TMH wrote: ↑Mon Oct 18, 2021 4:08 pmLife has a way of giving us different perspectives. I read every one of your posts but unfortunately agree with very little and so the discussion goes on.HFO wrote: ↑Fri Oct 15, 2021 11:36 am As a veteran of WW II and Korea, imagine being a buck private and your orders are to a platoon led with history of defeat by a Captain Gilmore. Now imagine total point score differential as casualties on both sides. Something told to me as an 18 year, "A good general believes an infantryman is replaceable. A GREAT general believes an infantryman is IRREPLACEABLE!."
There are great leaders out there. Lehigh took a chance years ago on a high school coach named John Whitehead. Phil Stambaugh was a pretty tough wrestler, pitcher and QB. Even played at Lehigh. Has great leadership ability and a mind for football. If I were President or AD, I'd be looking at that guy. Leaders of men are out there. These young men deserve someone who can lead them into something bother than slaughter.
LEHIGH has been lost for a decade or more. It is time for alumni to demand accountability, not just in sports,but in academia too.
I sent my letter seeking termination of Sterrett as AD and Gilmore as Head Football Coach for reasons previously presented as well as here. Lehigh as an institution deserves better across all areas of the institution. Next step is academic output of faculty.
Bombard President with action letters to his email.
I had a very good friend who died recently and fought in virtually every major battle in the African and European theatre as part of the Fighting 1st Division under Patton and theoretically Eisenhauer. His take was that the infantrymen (grunts I believe he called them) were like pawns in a giant chess match. The "Grand Masters" would gladly sacrifice them for the "greater cause".
I do find it somewhat strange to compare war with an extracurricular college sport. Apparently, the generals at West Point don't equate them or Army would have had more than 5 winning seasons in the last 25 years. Ironically, 4 of those campaigns were under current Head Coach Jeff Monken who went 4-8 and 2-10 in his 1st 2 seasons. In hindsight, a similar letter to the brass would have seemed foolish then. Army has a far larger budget than Lehigh.
So to correct your history. John Whitehead was brought on at Lehigh to coach the offensive line (3 seasons). Only then did he become the OC (6 years) before becoming the HC. Phil Stambaugh, per a variety of sources, has no intention of leaving his job as Dean of Students, teacher and football coach at Notre Dame to come to Lehigh or anywhere else.
If I'm not mistaken, you have already informed the University that you are not giving the University a dime because they took back and honorary degree from someone you obviously look up to. You may be out of ammo.
I'm sure you look back at your years at Lehigh with rose-tinted glasses but Lehigh still prepares their students exceptionally well for the real world. They rank #21 in the country in terms of salaries, interestingly just ahead of Cal-Berkley. They are tied for 10th for most CEOs in Fortune 500. Along with Bucknell, they have far fewer undergraduates than the others.
Lehigh is doing just fine where it counts. Save your ink.
TMH is clearly a Lehigh University administration myrmidon. There is so much to dissect but when someone is clearly associated with the very powers that are under fire, there is no rationalizing. First, CEOs provide little information because we all know that most are well into their 40s, 50s, or older. That fact, while impressive, does not speak to the current state of Lehigh.
I am not sure if you have ever been there, but please see the George C. Marshall plaque located on the southeast entrance to Michie stadium. Grunts? Maybe that is how your friend saw it, but I see it much differently. Army football had a bleak time period in the early 2000s. Do you know what happened? Todd Berry was relieved of his duties.
What TMH is missing, and I cannot speak for every fan of Lehigh Football, is the lack of progress in the program. Last spring Lehigh was 0-3 with excuses abound. It was youth, it Lehigh had it harder than others, it was weather. So with another "promising" freshman class in the fold and an entire summer of preparation, the team has gone backward vs other Patriot League foes. Let that resonate. All teams had a shortened prep time in the spring and it actually evened the playing field. Now, with June, July, August, and September to prepare, the team is worse than ever. THAT is the problem.
The fact that the OC was retained after the spring season lands in the lap of one person. Lehigh's offense has gotten progressively worse since 2017 under his command. What football person thought the fall season would be any different? Mr. Gilmore was relieved of his duties midseason in 2017 after compiling a less than impressive record and alienating many who coached and played for him. Who thought his time at Lehigh would be any different?
There are 5th year ex-Lehigh players all around the country excelling. Maybe someone close to the program should ask why they didn't come back. Two freshman contributors left for the transfer portal in 2019. Maybe someone should ask them why they left. A senior QB of a football alum left this fall. A senior DL left the team this summer. A senior RB left the team in camp. Maybe someone should ask why.
I do not have the inside track to the interworking of Lehigh Football, but as a longtime fan and local, I am disgusted. It's not just the record, the losing streak, or the offense that is actually doing something quite historical, but the lack of culture, passion, and toughness that is part of Lehigh's fabric. Who is to blame for that? Well, I would start with the head coach who enters every press conference armed with excuses and poor explanations. Leadership starts at the top and until Mr. Gilmore accepts responsibility for his team's dreadful execution, the players will also be fooled into thinking all is okay. Great coaches take the heat and work to get better, bad coaches point fingers and make excuses. It is that simple.
I don't donate to Lehigh so I cannot "withhold" anything, but I hope that the administration realizes the very obvious need for change. Very few fans, parents, alumni, or players would disagree.....maybe just TMH.