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Post by sader1970 on Jan 10, 2024 19:55:38 GMT -5
What does that even mean? Are you saying that the average attendance compared to the stadium capacity is greater at JMU? You realize we have about 3,100 students (and a bunch of them aren't even on campus doing junior year abroad) in a 26,000+ seat stadium. What's the student enrollment vs. their stadium capacity at JMU?
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Post by beaven302 on Jan 11, 2024 1:23:28 GMT -5
JMU has about 20,000 students and a stadium capacity of around 25,000. They filled the stadium for every home game. Their fans seem to travel well. In 2023, 50,000 showed up to watch JMU play Virginia in Charlottesville. It was UVa’s largest home crowd except for the game against Tennessee.
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Post by longsuffering on Jan 11, 2024 3:25:42 GMT -5
JMU has about 20,000 students and a stadium capacity of around 25,000. They filled the stadium for every home game. Their fans seem to travel well. In 2023, 50,000 showed up to watch JMU play Virginia in Charlottesville. It was UVa’s largest home crowd except for the game against Tennessee. HC's 3100 students generate bigger crowds per student in worse weather than Virginia. Not the greatest of measuring sticks but JMU geting 1.25 fans for each student equates to a crowd of around 3900 at Fitton, which the Crusaders top in all weather except a deluge or blizzard.
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Post by 78purple on Jan 11, 2024 6:55:24 GMT -5
JMU has about 20,000 students and a stadium capacity of around 25,000. They filled the stadium for every home game. Their fans seem to travel well. In 2023, 50,000 showed up to watch JMU play Virginia in Charlottesville. It was UVa’s largest home crowd except for the game against Tennessee. Tennessee game was in Nashville, so it was UVa's largest home crowd of the season. the JMU-UVa game was played on the same day as our BC game, with a simultaneous weather delay, followed by similar late game drama
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Post by purplehaze on Jan 11, 2024 7:41:02 GMT -5
Ches was too talented a coach for such a lousy league - I think he got tired of taking a top 25 team on the road only to see crowds of 900 at Bucknell and (actual) 2-3000 at Colgate / Lehigh / Lafayette. I don’t blame him one bit for wanting to go to a place (and league) where fans show up
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Post by Pakachoag Phreek on Jan 11, 2024 7:42:41 GMT -5
Yes, JMU is "unmatched". I haven't checked whether JMU's mandatory student fee of about $2,362 for intercollegiate athletics is the highest of any Div I university in Virginia. That fee apparently applies to graduate students as well. And on top of that, intercollegiate athletics share of a mandatory facilities fee is around $400-500. JMU is like Spirit Airlines. www.consumer-action.org/news/articles/airline-add-ons-which-airlines-charge-the-most-hidden-fees#:~:text=Spirit%20Airlines%2C%20a%20U.S.%20carrier,more%20than%20the%20base%20fare. Yes, JMU is "unmatched". It has the lowest yield rate, about 20 percent, of any public university in Virginia that plays Div I football. I did not check all the non football schools, but GMU has a higher yield rate. Of JMU's total expenses for athletics, about $53 million, student fee revenues paid for most of that. A fee of $2,362 x 20,000 students generates over $47 million in revenue.
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Post by hc1996 on Jan 11, 2024 8:12:46 GMT -5
Ches was too talented a coach for such a lousy league - I think he got tired of taking a top 25 team on the road only to see crowds of 900 at Bucknell and (actual) 2-3000 at Colgate / Lehigh / Lafayette. I don’t blame him one bit for wanting to go to a place (and league) where fans show up Meh, I really doubt that was his motivating factor. I'd say if it was it accounted for about 1% of his motivation. JMU offered him a lot more money. That is the reason people move on.
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Post by hc1998 on Jan 11, 2024 8:17:32 GMT -5
Years ago I was meeting friends in a bar that happened to be steps from the campus of a team JMU was hosting in the FCS playoffs that same day. The bar was streaming the game, and this was long before you could easily stream every game out there, it took a bit more effort to watch. Despite this bar being across the street from their opponent, and 500 miles from JMU's campus, there were significantly more JMU fans in the bar watching. Thats just one small anecdotal story, but I was impressed by their passion.
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Post by Sons of Vaval on Jan 11, 2024 8:17:38 GMT -5
Ches was too talented a coach for such a lousy league - I think he got tired of taking a top 25 team on the road only to see crowds of 900 at Bucknell and (actual) 2-3000 at Colgate / Lehigh / Lafayette. I don’t blame him one bit for wanting to go to a place (and league) where fans show up JMU offered him a lot more money. I was actually surprised to see what his annual salary is -- not nearly as much as I would have expected. Granted, there are a slew of incentives -- Base salary and bonuses Chesney will receive a base salary of $550,000 per year. In addition, he will receive a fundraising and retention bonus every year on Jan. 31 starting in 2025.
