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The Barr Has Been Raised at UMaine
- Thread starter acs64
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I suspect the UConn money outweighed the opportunity to possibly be in the post season with Maine next year.
Chuck Murray
WIS & Effingwoods Hockey Almanac
Like UMass Football, UConn is in the dregs of Division 1 (both are literally Bottom 5 programs).
Says a lot that someone with success at UMaine would take a step down to assist at UConn.
Fishman'81
Black Bear since D-2
Maine football has actually been on the National map for many years now. A Final Four just a few years back. We used to watch them nearly every weekend on DISH, until Covid and Flosports changed the calculus just recently.
I won't pretend to know the exact $ involved, but it's hard to imagine that hockey is raking in the bucks, in any case. Hockey has been far worse than football over the past 10 years or so, and has enjoyed pretty-much *zero* National exposure in the process.
Before any Maine fan calls for football's head, look at how futile the hockey program has been since TW was fired. Hockey is going to be a complete re-build, while football likely missed the NCAA's by one game, and that was probably due to Fagnano missing the first half of the season. There is still the uncanny ability that football has to recruit excellent talent to Orono.
Not so much as far as hockey goes... Not yet, anyway.
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Patman
Rodent of Unusual Size
A bottom 5 program which spends more money than anybody else outside the power conferences. People forget that oh so quickly.
So short sighted, but shouldn’t expect anything less. Jim Mora has more college and NFL football connections than anyone in Orono. Also, UConn probably offered more money. Says to me someone wants to further their coaching career by taking a step up in pay, conference and connections.
AMC
Registered User
I question how much of a "national map" there is for FCS football, but that's netiher here nor there. Football, hockey, and baseball aren't going away. Call it "tradition" or "inertia" or "each sport has its own separate constituency that we need to keep happy." Maine is obligated to play men's basketball due to NCAA regulations. So, here we sit. Every program is underfunded. The football head coaching position pays $150,000 which means that at the first chance he is going to grab any other job. The plan for hockey facilities seems to be a cosmetic coat of paint every 15-20 years and then sticking our heads back in the sand. The school can't afford to put out a media guide or buy decent cameras to put games or highlights online.
AMC
Registered User
Here's every* public school playoff FCS head coach's salary (private school salaries are much harder to find):
James Madison: $425,000
Kennesaw State: $390,550
Northern Iowa: $390,000
Sam Houston State: $383,333.41
North Dakota State: $380,000 plus bonuses
Missouri State: $325,000 plus bonuses
Florida A&M: $300,000
South Dakota: $300,000
South Dakota State: $300,000
UC Davis: $272,500
Stephen F. Austin: $260,000 plus bonuses
Sacramento State: $242,000 plus bonuses
East Tennessee State: $225,000 plus bonuses
Southern Illinois: $211,000 plus bonuses
Montana State: $210,437 plus at least $75,000 in yearly "retention" bonuses/media appearances
Eastern Washington: $207,372
Tennessee-Martin: $206,710 plus bonuses
Montana: $205,000 base salary plus $279,000 in potential additional bonuses
If Maine wants to consider itself a "power" at the FCS level, it shouldn't be paying its head coach $50,000 less than the next cheapest playoff team. And spare me the "it's cost of living! Bangor is cheap!" Bangor isn't notably cheaper than noted metros (checks notes) Martin, Tennessee, Cheney, Washington, or Brookings, South Dakota.
*Louisiana has some wild-ass public records laws, if you can find Southeastern Louisiana's head coaching salary you get a cookie.
Football team wins it all, claims “we’re no #1 is not remotely the same as the hockey team winning it all and claiming #1. It’s like a Maine high school varsity team, any sport, winning it all. A small high school is #1 only amongst their peers based on size. They most definitely are not the best in the state. Any claim of “champions” has an asterisk along side it. Same for Maine football. NOT the same for Maine hockey. Fans know the the difference and which championship attracts the attention and funds…
That said, nothing wrong with the football team competing for the “top spot” even if it is only a JV caliber accomplishment. I find them entertaining, but the public doesn’t in general. “Get back to me when they beat a Georgia or Alabama” is what I hear…
That said, nothing wrong with the football team competing for the “top spot” even if it is only a JV caliber accomplishment. I find them entertaining, but the public doesn’t in general. “Get back to me when they beat a Georgia or Alabama” is what I hear…
Fishman'81
Black Bear since D-2
Well, OK, but when was the last time hockey was Nationally-relevant, again..? I forget. And the same goes for anyone aside from us old gray-beards.
