Old Bull

The money is just not there. We have some wonderful donors who have given UB money for facilities upgrade but there are not enough of them.

Second UB is in a pro city but a small market area. With interest in the Bills at an all time high we know UB is a second thought for most local football fans.

Thirdly, do't look to the state of New York or SUNY for any bailouts. Some fans who live in a fantasy world believe that state support happens elsewhere but it doesn't

Fourth the current administration at UB including the Division of Athletics is not forward looking nor creative. We are in a plateau. Men's basketball has a chance as it does not need the vast rescources that football needs (see UConn) but it does need to be in a competitve conference.

Do any fans have good suggestions? Right now we need them.

31 minutes ago, UB Horns Up said:

The problem to me is UB Bulls fired there coach at the worst time when college athletics is going through a culture shift like all the movements this country has gone through. But unfortunately UB Bulls refuse to recognize the worth of the individual person because it goes against the state’s collective one for all commune good policy. Basically hippy dippy 1960’s political philosophy and they are in the position of power in New York State and definitely at UB. The same people that lead to canceled UB Bulls football because of there counter culture protests movements of the 1960’s are in elite power positions. Think about it there is a much deeper dark place UB and New York State is in ruling class positions today who were hippy dippy counter culture wanting total control and power not looking at the worth of the individual it will not be New York State and UB downfall just left behind everyone else that adjust to this shift in college athletics and business today. BSF are you basically saying we are a backward state and school? Yes no more callers we have a winner. My generation has nothing to do with this we aren’t in power yet so it’s not on my generation yet we are going to have to clean this mess up unfortunately if there still is a Division I athletics to clean up because the fools in charge are running it into the ground again. And it’s sad because you ask what is the point? We fire Jim Whitesell spend $500,000 for this absurd mess it didn’t have to be like this we could have paid Bobby Hurley, we could have paid Nate Oats, we could have Lance Leipold. I hope you all are enjoying the political power total control nonsense because you all are embarrassing not just UB but Buffalo.

I take no responsibility whatsoever for this political stuff from the elites from UB and New York State there both a big joke. Wake up Bobby Hurley, Nate Oates and Lance Leipold have value and these fools that run New York State are UB don’t get it. I have three other basketball teams locally I can watch until UB stops playing politics and gets there act together it’s embarrassing the individual has worth in this country wake up we are in a capitalistic country the individual is going where the money is that is why I have said UB will be left behind with no NIL and $1 million dollars plus head coaching salary. Maurice Linquist is gone he sees this who mess who knows what he is thinking? Most likely I got win big to get away from this crazy state and school policies to make my individual worth in my opinion. UB Horns Up! Go Bulls! Let’s Go Buffalo 

Who let this guy on this website? He is not altogether there. I am all for free epression but the rants and raves border on hysteria.

I would agree.There are thousands of UB fans who just do not have the money to attend Bills games so a trip to Orchard Park is a special treat. I don't support taking more than  one game a year in OP but it is another way to give the program recongnition..  I also agree that winning is the key here. Produce winning football against quality opponents will turn thing around.

On 2/28/2023 at 1:40 PM, UB Horns Up said:

The UB Stadium track is a major issue. As a Buffalo Bulls fan I want no part of anything besides the MAC because I am noting making the Marshall Thundering Head football mistake thinking this university UB is anything more athletically than a MAC as the way UB, New York State and SUNY are mentally wise towards athletics and Buffalo for that matter. I have a lot more to say on this subject because I think it’s the opposite from what UB alums on this board think. It isn’t Buffalo that is the problem it’s UB and SUNY as a university that are snobby for Jerry Tarkanian type of UB basketball coach.
 

Buffalo sports fans would go wild with a Jerry Tarkanian type of basketball coach. Buffalo fans wearing Tark the Shark hats with UB Bulls basketball. It’s UB, SUNY and New York State that would have major issues with that if Jerry Tarkanian like coach and Bills Mafia was anything near UB athletics. Look at all the UB alums that couldn’t stand the last major attendance game at UB Stadium of the ranked Baylor Bears football team UB alums complaining about beer cans all over UB campus. Face it UB is just too snobby. I would welcome the party because I a Buffalonian but I am minority not the majority as a UB Bulls fan base among the Ivy Tower of UB.
 

If you want a taste of that you have to go South of Buffalo like the Buffalo Bills and St Bonaventure Bonnies basketball that do things like party atmosphere and NIL. UB isn’t ready and I don’t think they ever will be. Our only hope is the Bonnies basketball today the last light on for major college athletics of anything today in Western New York. The Bonnies who had the first million dollar head coach in Western New York history Mark Schmidt. NIL the first to do it fabulous Buffalo there is hope down there UB it’s just too snobby of a school you don’t see “Captain Beer Man” fun Buffalo things like that at UB oh our image whatever. UB takes itself much to seriously to ever be big in major college athletics. UB as a university is set up best for really not even Division III just no athletics at all just school that’s it. UB alums are too busy blaming the Buffalo fans for their own university UB shortcomings and failures. UB see itself as a learning institution not a place for athletics that has been one of the elephants in the room all along which is fine. It is easy to say let’s drop all athletics let those fools like BSF go back to the Buffalo Bills, Little Three basketball and we at UB will get back to educational pursuits of higher learning. I am not knocking it that is fine just stating I always got feeling within UB when there it was lukewarm at best for Division I athletics. I guess my point is I could see a place for both education and athletics with a Jerry Tarkanian head coach. All the educational folks have to do is look the other way but UB the school just really doesn’t believe that is part of there core university beliefs in my opinion. UB Horns Up! Go Bulls! Let’s Go Buffalo 

I really don't understnd this logic.