The fundraising bonus starts at $60,000 and increases to $70,000 in 2027 before capping at $80,000 in 2029. The retention bonus will start at $140,000 and will increase to $150,000 in 2028 and then $160,000 in 2029.
Additional bonuses Chesney will receive every benefit given to full-time administrative and professional faculty members at JMU, which include health insurance and a retirement program.
Additional benefits will be negotiated as part of the final agreement but will include without limitation an automobile allowance of $1,000 per month, a discretionary fund of $20,000 per year for “the Coach’s use in connection with the university,” an allocation of complimentary tickets dependent on his annual Duke Club donation, a membership to the Spotswood Country Club with due being paid with the discretionary fund and a relocation stipend of $20,000.
Incentives Chesney will also receive bonuses for on- and off-the-field accomplishments, including:
Finishing with an academic progress rating (APR) higher than 970 ($25,000) or 985 ($35,000)
Appearing in ($25,000) and winning the Sun Belt Conference championship ($50,000)
Appearing in ($25,000) and winning a Sun Belt bowl game ($25,000)
7-11 regular wins ($25,000-$50,000)
Sun Belt ($20,000) and national coach of the year awards ($50,000)
Wins over Power 5 opponents ($15,000 each)
Finishing in the Top 25 of a major poll ($25,000)
Making the College Football Playoff ($100,000)
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Post by sader1970 on Jan 11, 2024 8:26:09 GMT -5
Gentlemen (ladies?), can we show a little Crusader class? There is no point in trying to tear down the reputation of another school simply because our football coach chose to leave HC and go there for more money - a LOT more money - and move up to a higher division. Does that make any of us feel better or superior. We are better than that.
Would we like our friends at Harvard or Yale negatively criticizing Holy Cross?
All this started because Coach Chesney had the temerity to say the JMU fans’ passion was “unmatched.” He didn’t say the most or the best. From what I can gather from afar, he’s probably not inaccurate and is not a slight or criticism of Crusader fans.
Let’s get over it.
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Post by Sons of Vaval on Jan 11, 2024 8:52:42 GMT -5
Gentlemen (ladies?), can we show a little Crusader class? There is no point in trying to tear down the reputation of another school simply because our football coach chose to leave HC and go there for more money - a LOT more money - and move up to a higher division. Does that make any of us feel better or superior. We are better than that. Is that happening? EDIT: You must be referring to PP's post. He/She/They does like to get on their high horse.
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Post by nhteamer on Jan 11, 2024 8:53:49 GMT -5
The most disappointing this Board is evident when we act high and mighty and look down on other schools.
Newsflash: 80% of Harvard and Yale students don't know where Holy Cross is. "Is that where Rudy went before Notre Dame?"
Let's actually accomplish something and celebrate after.
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Post by sader1970 on Jan 11, 2024 8:56:54 GMT -5
Gentlemen (ladies?), can we show a little Crusader class? There is no point in trying to tear down the reputation of another school simply because our football coach chose to leave HC and go there for more money - a LOT more money - and move up to a higher division. Does that make any of us feel better or superior. We are better than that. Is that happening? IMO, yes.
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Post by Sons of Vaval on Jan 11, 2024 8:57:43 GMT -5
Agree...and edited my post.
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Post by hc1996 on Jan 11, 2024 9:07:01 GMT -5
Curran should hire Belichick as a special advisor to the football program. Kinda like what Calhoun did with Blaney.
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Post by Pakachoag Phreek on Jan 11, 2024 9:28:50 GMT -5
I was unaware that the NCAA incentivizes the APR until I found this on the JMU website.
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Post by sader1970 on Jan 11, 2024 12:54:59 GMT -5
The most disappointing this Board is evident when we act high and mighty and look down on other schools. Newsflash: 80% of Harvard and Yale students don't know where Holy Cross is. "Is that where Rudy went before Notre Dame?" Let's actually accomplish something and celebrate after. While I appreciate what your post's goal is, I would bet you that any Harvard or Yale student who doesn't know where our Holy Cross is located has even less of an idea about the "Rudy Holy Cross" and if they know that Notre Dame is in South Bend it's because they know "Mayor Pete" was mayor in that town. I accept your exaggeration to make your point but knowing and working with Ivy League alums, they know the College of the Holy Cross.
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Post by rgs318 on Jan 11, 2024 13:05:48 GMT -5
The most disappointing this Board is evident when we act high and mighty and look down on other schools. Newsflash: 80% of Harvard and Yale students don't know where Holy Cross is. "Is that where Rudy went before Notre Dame?" What makes you believe that the overwhelming number of students at Harvard and Yale are really that dumb? Also, what if you actually are better in some things, Is it still "acting?"
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Post by beaven302 on Jan 11, 2024 18:26:31 GMT -5
Ches was too talented a coach for such a lousy league - I think he got tired of taking a top 25 team on the road only to see crowds of 900 at Bucknell and (actual) 2-3000 at Colgate / Lehigh / Lafayette. I don’t blame him one bit for wanting to go to a place (and league) where fans show up Whatever the coach’s reasons for leaving for JMU, he can now tell recruits that they’ll be playing home games in front of big crowd, which is not true of a large number of schools.