I get the general point you're attempting to make, but I don't buy it. Maine wouldn't be an elite D-3 hockey program right now, and FCS football is far better than D-3 hockey, in a relative sense... So football is the better program! ;-)
Football is a "loss-leader", I get it. But what Maine sport isn't, anymore?
Fishman'81
Black Bear since D-2
Thanks!
And compare that roster to anything Red recruited. Not even among TW's best teams, but miles beyond what Barr has in his cupboard now.
NorthMike
Well-known member
Decent roster but coaching not for sh**. Purcell was fun to watch, didnt realize he was so lean, 6'3" at 177#, if thats correct.
Part of the reason Charlton started at 150k a year was he had no experience and was the youngest HC in the country.
now Maine has to decide what’s next. Do they pay crap one of the current assistants and risk doing this again? Or do they give real money someone outside (the JMU d-coordinator who was on Joe H’s staff comes to mind)?
now Maine has to decide what’s next. Do they pay crap one of the current assistants and risk doing this again? Or do they give real money someone outside (the JMU d-coordinator who was on Joe H’s staff comes to mind)?
You and I get it. The average fan who rarely goes to games doesn’t. If the football team goes out and beats a top ten ranked team, the reaction I hear is awesome until they realize it wasn’t “that top ten”. Hockey team beats a top ten, most realize it to mean one of the best in the country was beaten. As far as being nationally relevant, the hockey team is consistently playing nationally ranked teams, as in, the best in the country. Football will never consistently play at that level….AND THATS OKAY!!!
That difference will always be a hurdle for the occasional fan. I’ve always got a chuckle when any team claims “we’re number #1”, amongst small schools. No your not #1, and probably at best in the top 75-100 nationally.
Chuck Murray
WIS & Effingwoods Hockey Almanac
He's been working out with the B's as their courtesy to him, he's still not under contract and still a free agent, so there's no guarantee he's coming back. But as neither Swayman nor Ullmark is setting the NHL world on fire at this point, he's a nice contingency plan come January (or potentially later). So if there's an injury with one of the two B's goalies, he could be a quick solution on a short-term deal. He gets a chance to show his stuff for the rest of the league, and the B's get a familiar experienced goalie for the playoff run/playoffs. Win-win.
If the B's do decide to sign Rask to a short-term deal, one would imagine Swayman is likely the one with options left (and a possible two-way deal?) to go back down to Providence. Ullmark isn't going down to the AHL on his salary, and his salary is making him pretty much untradeable, unless the B's can pick up about 50% of his salary in the deal.
B's would be crazy to deal Swayman to facilitate Rask, and Ullmark is kind of locked in because the B's overpaid him by so much, so I don't see Tuukka's path back to Boston being long-term, if at all ...
I think it would make a lot of sense to trade Swayman to improve their defense then sign Rask. Their defense is absolutely HORRIBLE and they have no chance if it isn’t improved. They really blew it in the off-season with who they signed and didn’t sign.
BlackBearinGopherLand
New member
It is too bad the University cannot figure out new revenue streams for hockey. They have a journalism and broadcasting school, why not produce their own live game coverage and stream it and charge either monthly or per game like NCHCTV.
It's a nice model they have but all teams participate, even the one's that already have a local TV agreement as it helps the other member schools save by using the home teams feed so they have no travel expenses. Would benefit the students in the J&B school and the U in revenue.
It's a nice model they have but all teams participate, even the one's that already have a local TV agreement as it helps the other member schools save by using the home teams feed so they have no travel expenses. Would benefit the students in the J&B school and the U in revenue.
NorthMike
Well-known member
Be a conflict with Learfield contract?
AMC
Registered User
Streaming deals are made at the conference level.
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