An Open Letter to Jo Ann Gora and Tom Collins

In recent weeks, and especially after the negotiations between Coach Brady Hoke and other schools, there were quite a few folks filled with murderous rage displeased with how the administration at Ball State University handled the financial aspects of keeping Coach Hoke and his assistants. OTP remained neutral and teetered on the side of supporting the administration (President Jo Ann Gora and Athletic Director Tom Collins) giving them the opportunity to impress us before immediately tossing them both under the bus before the end of the Hoke saga played out.

As it stands now, Hoke has left for greener pastures (reportedly 3.5 million greener pastures for 5 years) and it is time for some answers as to how this administration views this program. It is time for them both to hear from fans of the school, former players, and supporters (financially and otherwise) as to the extreme displeasure with their handling, treatment, and disrespect of a Ball State alum and winning football coach. What follows is an open letter sent this morning to Jo Ann Gora and Tom Collins. I encourage you, if you so agree, to undersign in the comments with your own thoughts if you feel the need. Should you wish to email Dr. Gora and Mr. Collins personally, you can do so at jgora@bsu.edu and tjcollins@bsu.edu

Dr. Gora & Mr. Collins,

I write to you today on behalf of Cardinal Nation and readers of OverThePylon.blogspot.com, a site covering the Cardinals, and ask for help in understanding how this day ever came to pass. I write with the hopes that either of you can tell me, and our readers, why Coach Hoke was ever allowed to get away. I write with the hopes that you can tell me that every effort was made to retain Coach Hoke, increase the quality of life for his assistants, and improve the facilities that the coaches utilize in preparing the student athletes for practice and games. I write to you optimistic that either of you can tell me that there was a good faith effort made to reward a Ball State alum and the man who coached this team to a 12-1 record this season and two consecutive Bowl bids. I write to you optimistic that either of you can tell me that there was a good faith effort made to reward the assistant coaches who are some of the lowest paid coaches in the MidAmerican Conference. I write to you optimistic that you can tell me there was a good faith effort to actually build offices for these coaches. I am optimistic that all these things were done, because were they not, I would have to say it was the biggest failure of an administration in Ball State history. These are bare minimum things that could have been achieved to continue the success of the Cardinals on and off the field, and to hear that they were unable to be achieved is simply unacceptable.

I understand that Ball State cannot compete with a BCS conference school, though that is a debate for another day and time, but to lose Coach Hoke to another midmajor program is totally and completely unacceptable. It is a failure of the highest order, a dereliction of both of your duties, and inexcusable. As fans who have supported this program for years, who have played for and supported the Cardinals, I, and my readers, demand answers as to how this man and his assistant coaches were not worthy of more than a standard 3% pay increase. I, and my readers, demand answers as to how this man and his assistant coaches were expected to compete for conference titles and national attention when they do not even have offices in the football complex. I, and my readers, demand answers as to how this program is expected to improve when administrators like you both refuse to allow it to grow, succeed, and improve.

Perhaps it’s because neither of you have any ties to this program, this school, or this area. Maybe that’s why you don’t understand the fans, the students, or the alumni of MY institution. I refuse to even say “our” because neither of you have shown any sort of want, desire, or passion for MY institution to succeed unless it somehow benefited your resume. So since you seem to not care about the people who essentially support this school, I’ll tell you a bit about them… this is a fanbase that was motivated, energized, and passionate about football and athletics in general for the first time in years. After the fiasco of Ronny Thompson (hired under both your watchful eyes, I might add) the athletic program at MY university was looked at as small time. A joke. A program that would never get better because no one in the administration “got it”. Coach Hoke changed that with his performance on the field. He didn’t change the image through fancy billboards or television commercials, though one could argue his four hour commercials on ESPN once a week were fairly good exposure for the school.

I am well aware that Ball State is not Auburn. I am well aware we cannot afford millions of dollars in coaches’ salaries or tens of millions of dollars worth of stadium upgrades. But even with that qualifier, our facilities are substandard, our coaches underpaid, and our administration seems hesitant to allow anyone to succeed. I ask you both, do you think a winning program on the current budget (nearly last in the NCAA FBS division) is possible? If so, why hasn’t it happened? If not, why are we even fielding athletics in the first place?

Because of the inability by both of you to retain a true “Ball Stater”, I have to ask myself if continued support of this program and university, financially (since whether or not I am a donor, and I am, influences your reaction) and otherwise, is truly a wise use of resources. I am proud of MY university, proud of Coach Hoke, but ashamed of the job both of you did. I am embarrassed that you chose to not only let this man get away but negotiated far below your capabilities and far below what he was asking for in an effort to make yourselves look better in the process. It is a disgrace. It is yet another example of not understanding the true capabilities of Ball State University, the student athletes, and the alumni who support the school, and in doing so, allow both of you to remain gainfully employed.

The “efforts” made to retain Coach Hoke and his assistants were a slap in the face to him and to the fans and athletes. It reeks of small-time thinking, and a lack of commitment from the administration to build a winning program in Muncie. If you do not think it is possible, I beg both of you to hire people who do and let them run the program from hiring to fund raising, etc. A winner is possible, but not through the methods both of you utilize to “manage” a program. It is a failure, and one that is inexcusable.

I await your responses to the questions I have posed.

Sincerely yours,
Alan M. Rucker
BSU BS02, MA03
OverThePylon.blogspot.com