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Post by football44 on Jan 11, 2024 18:43:08 GMT -5
Ches was too talented a coach for such a lousy league - I think he got tired of taking a top 25 team on the road only to see crowds of 900 at Bucknell and (actual) 2-3000 at Colgate / Lehigh / Lafayette. I don’t blame him one bit for wanting to go to a place (and league) where fans show up Whatever the coach’s reasons for leaving for JMU, he can now tell recruits that they’ll be playing home games in front of big crowd, which is not true of a large number of schools. As someone who played in front of both small and large crowds, coaches usually don’t recruit players based on crowd size. If you want to know the truth, when your in the huddle and playing a game you don’t even notice the crowd. As for Chesney, I’m sure he wasn’t selling recruits about crowd size at Salve Regina or Assumption.
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Post by steken on Jan 11, 2024 19:50:19 GMT -5
Sader1970. What does that even mean? What I stated is pretty clear. The percentage of fans at HC home games is less than the percentage of fans at JM home games. Relative to capacity. Were all intelligent here. No reason to get offended. It’s a fact. I’m a huge HC fan but it is what it is. Amazing how defensive some people on here get when you mention something that puts HC in a negative light. Attendance at HC home games is poor. Everyone knows that. Now we will hear how we compare to other patriot league teams or ivies. Yay. I want to compare to other fcs teams going for a championship.
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Post by steken on Jan 11, 2024 19:54:14 GMT -5
And I wasn’t referring to only students. All fans. Not students and not alumni are people too. BTW, I would guess that the percentage of students is greater at JM than at HC. Relative to total enrollment.
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Post by longsuffering on Jan 11, 2024 20:08:24 GMT -5
JMU offered him a lot more money. I was actually surprised to see what his annual salary is -- not nearly as much as I would have expected. Granted, there are a slew of incentives -- Base salary and bonuses Chesney will receive a base salary of $550,000 per year. In addition, he will receive a fundraising and retention bonus every year on Jan. 31 starting in 2025.
The fundraising bonus starts at $60,000 and increases to $70,000 in 2027 before capping at $80,000 in 2029. The retention bonus will start at $140,000 and will increase to $150,000 in 2028 and then $160,000 in 2029.
Additional bonuses Chesney will receive every benefit given to full-time administrative and professional faculty members at JMU, which include health insurance and a retirement program.
Additional benefits will be negotiated as part of the final agreement but will include without limitation an automobile allowance of $1,000 per month, a discretionary fund of $20,000 per year for “the Coach’s use in connection with the university,” an allocation of complimentary tickets dependent on his annual Duke Club donation, a membership to the Spotswood Country Club with due being paid with the discretionary fund and a relocation stipend of $20,000.
Incentives Chesney will also receive bonuses for on- and off-the-field accomplishments, including:
Finishing with an academic progress rating (APR) higher than 970 ($25,000) or 985 ($35,000)
Appearing in ($25,000) and winning the Sun Belt Conference championship ($50,000)
Appearing in ($25,000) and winning a Sun Belt bowl game ($25,000)
7-11 regular wins ($25,000-$50,000)
Sun Belt ($20,000) and national coach of the year awards ($50,000)
Wins over Power 5 opponents ($15,000 each)
Finishing in the Top 25 of a major poll ($25,000)
Making the College Football Playoff ($100,000)Don't forget local radio or TV show revenues or fees to speak to local businesses and such. www.capecodtimes.com/story/news/2000/01/07/pitino-inc-netting-fortune/51022046007/The JMU job is a great move for Coach Chesney and HC got ten times the value for everything he earned here. There is no villian in this story. Holy Cross is left holding the bag...containing a great football program we could have only dreamed of before Chesney.
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Post by HC92 on Jan 12, 2024 8:38:43 GMT -5
This has been a very interesting and winding thread. I think I’m probably in the middle where most are. Loved Chesney when he was here and appreciate everything he did. He and his Dad were always very kind to me and my family and I think they’re good humans. He’s a football coach and wants to win at the highest level he can and set his family up financially as best he can. Neither of those could happen at HC so we had to know this day would come. It is what it is. I wish him well and will watch from afar how he does but will focus my college football related energy as follows:
82% HC 16.5%: Other colleges my kids go to 1.5%: JMU
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Post by hc87 on Jan 12, 2024 14:48:57 GMT -5
We actually have drawn fairly well recently compared to most FCS programs. I'd have to go look but I'm pretty sure we were in the Top 25 for FCS attendance in 2022. Weather killed our home attendance this year.
That being said, attendance is mostly down everywhere. A "bad crowd" of 10-12K at Fitton in the 1970s would be a decent crowd today compared to many FCS schools today.
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