Just spin, baby…
Everybody loves to kick a dude when he’s down, but the fact of the matter is KU athletics director Lew Perkins was really never that far up when it comes right down to it.
Sure he got KU athletic supporters to cough up a buncha cash before the economic bubble burst two years ago. And the football team had its Orange Bowl Season, the basketball team its national championship magic.
But Sweet Lew had zero to do with hiring Bill Self or Mark Mangino, the architects of those achievements.
And the truth be known, we’ll likely never know how much long term cash was lost because of Perkins across the board bouncing of KU season ticket holders from their long held basketball and football seats.
Perkins wanted the money yesterday for his legacy today, but as Lawrence Journal World publisher Dolph Simons told me, some of those slow-paying, conservative by nature season ticket holders scratched KU from their wills after Perkins extorted them for big bucks then moved them to the cheap seats.
It was the
Steve
It will be interesting to watch the KU sports program to see if they have to attempt a financial “top kill” or “junk shot” to plug the ensuing geyser of toxic debt that could blow at some point.
smartman
At what point did reporters in this country start fearing those they reported on? Newspaper reporters are supposed to be the modern day version of The Inquisition. My experience has been that it’s easier to get information out of a guy that fears you than a guy that likes you. It’s certainly better to be respected than feared but fear is a much better motivator. The fact that Lew Perkins got away with the crap that he did for as long as he did is an indictment of how weak and complicit the media in the metro has become.
What happened to the good old days when reporters dug up dirt on people, gumshoe style, in order to get them to squeal like little pigs?
Seems to me that if the masses had united at the Star three or four years ago Mike Fannin coulda been dismissed with little to no effort.
Just because a wrong doesn’t directly effect you doesn’t mean you’re not obligated to try and correct it.
C’mon people shave your pubes and make sure you still got some balls down below.
bschloz
Story is not over..lets subpoena that AMEX card. Wonder if that dude ever spent a nickel of his own salary….Adios MF..So he raised money and debt and brought Fondue and Wine to the Half-Time show.
Anybody who is paying tuition should be outraged at the lack of control demonstrated here.
Yes I know an “80mil business” that’s my point…you think this horseshit goes down at GRMN CERN–child pleaazzze. Does everyone in the Kansas Athletic Dept knock down 6 figures….The new Security Guard? The Guy who tapes ankles? $2mil for Coach Gill..GLL
chuck
Very, very interesting.
Cool read.
S
Ok, we get it, you despise KU. And getting quotes from Dolph Simmons is only going to back your biased views here. Dolph and the Lawrence Urinal World despised Perkins from Day 1 and have continually made that clear.
The fact of the matter is that Lew doubled the revenue brought in by KU athletics under his tenure. He took KU from a school on the bottom end of the Big 12 in athletics revenue and put them near the top. Furthermore, Perkins got the job done on building state-of-the-art new football facilities and renovations to Allen Fieldhouse. Despite the storm at the end of his tenure, the overall state of the KU AD is better than when he arrived.
And lets not heap undeserved praise on Mellinger, the new wannabe Whitlock writing for the Star. Perkins’ travel expenses are in line with other Athletic Directors at peer institutions. And by peer institutions, I am not referring to Kansas State and Missouri.
One last thing. Perkins helped facilitate getting KU into the Orange Bowl. And that’s one more BCS bowl game than Missouri has ever played in.
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HC: Most of the criticism I get it too much Lawrence, too much KU. Went to Arizona and grew up going to the odd KU football game if that means anything.
jojo
stop bitching ku fans.You got what you wanted.
You got your national championship. You got
great new facilities…you got an orange
bowl win (which lew arranged and was paid for
by your money)…you got a decent football team
so stfu already. What did you expect from this
old piece of shit?
BCS title….come on…its been a good few years
under lou so stop all the bitching and back stabbing.
He did what you wanted…you got your t shirts..
he put that t shirt store out of business…you
won a trophy….fat man is gone so be happy
…things could be a whole lot worse than they
are now.
thank the heavens that lew showed up or who knows
where ku would be now.
as tony soprano said…
“I love da guy…he’s an earner!”
so stfu and move on. After all turner gill seems
to beworking out real well right now!
Cliffy
Is it true Lew gave Gill a 5-year, $2 mil per year, GUARANTEED, contract? This just keeps getting better and better.
Jip
Hearne is absolutely right about the 2004-07 Lew Perkins years. The Journal-World had to break the pinata, and the KC Star then jumped in and grabbed the candy.
Of course, that’s mild on the list of the many fucked up things Mike Fannin has done in the last 10 years while representing the KC Star.
vaga huvitav, aitah