers having All American Ray Beck in a math class and was impressed with how smart he was. Even then, Tech was full of smart people (Ray Beck) and overachievers (my dad) It was a hell of a place.

 

[Sideways]

As others have noted, we recruit to our scheme. Does anyone really think that Robert Godhigh (Lord bless him) all 5 foot 7 inches of him could have played even a down at your typical football factory? Emery Peeples? Tony Zenon went to a private school here in Albany but was considered too small, Even Roddy Jones was probably not highly recruited despite being a DeKalb County legend. Those shifty little Abacks that no one really wants thrive in this system. Quick, athletic tackles that would be shunned in a pro style offense are perfect for the triple option. Somewhat undersized centers that are smart, quick, and explode off the ball like Jay Finch and Johnson's very first one, the one who was a walk on defensive tackle from Gainesville, Florida (God forgive me but I cannot remember his name) can play here. We recruit to a different type of player especially on offense. Looking for top 25 classes? Better keep looking because in the 20 or so years of the modern recruiting era Tech has had probably no more than one top 25 class. The wonder is that we are not bottom feeding with the Tulane and Rices of the football world.

 

[dressedcheeseside]

I resent the "socks for jocks" insult. (this is TIC of course) My father was a textile engineering major class of 1950. Of course, he readily admits that he majored in textile engineering for two reasons:

He wanted to get a job with one of the textile mills that back then were all over the state
He was a World War II veteran with a shaky academic background, was married, had a child, and worked a part l time job. For the life of me, I don't know how he did it. He remembers having All American Ray Beck in a math class and was impressed with how smart he was. Even then, Tech was full of smart people (Ray Beck) and overachievers (my dad) It was a hell of a place.

The GT Textile Engineering School bought me and a bunch of my high school mates tickets to the '84 GT/Clemson game but we had to sit through a sales pitch/tour of the Textile program and building. Sounds like a time share scam of today a little bit. I was actually very impressed with the whole operation. If I remember correctly, I think they had a clothing production line in one of the rooms and actually produced socks.

 

[Sideways]

The GT Textile Engineering School bought me and a bunch of my high school mates tickets to the '84 GT/Clemson game but we had to sit through a sales pitch/tour of the Textile program and building. Sounds like a time share scam of today a little bit. I was actually very impressed with the whole operation. If I remember correctly, I think they had a clothing production line in one of the rooms and actually produced socks.

I think that the building that traditionally housed the textile program is now a math building of some sort. Well, at least they tried but times change and we had best change with them. Dad could see the way the wind was blowing by the mid 1950s. When I was born in Rome, Georgia he was manager of a textile operation for Piedmont Mills. He became a manufacturer's representative (kind of like a licensed trouble shooter) and as he put it the training at Tech was perfect. After all, engineers solve problems which is what he did. For a whole lot money than he would have earned in a dying industry. He traveled all over the country and everywhere he went people knew about Georgia Tech.

 

[Sideways]

GT is a cross between what the best of the Ivy league and Military Academies Offer that happens to be the ONLY school of that type competing in a Power 5 Conference. The prediction of academic success has to be priority one otherwise a scholarship is wasted no matter how talented a player is coming out of HS. Travis Custus wanted to be a Yellow Jacket but unfortunately he wasn't prepared coming out of HS for the academic rigors of the Institute. It's unfortunate that effort failed but that is the reality of academic standards. He would have been a great player for GT.

What needs to be embraced is that currently GT is viewed as "Princeton Basketball" back in their heyday under Coach Pete Carillo when they went into the NCAA March Madness Tournament each year and NOBODY EVER wanted to play against them. They upset UCLA one year and every Coach hated to be in the same bracket with them.

That's how CPJ has the Yellow Jackets poised as a football team headed into every season. Nobody wants to play against us regardless of the number of 4 and 5 star kids they have on their rosters. CPJ has put together some great teams and looking forward to another one in 2017.

Embrace this. It is what makes Tech unique. As you say, it is the ONLY school of its kind that plays major college football. Truly extraordinary.

 

[Animal02]

I think that the building that traditionally housed the textile program is now a math building of some sort. Well, at least they tried but times change and we had best change with them. Dad could see the way the wind was blowing by the mid 1950s. When I was born in Rome, Georgia he was manager of a textile operation for Piedmont Mills. He became a manufacturer's representative (kind of like a licensed trouble shooter) and as he put it the training at Tech was perfect. After all, engineers solve problems which is what he did. For a whole lot money than he would have earned in a dying industry. He traveled all over the country and everywhere he went people knew about Georgia Tech.

Textile Engineering building no longer exists IIRC.

 

[g0lftime]

The GTAA would have more money to spend if we weren't paying off fired coaches for so long. We have had some bone headed AD's that have made really bad contract decisions. How much longer do we still have to pay Hewitt?

 

[ClydeBrick]

Textile Engineering building no longer exists IIRC.

Yup. This building

was torn down so the Tech Green could be created.

 

[Sideways]

Textile Engineering building no longer exists IIRC.

Wouldn't doubt it. It was "old" when I was a boy attending Tech games and my dad pointed it out as where he took most of his classes. Although the building in the picture is not the one he went to class in. The building he used was much older located on the Hill on the west side of the stadium as I recall. You could still see "Textile Engineering" on the arch. Tech has a much prettier campus now than when my dad was a student.

