IU football program

[Shuski]

I have been an IU fan since I was 9 years old and we played in the Rose Bowl. I have attended games in person since I was a student in 1976. I have had season tickets a total of 38 years since. I am old an want to share my observations and some facts regarding the program.

1. The administration and athletic department has never recognized the importance of a good football program and game experience in my lifetime.
2. The new landscape requires that this commitment must happen in the way of facilities, coaching, NIL funding and many other aspects.
3. Historically we are a bad program that has averaged 4 wins per season. We have had very few good years from a big ten or national level. A few highlights the 1945 team, 1968 Rose Bowl, my senior year season 1979 8-4 with a win over the undefeated BYU in the Holiday Bowl. Our last bowl victory which I had the pleasure of seeing in person the 1992 Copper bowl win over Baylor. A few decent seasons during the Mallory years and a couple during the most recent Allen years.
4. The facilities still need drastic improvement, and the game day experience is very lacking.
5. Here are a few of my suggestion. Make the size and seating of the stadium conducive to today's landscape. Chair back seats at least in the lower bowl. Have the concessions professionally managed although several organizations would complain that is their fundraising. If i read correctly they did either do or make a commitment to a football only weight room which appears to be a negative for recruits and players. Need to either renovate or replace Mellencamp indoor facility. Their needs to be improvements to the concourse, bathrooms, food options, and other things mentioned before.
6. I am a 24/7 IU sports fan and alum and really enjoy Big Ten Plus as I have enjoyed Volleyball, field hockey, both men and women's soccer and basketball. Other sports that I have at least watched are baseball, softball, cross country, track and field. This is a good value for a fan like me.
7. Having reserved parking areas and seats for women's basketball is a big plus for me that was added this year.
8. We have what I considered to be the best college futbol program. The accolades are too numerous to state, but 8 national championships are 5 more national championships than PU fans ever experienced in all sports combined in their history.

The administration must give full commitment to the football program for us ever to become a consistently competitive Big Ten football program. Whether you like it or not as a fan we have to accept and utilize the systems that are in place. NIL is here and at least some of the cheating or questionable practices are more open to see. No program is 100% clean unfortunately and there is definitely bias towards those programs that generate revenues for television and streaming.

I want to end with thanking Coach Allen and his love and desire to improve IU football. He did not succeed but it is obvious he has had a positive impact on the players. There are always some perceived negative situations with every program and coach, but I believe he was honorable and did his best.

Go Hoosiers administration make the commitment now to the overall football program and fan experience.

This is just an opinion post from a longtime fan.

 

[iubhounds]

I have been an IU fan since I was 9 years old and we played in the Rose Bowl. I have attended games in person since I was a student in 1976. I have had season tickets a total of 38 years since. I am old an want to share my observations and some facts regarding the program.

1. The administration and athletic department has never recognized the importance of a good football program and game experience in my lifetime.
2. The new landscape requires that this commitment must happen in the way of facilities, coaching, NIL funding and many other aspects.
3. Historically we are a bad program that has averaged 4 wins per season. We have had very few good years from a big ten or national level. A few highlights the 1945 team, 1968 Rose Bowl, my senior year season 1979 8-4 with a win over the undefeated BYU in the Holiday Bowl. Our last bowl victory which I had the pleasure of seeing in person the 1992 Copper bowl win over Baylor. A few decent seasons during the Mallory years and a couple during the most recent Allen years.
4. The facilities still need drastic improvement, and the game day experience is very lacking.
5. Here are a few of my suggestion. Make the size and seating of the stadium conducive to today's landscape. Chair back seats at least in the lower bowl. Have the concessions professionally managed although several organizations would complain that is their fundraising. If i read correctly they did either do or make a commitment to a football only weight room which appears to be a negative for recruits and players. Need to either renovate or replace Mellencamp indoor facility. Their needs to be improvements to the concourse, bathrooms, food options, and other things mentioned before.
6. I am a 24/7 IU sports fan and alum and really enjoy Big Ten Plus as I have enjoyed Volleyball, field hockey, both men and women's soccer and basketball. Other sports that I have at least watched are baseball, softball, cross country, track and field. This is a good value for a fan like me.
7. Having reserved parking areas and seats for women's basketball is a big plus for me that was added this year.
8. We have what I considered to be the best college futbol program. The accolades are too numerous to state, but 8 national championships are 5 more national championships than PU fans ever experienced in all sports combined in their history.

