Lee Fowler: It's Time to Go!

On September 5, 2000 NC State hired Lee Fowler to direct the athletics program at the University. It seems like it has been a century since that giant mistake. The program has fallen even further down into the hole than it had following the debacle of troubles left following the Jim Valvano era.

At the beginning of the century it seemed that the program was on the rise. Herb Sendek had the basketball program groomed into a perennial tournament squad inside the nice new Entertainment and Sports Arena (now known as the RBC Center). Chuck Amato was building a contender on the arm of Philip Rivers. Carter-Finley has also since undergone a major facelift. It seems to me that all that has improved in Fowler's tenure are the facilities. And for that I am thankful.

However, I think it is time for State to head in a new direction, under a new athletics director. Someone that can be the face of the program. Someone who will come out in front of the media and support his or her coaches and players. Someone who will open the wallet and do what is necessary to build a successful program. It seems to me that the definition of a successful program to Fowler is a program that is mediocre at best and well in the black. I do not claim to know the financial numbers of the program, but it seems to me that little is being done by the leadership to build a winner.

There are those of you who will say that a university is a learning institution and not a sports institution. Well, how many people would apply to Southern Cal if they didn't win football games? Would as many people want to go to Kansas if the Jayhawks weren't #1 in basketball? Would UNC be the UNC it is today without the National Championships? Does NC State still get free publicity every March when they show Jimmy V running around looking for someone to hug? No, no, no and yes! So, I will now get back to what I was saying.

Herb Sendek left our 2 time National Championship winning program for greener pastures at the always under achieving Arizona State University. Since Sendek's departure the basketball has had one miserably failed coaching search that saw us land Sidney Lowe as head coach. The coaching search had several promising candidates, most notably Rick Barnes. Barnes chose to stay at the University of Texas where they win football and baseball championships, not basketball. Maybe had Fowler done a better job of recruiting and laid the cash on the table, then we would talking about how far into March we would be playing and not wishing for this year to be over.

Sidney Lowe is an NC State legend and I greatly respect the hard work he has put into making this work. The problem is that it is just not working. It is time that we part ways with Lowe and once again focus on Barnes or some other top notch candidate. And this time we need to pay them what they deserve. I think hazard pay for having to recruit against Roy Williams and Coach K is necessary. I know the money is there to be spent. We have a lot of boosters with a lot of money and a lot of hatred for the two shades of blue within 30 miles of the Raleigh campus. Hopefully, we can put this all behind us and move on to a more successful decade.

Now to the football program. The one good decision that Fowler made was to part ways with Amato. It was hard, even I hated to see the man who had brought us so much get fired. But, it was a necessary evil that had run its course. Then Fowler made another great move by hiring Tom O'Brien from Boston College. However, since that move O'Brien has had a hard time moving the needle. And we have heard nothing from Fowler. He needs to come out and say that we are going to do whatever it takes to put a more consistent winning program on the field. However, he has failed to do anything of that nature.

There is no doubt that O'Brien is the man for the job. There is also no doubt in my mind that Fowler is not the man for the job. I am to the point that I am ashamed to say that I am a graduate and fan of the Wolfpack. And it all is because of the athletics director. I am not going to stop pulling for the Pack, or speak disparagingly of them. I will not, however, mince words when it comes to the leadership of the athletics program. We need a face for the program. We need someone that the Alumni and fans can feel confident in. The more confident we are in the leader, then the more likely we are to give more money and invest in season and lifetime rights tickets.

If there is one thing that I could ask the new Chancellor, Randy Woodson, and the Wolfpack Club leadership for would be to part ways with Fowler and take a drive across town and speak to former Pittsburgh Steeler head coach and Wolfpack Alum Bill Cowher. He would be my ideal candidate, but not highly likely. At this point I would prefer Mr. Wuf to Fowler. Maybe, just maybe, by this September 5 we will have a new Director of Athletics...