NO REALLY … DON’T CALL IT A COMEBACK
In the past we’ve written that South Carolina’s bloated, corrupt, dysfunctional and inefficient state government “never met an expense it didn’t like.”
Turns out we were wrong. Apparently there’s one expense it doesn’t like: The creation of a football program at Francis Marion College (an entity which we believe should be immediately privatized along with the rest of our state’s duplicative system of higher education).
At least it doesn’t like that expense … yet.
According to a story in The Florence Morning News, an alumni of the government-run institution believes his alma mater is being “left in the dust” by fellow government-run schools like Coastal Carolina and the College of Charleston – a regional envy which forms the basis for hundreds of millions of dollars in appropriations at the state level each year.
To compensate for this deficiency, the alum – William Breazeale – is proposing that Francis Marion spend millions of dollars annually on fielding a football team, following in the footsteps of other small-time taxpayer-funded institutions.
He’s also got a head coach in mind: Former Clemson University head coach Danny Ford, who posted a 96-29-4 record (including a national title and five conference championships) during his twelve-year stint in Tigertown from 1978-89.
Of course Ford’s program ran into trouble with the NCAA following its 1981 national title – and again following the 1989 season, forcing Ford to resign his post at the ripe old age of 41 years.
In 1992, Ford was hired by Arkansas athletics director Frank Broyles – but posted a disappointing 26-30-1 mark in five years in Fayetteville as the Razorbacks adjusted to the rigors of SEC competition. Still, Ford’s recruiting success helped enable his successor, Houston Nutt, to post a pair of Top Twenty finishes in the years immediately following his departure.
So … is this going to happen?
No … having just blown $11 million on new facilities for the school’s totally unnecessary athletics programs, Francis Marion’s leaders are (for now) pouring cold water on the notion.
That’s not stopping Breazeale, though, who has formed a committee and is planning to launch a website in support of his hare-brained scheme. He’s also enlisting the help of the local government-run K-12 schools – whose football teams he says could play their home games at a proposed $25 million taxpayer-funded stadium.
26 comments
News Flash for Sic Willie! Athletic Departments are required to be self supporting, i.e. no taxpayer funding. If facilities are built by “government-run” schools then it is done with donations and state backed bonds. State backed bonds mean the taxpayer is only on the hook if the bonds aren’t paid. Has that happened anywhere in SC?
Further news for Sic Willie (though he will ignore it as it doesn’t fit his agenda). If Ford was guilty in two probations as implied, then the NCAA would have put him under a “show cause” sanction and Frank Broyles would not have hired him at Arkansas.
Yeah. And if OJ Simpson murdered his wife, he would’ve been jailed for it. And if Bobby Petrino didn’t cheat on his wife with some employee he hired because he was in a relationship with her, then WKU and Louisville wouldn’t have hired him.
Yeah. And if you weren’t an idiot, you couldn’t rival GT on this site.
Perhaps you should look into what the NCAA means by “show cause”. That way your ignorance would not be so obvious.
Yeah, I mean the NCAA gets it right every time all the time. Amirite?
Thats right Brah.
Dammitalltohell, CSNYD. You FORCE TBG to come to BigT/GrandTango’s defense!!!
No one, and TBG means NO ONE holds even a dim candle to the 1,000,000,000,000 candlepower virtual sun that is BigT/GrandTango’s idiocy on this blog.
You, sir, owe Jackie an apology.
“If Ford “”were”” guilty………” That mistake is so very annoying to me.
CNSYD – you are flat out wrong…again. There is nothing that requires an athletic department to be self supporting… check the salaries of athletic personnel and you’ll find they are paid with state funds. Cite the state statute that supports your erroneous statement.
Furthermore.. while you’ll go to the grave defending everything and anything ever done by your beloved college, the NCAA show cause sanctions were not in effect in 1981. Had today’s rules and penalties been in effect at that time, cu would have been stripped of the title they cheated to win.
Correct!
The coaches are alson covered by the State Retirement System!
With their millions in salary, they draw very lucrative retirements.
Don’t underestimate Francis Marion President Fred Carter’s penchant to spend (throw away) State Tax Dollars!
He is a past master at wasting tax dollars on unnecessary expenditures and glorified wasteful spending, learned during his tenure as Executive Director of the Budget and Control Board.
Just ask some of the former employees about the German “Sister State” program and the rumored settlements after abuse allegations were made against Carter.
He would swallow this boondoggle like a bottom dwelling sucker fish!
Abuse allegations against Fred Carter? Details, please…
No, please don’t call it a comeback. Call it “bareback” because that’s how I roll. Danny Ford, “I wish I knew how to quit you.”
FITS, we have a problem here. I didn’t post this.
I’m apparently experiencing a mental breakdown. Can someone please come over and give me an injection?
You will have to await the return of Nancy Mace to fix all the FUBARs on this site.
FITS, we have a problem here, bud. The post this is responding to ain’t mine.
It seems that after my dose of Haldol, I became confused. Carry on.
The colleges and universities in SC are becoming a dumping ground for politicians.
As in past Francis Marion, USC and probably Charleston aka: McConnellville.
The Budget and Control Bd. use to hold the cake on being the dumping ground, under Carter. Not to mention, all of the Marines he hired and placed in positions there. He was a Marine Reservist and it was noticed by many employees how swiftly he was elevated in rank.
I think FITS has reported that he is STRONGLY connected to government largess to pay a higher education professor…
While SC’s football program pays the freight for so many liberal Title IX athletes….I doubt FITS’ relative at USC could justify the paychecks he gobbled from the government subsidized university…
Not saying the man did not earn it, but college professors may be the most perfect example of liberals getting fat, riding easy street, on the backs of working people…And they take this money w/o any proof they produce ANYTHING, but a bill for sabbatical and a penchant for hitting on co-eds, too in awe to see the flaws of liberal men…
To castigate a plan to establish a football program…when you brag about subsidized degrees from far less feasible departments is the height of ignorance and arrogance…
You never darkened a door step at any university, did you?
Another news flash for Willie. Clemson’s last football probation was over 20 years ago. Since that time, the USC football program has been on probation twice.
SHHHHHH…Gamecocks like to forget any history longer than their current winning streak against Clemson.
Wait a minute. We are talking about the same WILL BREAZEALE that ran for congress in NC twice and got pummeled after the documents got out about his bankruptcy and failure to pay child support from the divorce and the ummmm homo stuff? Hey Mr. Ford you might want to find another cheer leader other than WILL BREAZEALE?
This Will Breazeale? http://www.clickorlando.com/news/Police-Estranged-husband-of-Oviedo-city-manager-arrested-for-stalking/-/1637132/18360474/-/d1hchm/-/index.html
Psycho Will Breazeale? Nice… http://www.wwaytv3.com/2013/02/04/first-3-former-congressional-candidate-arrested-charges-of-stalking