It is possible to have a great university and big time sports. The Big Ten is mostly that and that is where I come from. What I tried to convey is that most schools in the Big Ten grew with their athletic program decades ago. Students arrive at their school supporting sports as an integral part of their university experience. Many are legacy's and  as alumni support the programs well. UB on the other hand emerged from  a mid-sized private school with little or any public support and a SUNY system mostly hostile to athletics. I was around during the Kettter years and know he had no choice but to disband fooball. Decades later several Presidents came to UB knowing the the value of an intercollgiate program. Beginning with Nelson Townsend through Danny White , AD's with the vision to grow a program were hired. That vision now seems dimished nor is their an institutional ethos for continuation of that goal.

It will be very hard to grow a program at UB. Community support is frankly an afterthought. The Bills occupy the attention of almoast everyone. Frankly many of the Bills Mafia types ever set foot in a college. We really do not need or want them. What we do want is a revewed commitment freom the toip down and some new partners by elevating to a better conference.

Do not make the stadium track the primary issue for poor football attendance. There are several other universities around the country with tracks. If fans want to see a college game they will indeed go track or not. Repeating this as the major reason for attendance turns into a self fulfilling prophecy. 

That said the major issue for UB is a community that has never latched on to UB  and its sports program, particularly football. When we moved to to WNY  over 50 years ago we found a Buffalo area that was very hostile to UB. It has never been "our school". Even upper middle class families paid for their kids to attend elsewhere. This has changed a bit with the growth of the campus and it's educational excellence but there are other endemic issues that hinder community and alumni support

One major issue  is the Mid-America conference. UB has outgrown the MAC as an institution but not it's sports competition. The MAC has attendance problems even among the older established schools. In other words I think UB needs to be seen in a different context to succeed. It would help if it could be perceived as a university on the rise as it is academically. This means seeking a new set of partners e.g Americani Conference.

To move in this direction we need UB leadership to make intercollegiate athletics a priority for growth and an entrepreneural AD. Athletic supporters, alumni and students will folLow if we have some set goals and a way to get there. Bill Greiner and Steve Sample were there as was Ward Manuel and Danny White.

As to fundingt issues, UB has the largest endowment of any public university not in a P5 conference. Funds can be set aside and/or earmarked for athletic development. During the recent campaign for UB I never saw anything that would inprove UB's athletic stature. 

Finally, someone recently said in jest lets have the Bills adopt the Bulls. A great idea  and let this be seen openly.  There are other communities where this is so e.g.Pittsburgh and to a degree Minneapolis.  Play a game against a quality oppene3nt at the new stadium and have Bills support it. If one looks at future non-conference football opponents it is filled with multiple games against UCONN and UMASS two eastern public schools that are defintely not on the rise. We can do better than that!

Comments to these opinions are welcome. Let's get the ball rolling!

Start thinking outside the box! I guarantee that if Steve Sample and Bill Greiner were around they would looking very hard at this opportunity in the AAC.  Quit thinking about an eastern conference that is old school mentality. If I were the AD I would be contacting all donors and prospective ones to find out if they were willing to step up and help. Get an application in immediately to show we are ready and serious and willing to jump at it. Lets Go Buffalo. BTW where are the Pegulas. UB might share a new stadium one day! Can Danny White help? There is lots to do so lets find out NOW!

UB is now  a major research university. It is the only AAU member of the MAC. It's enrollment of 30,000 plus is a little small for most of the B1G so that is why it is regarded closer to Iowa and Rutgers  than to to Michigan or OSU. However, academically the B1G are our  peers. The Akron's, Central Michigan's and Bowling Green's are fine regional colleges but hardly world class.

We should aspire to be all we can be but UB is not going to get in the B1G. There are just too many obstacles and we are too far behind. We can and should work to make it to the American Athletic Conference with Temple,UConn, as well as up and coming institutions such as UCF and Houston.

I went to a B1G institution  as an undergraduate. The athletic tradition  there goes back over a hundred years. The facilities which are magnificent  were built and improved  over a longtime. The donor base is huge and all of our alumni recall an athletic as well as an academic tradition. In the midwest this loyalty results in significant alumni giving not just from the wealthy grads but from nearly all alumni. There was and is tremendous pride in the university. There are many endowed chairs to honor former professors who contributed to their students professional and personal lives.

When I came to Buffalo for graduate school I was shocked at how little the community cared about UB. Back then there was huge town /gown gap. UB's traditions were little noticed.  Most of the blue collar Buffalo sports  mentality  still has  not transferred to UB and may never will. However, UB through great stewardship  has evolved into a  B1G comparable  university  academically.  There is  a lot of catching up to do in other areas. UB is doing a lot better but this will take time and money. We need to get into a better conference soon and continue the winning tradition. Winning is so important because that is when people take notice. Our games get on national tv, people fill seats, student applications go up and the Buffalo News finally gives us some coverage. (Can you imagine the Chicago,Minneapolis and Indianapolis media not covering their nearby schools in a down year?).

We  can all help to give UB the recognition it needs to be a world class university. Talk up UB as the pride of our region. Attend  UB events on campus  not just sports. If you can not  be there give away your tickets to someone who has never attended a game and of course open up your pocket books. Getting there will take work and action!

Old Bull