The administration must give full commitment to the football program for us ever to become a consistently competitive Big Ten football program. Whether you like it or not as a fan we have to accept and utilize the systems that are in place. NIL is here and at least some of the cheating or questionable practices are more open to see. No program is 100% clean unfortunately and there is definitely bias towards those programs that generate revenues for television and streaming.

I want to end with thanking Coach Allen and his love and desire to improve IU football. He did not succeed but it is obvious he has had a positive impact on the players. There are always some perceived negative situations with every program and coach, but I believe he was honorable and did his best.

Go Hoosiers administration make the commitment now to the overall football program and fan experience.

This is just an opinion post from a longtime fan.

I was 16 the day I watched that Rose Bowl. So you and I have seen a lot of similarities in IU Football. I don't like it but it is what it is now, NIL or nothing ... and BIG NIL is the only thing that is going to help IUFB survive in today's CFB environment. Maybe with this next hire the admin will finally make a change. I am still unclear how the NIL and IU can operate. I thought it was outside sources that raise NIL funds but I might be wrong on that.

With the addition of four west coast teams to the B1G, recruiting now should be nationwide for IU and that is going to increase the low low low recruiting budget. The Oklahoma OC made the most money this year at $1.9M. It will not cost IU that much for a new OC but it will be over a million each for the new OC and DC. More money requirements that IU will have to face.

THIS HIRE will show us for sure if IU is serious about football for the first time in their life. Remember the East stands are lower than the West stand for a reason ... they ran out of money.

Will the CFB Gods ever stay with and help IUFB on a consistent basis for decades, because I personally am running out of time to see it.

 

[Walt542]

I was 16 the day I watched that Rose Bowl. So you and I have seen a lot of similarities in IU Football. I don't like it but it is what it is now, NIL or nothing ... and BIG NIL is the only thing that is going to help IUFB survive in today's CFB environment. Maybe with this next hire the admin will finally make a change. I am still unclear how the NIL and IU can operate. I thought it was outside sources that raise NIL funds but I might be wrong on that.

With the addition of four west coast teams to the B1G, recruiting now should be nationwide for IU and that is going to increase the low low low recruiting budget. The Oklahoma OC made the most money this year at $1.9M. It will not cost IU that much for a new OC but it will be over a million each for the new OC and DC. More money requirements that IU will have to face.

THIS HIRE will show us for sure if IU is serious about football for the first time in their life. Remember the East stands are lower than the West stand for a reason ... they ran out of money.

Will the CFB Gods ever stay with and help IUFB on a consistent basis for decades, because I personally am running out of time to see it.

Hmmm.. we must be the same age. I was also 16 when that Rose Bowl was on. I went to every home game that year in the knothole section (except the Purdue game when they did away with the knothole section, but my Dad bought a ticket for me).

I agree with a lot of what you guys are saying. You are correct that the NIL money must come from outside sources. IU cannot supply that money. There will be more TV money and I certainly hope IU uses it to invest in coaches and facilities. The problem is that there is very limited support from the donors. I am very concerned that this huge buy out may tap that well so much that there is none left for the bigger donor funded facilities projects required and also limit the NIL pot.

IU has never had someone step up and support the football program in a big time way, like the oil guy did for Ok. St. Maybe that guy does not exist, but IU certainly has a broad alumni base. That is the only way I can see IU moving the FB program out of the basement. The increased TV revenue will be nice but it is not enough.

I assume there is always a chance IU finds a miracle HC and he does what no others before him have done, but I have seen this too many times before to believe that is happening. In my opinion a billionaire grad will have to step up and commit very large sums or it will be the same old thing again.

 

[IU_Hickory]