Dearest Bunker:
So there has been some talk about Gen. Ron Burgess, the university's Chief Operating Officer, moving into some role (currently undefined) within the athletic department. We had a long thread about this recently, which was started by theusually always excellent @Knox Harrington:videoartist. (Here is the thread.)
My friend Phillip Marshall also mentioned this in his latest dispatch.
I'll have more to say about this situation in the near future. I'm still trying to understand what's happening, why it's happening and who is behind this ... beyond University President Jay Gogue. Stories like this seem straightforward from the outside — WHY IS THIS DUDE ALL UP ON ADAG? — but I've learned through the years to take a little more time and think about things in an AUBURN CONTEXT and try to figure out for myself what's actually happening as opposed to what people say is happening.
WHAT WE KNOW
• Burgess is focusing on the athletic department for the time being
• This IS NOT something Allen Greene requested
• This IS something Gogue requested
• Greene is unpopular, possibly very unpopular, among a majority of Auburn coaches
• Greene's lack of popularity among coaches largely is rooted in his views on budgetary concerns
• Burgess has told at least a handful of coaches that they shouldn't (and won't) be affected by budgetary concerns
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?
It's certainly unusual, but remember that THIS IS AUBURN® and Auburn operates in someweird unique ways. My educated guess is that Burgess is looking to gain a better understanding of these coaches' concerns and what Greene has done about those concerns. I sense a recent pivot within department administration toward an internal focus as opposed to the external focus we've seen. To be fair, the department (and Greene specifically) has done a very good job of raising money for the football complex at a time when money was unusually difficult to raise. So the external focus yielded some important dividends. Did those dividends come at a cost in terms of some internal issues being neglected? Possibly. That's what Burgess would like to understand a bit better.
Look, Auburn didn't have a good 2020-21 season from a competitive standpoint. The high-profile teams were unilaterally disappointing while many of the Olympic sports languished as well. Many coaches point to the department's spending cuts and financial constraints as a primary factor. That's on Greene.
My thing is this: Greene is here to make Auburn a winner in every sport. He also must be responsible when it comes to spending. I get it. We all get it. I run a business and many of y'all do as well. Many more of you understand how business works. At the same time, it's possible to be so concerned about finances that you lose sight of the ultimate goal. I'm just saying it's possible. It comes down to what happened RELATIVE TO THE SEC in terms of money spent. Has Auburn gotten too frugal? I haven't see all the data, but my gut tells me Auburn pulled back more than all but one non-Vandy program. Is that where Auburn is these days? One spot ahead of Vandy?
I don't think so. Auburn is still a rich, big, important program.
I also think Greene is a good, smart person trying to do a good, smart job. So it's a bit confusing, honestly.
Is this simply a continuation of the melodrama that has been going on since the late 80s or early 90s? To be sure, some of the themes remain the same. The Harsin hire was unpopular, at least in some corners of the Auburn world, and we always knew the people who felt burned by that hire would have their say eventually. Is that what we're seeing here? I don't know just yet.
So there has been some talk about Gen. Ron Burgess, the university's Chief Operating Officer, moving into some role (currently undefined) within the athletic department. We had a long thread about this recently, which was started by the
My friend Phillip Marshall also mentioned this in his latest dispatch.
I'll have more to say about this situation in the near future. I'm still trying to understand what's happening, why it's happening and who is behind this ... beyond University President Jay Gogue. Stories like this seem straightforward from the outside — WHY IS THIS DUDE ALL UP ON ADAG? — but I've learned through the years to take a little more time and think about things in an AUBURN CONTEXT and try to figure out for myself what's actually happening as opposed to what people say is happening.
WHAT WE KNOW
• Burgess is focusing on the athletic department for the time being
• This IS NOT something Allen Greene requested
• This IS something Gogue requested
• Greene is unpopular, possibly very unpopular, among a majority of Auburn coaches
• Greene's lack of popularity among coaches largely is rooted in his views on budgetary concerns
• Burgess has told at least a handful of coaches that they shouldn't (and won't) be affected by budgetary concerns
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?
It's certainly unusual, but remember that THIS IS AUBURN® and Auburn operates in some
Look, Auburn didn't have a good 2020-21 season from a competitive standpoint. The high-profile teams were unilaterally disappointing while many of the Olympic sports languished as well. Many coaches point to the department's spending cuts and financial constraints as a primary factor. That's on Greene.
My thing is this: Greene is here to make Auburn a winner in every sport. He also must be responsible when it comes to spending. I get it. We all get it. I run a business and many of y'all do as well. Many more of you understand how business works. At the same time, it's possible to be so concerned about finances that you lose sight of the ultimate goal. I'm just saying it's possible. It comes down to what happened RELATIVE TO THE SEC in terms of money spent. Has Auburn gotten too frugal? I haven't see all the data, but my gut tells me Auburn pulled back more than all but one non-Vandy program. Is that where Auburn is these days? One spot ahead of Vandy?
I don't think so. Auburn is still a rich, big, important program.
I also think Greene is a good, smart person trying to do a good, smart job. So it's a bit confusing, honestly.
Is this simply a continuation of the melodrama that has been going on since the late 80s or early 90s? To be sure, some of the themes remain the same. The Harsin hire was unpopular, at least in some corners of the Auburn world, and we always knew the people who felt burned by that hire would have their say eventually. Is that what we're seeing here? I don't know just yet.
