So I think that pretty much everybody can agree that UTEP Athletics currently has a bad image problem right now with the average El Paso fan. That is validated with the declining attendance. At some point, don't results have to start falling on the Director of Athletics?
We didn't get here overnight, this has been a long trend downward. There is a lack of connection between UTEP and the missing fans that they need to get back. Here are some of the negative things that have happened, which have lead UTEP to it's current situation:
- UTEP's official Twitter account criticized the skills of our own player during a game. Yeah, that actually happened.
- Tim Floyd held off-season Press Conference and got into highly publicized altercation with local media.
- Football team has only had 5 Home Games in 3 out of 5 years(counting next season).
- Football team got blown out 66-14(and did not get a single defensive stop during the entire game), in front of the biggest crowd of the season.
- Two different Basketball Players have left UTEP early to turn pro.....despite not even having a chance at being drafted.
- Football has had losing seasons in 10 of the last 11 years.
- Basketball has not won a NCAA Tournament game in 24 years.
- Football has not won a Bowl Game in 49 years.
- Basketball has had home losses against: Norfolk State, UT Arlington, Southeast Louisiana, New Orleans.
- UTEP has been reduced to playing in a conference that is the equivalent of playing in the Sun Belt from 10 years ago.
- The tailgating rules for football were changed in a way that irritated a percentage of the fan base.
- Basketball has lost 6 of the last 7 games against our biggest rival NMSU.
- Star Basketball Recruit signed, then didn't want to come. Right or wrong, some negative national attention came our way when we then refused to let that player out of his scholarship and then that player tried to create an excuse and fought us for his release.
- Best Football Player(and genuinely good person) got arrested for DUI.
- Basketball team has had yearly turnover and players leaving at a level that has never been seen here before.
- Basketball team has had yearly discipline issues/internal conflicts/general drama issues at a level that we have not seen here before.
- Basketball player was shown verbally cussing out an Assistant Coach on National TV.
- Basketball team had to self-report and kick 3 players out of school for gambling.
- Our current conference has lost 7 members recently and now has one of the worst TV Deals of any conference in America.
- Previous Football Coach was allowed to stay way too long(7 consecutive losing seasons). Right or wrong, the current Head Football Coach now has a consensus perception amongst the community of following that same path.
- Basketball Staff had altercation with Alford and UNM Staff prior to NIT game(from Fanaticoog).
- Floyd got into publicized altercation with Andy Enfield at hospitality event during Holiday Tournament(from Fanaticoog).
- Floyd and Assistant Coach made national news after being ejected at ECU game and removed with Police escort(from Fanaticoog).
After all of this, is there any wonder why UTEP has fallen as low as it has fallen? And this doesn't even cover the first two Head Basketball Coaches that our current Athletic Director hired. One got arrested for drunk driving while he was our Head Coach. The other Head Basketball Coach got a student pregnant, then began missing recruiting trips because he instead chose to stay at the airport bar and get drunk.......and yet despite this over-the-top craziness, that Coach wasn't even fired, instead he was able to resign for personal reasons. All of this listed above has happened under our current Athletic Director's watch. This is a lot of black eyes for an athletic department to overcome. At some point, doesn't a Director have to be held responsible for what has happened under his direction?
We didn't get here overnight, this has been a long trend downward. There is a lack of connection between UTEP and the missing fans that they need to get back. Here are some of the negative things that have happened, which have lead UTEP to it's current situation:
- UTEP's official Twitter account criticized the skills of our own player during a game. Yeah, that actually happened.
- Tim Floyd held off-season Press Conference and got into highly publicized altercation with local media.
- Football team has only had 5 Home Games in 3 out of 5 years(counting next season).
- Football team got blown out 66-14(and did not get a single defensive stop during the entire game), in front of the biggest crowd of the season.
- Two different Basketball Players have left UTEP early to turn pro.....despite not even having a chance at being drafted.
- Football has had losing seasons in 10 of the last 11 years.
- Basketball has not won a NCAA Tournament game in 24 years.
- Football has not won a Bowl Game in 49 years.
- Basketball has had home losses against: Norfolk State, UT Arlington, Southeast Louisiana, New Orleans.
- UTEP has been reduced to playing in a conference that is the equivalent of playing in the Sun Belt from 10 years ago.
- The tailgating rules for football were changed in a way that irritated a percentage of the fan base.
- Basketball has lost 6 of the last 7 games against our biggest rival NMSU.
- Star Basketball Recruit signed, then didn't want to come. Right or wrong, some negative national attention came our way when we then refused to let that player out of his scholarship and then that player tried to create an excuse and fought us for his release.
- Best Football Player(and genuinely good person) got arrested for DUI.
- Basketball team has had yearly turnover and players leaving at a level that has never been seen here before.
- Basketball team has had yearly discipline issues/internal conflicts/general drama issues at a level that we have not seen here before.
- Basketball player was shown verbally cussing out an Assistant Coach on National TV.
- Basketball team had to self-report and kick 3 players out of school for gambling.
- Our current conference has lost 7 members recently and now has one of the worst TV Deals of any conference in America.
- Previous Football Coach was allowed to stay way too long(7 consecutive losing seasons). Right or wrong, the current Head Football Coach now has a consensus perception amongst the community of following that same path.
- Basketball Staff had altercation with Alford and UNM Staff prior to NIT game(from Fanaticoog).
- Floyd got into publicized altercation with Andy Enfield at hospitality event during Holiday Tournament(from Fanaticoog).
- Floyd and Assistant Coach made national news after being ejected at ECU game and removed with Police escort(from Fanaticoog).
After all of this, is there any wonder why UTEP has fallen as low as it has fallen? And this doesn't even cover the first two Head Basketball Coaches that our current Athletic Director hired. One got arrested for drunk driving while he was our Head Coach. The other Head Basketball Coach got a student pregnant, then began missing recruiting trips because he instead chose to stay at the airport bar and get drunk.......and yet despite this over-the-top craziness, that Coach wasn't even fired, instead he was able to resign for personal reasons. All of this listed above has happened under our current Athletic Director's watch. This is a lot of black eyes for an athletic department to overcome. At some point, doesn't a Director have to be held responsible for what has happened under his direction?
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