 

[bke1984]

The GTAA would have more money to spend if we weren't paying off fired coaches for so long. We have had some bone headed AD's that have made really bad contract decisions. How much longer do we still have to pay Hewitt?

I''m a little confused on the Hewitt thing. Looking back at the contract, it had a six year rollover every year. So we fired him in March 2011. Six years after that is March 2017. Shouldn't his buyout be paid in full now? Did I miss something along the line?

 

[ClydeBrick]

Wouldn't doubt it. It was "old" when I was a boy attending Tech games and my dad pointed it out as where he took most of his classes. Although the building in the picture is not the one he went to class in. The building he used was much older located on the Hill on the west side of the stadium as I recall. You could still see "Textile Engineering" on the arch. Tech has a much prettier campus now than when my dad was a student.

This, of course is still there.

Textiles moved to the now removed Hightower Building (in the above pic) in 1949.

 

[kg01]

I''m a little confused on the Hewitt thing. Looking back at the contract, it had a six year rollover every year. So we fired him in March 2011. Six years after that is March 2017. Shouldn't his buyout be paid in full now? Did I miss something along the line?

IIRC, they extended the years and lessened the per-year total or STTE. I can't remember when we're done.

Paging @dtm1997 ... are we done in 2019 now? (make yourself useful for once )

 

[Deleted member 2897]

IIRC, they extended the years and lessened the per-year total or STTE. I can't remember when we're done.

Paging @dtm1997 ... are we done in 2019 now? (make yourself useful for once )

To put Hewitt's buyout in perspective, after getting fired here he went and Coached at George Mason. There was NO offset. Typically a coach's next salary is subtracted from the buyout, enabling them to continue to make the expected/contracted amount of money, but also guaranteeing they don't draw 2 salaries.

Well he sucked at George Mason and got fired from there after 4 years. And he was STILL getting paid from Georgia Tech. Each of his 4 years at George Mason got worse and worse, culmeninating in a 9-22 final year. Its truly remarkable how much money he made - whoever his agent was ensured he made a true mint off of his 3 years in Sienna in the 90s. 20 years later and he's still cashing those paychecks.

 

[Sideways]

This, of course is still there.

Textiles moved to the now removed Hightower Building (in the above pic) in 1949.

THAT'S IT!! My dad spent many an hour in that place.

 

[ilovetheoption]

To put Hewitt's buyout in perspective, after getting fired here he went and Coached at George Mason. There was NO offset. Typically a coach's next salary is subtracted from the buyout, enabling them to continue to make the expected/contracted amount of money, but also guaranteeing they don't draw 2 salaries.

Well he sucked at George Mason and got fired from there after 4 years. And he was STILL getting paid from Georgia Tech. Each of his 4 years at George Mason got worse and worse, culmeninating in a 9-22 final year. Its truly remarkable how much money he made - whoever his agent was ensured he made a true mint off of his 3 years in Sienna in the 90s. 20 years later and he's still cashing those paychecks.

FWIW, before I'm a UVa fan, I'm a George Mason fan. You have no idea what Paul Hewitt did to our program. He DESTROYED us. We call him The Virus. The hatred we have for him burns with the heat of a thousand suns. He is the worst thing that has ever happened to Northern Virginia.

 

[ilovetheoption]

And, just to elaborate, GMU hoops was SUCH a good thing under Larranaga.

It was really this sense of community that NoVa tends to lack, that this was OUR team. Not DC's team. Not Richmond's team. Mason was for the 703. And Larranaga did it with kids from close by, with fat kids, and slow kids, and scrappy mean kids who weren't as talented but wanted it more, and when we beat Michigan State, and UNC, and UCONN to make the final four with those kind of kids, you could feel a change in the area.

We had something that was ours, and it was real.

And then the virus showed up and just completely trashed it, with his slicky boy suits, and trying to recruit one and done 5 star 6'7 wings, and leaving us with a roster that looked GREAT in warmups, but couldn't play a lick. Just 180 degrees from everything L had built.

Now the patriot center (I refuse to call it eagle bank arena) is dead, and empty, and it's really a bummer. I like the new coach, and I think he'll do a good job, but what larranaga had built, and had become self-sustaining has been killed, and I honestly doubt it'll ever get back the way it was.

 

[Sideways]

FWIW, before I'm a UVa fan, I'm a George Mason fan. You have no idea what Paul Hewitt did to our program. He DESTROYED us. We call him The Virus. The hatred we have for him burns with the heat of a thousand suns. He is the worst thing that has ever happened to Northern Virginia.

"Destroyed it you say?" Imagine that, the man is literally the gift that keeps giving. A pity that UGA did not see the wisdom in hiring him.

 

[AE 87]

FWIW, before I'm a UVa fan, I'm a George Mason fan. You have no idea what Paul Hewitt did to our program. He DESTROYED us. We call him The Virus. The hatred we have for him burns with the heat of a thousand suns. He is the worst thing that has ever happened to Northern Virginia.

Well, to be fair, GMU should've known better.

 

[ilovetheoption]

Well, to be fair, GMU should've known better.

LOL, I was the only one on our board who was like "guys, this is REALLY not a good hire", and it was only because I had heard you guys so pissed off about the "clogged toilet offense" (believe you me, we came to understand that one) and other such jibes.