goodbye, Rob

[UND92,96]

link

[UND Fan]

The salary for the Bemidji job was substantially more than he is making at UND. I think UND offered to increase his income but it was still a long ways from what Bemidji offered.

He is leaving UND with no hard feelings, in fact, it was a very difficult decision. He did not go looking for this job but was recruited very hard by the BSU folks. This position gives him the opportunity to be the No. 1 guy in an organization and everyone with high ambitions wants that opportunity sometime during their career. They like the lake country and this gives them the opportunity to move to where they will likely retire in a few years.

I think Rob is in the camp that UND needs to move up to DI but I don't think that would have been enough to keep him at UND.

I absolutely hate to see Rob leave. He is a great guy who has done a great job at UND - he truely "bleeds green" but he made the right decision for him and his family - and they have to come first!

[iramurphy]

Rob is a class guy. This is a big loss for UND.

[star2city]

Rob may have a mess to help clean up when he gets there. Bemidji State's basketball program, as well as several other DI programs may be breaking into the news for the wrong reasons:

http://cbs.sportsline.com/collegebasketball/story/9310118

An elaborate recruiting operation that has steered more than $100,000 to a Los Angeles business founded by a prominent junior college coach has stunned the NCAA, the NABC and athletics directors at some of the Division I schools involved.

Also this season, Iowa State played host to an exhibition with Division II Bemidji State of Minnesota, and a regular-season game with NAIA Mountain State of West Virginia. Iowa State used D1 Scheduling for both, sending D1 Scheduling checks totaling $50,000. D1 Scheduling then sent checks totaling $9,000 to Bemidji State and Mountain State, clearing $41,000 for itself. Why would Bemidji and Mountain agree to such a deal? Perhaps because each program has had an LACC player in the last year, Rodney Williams (Bemidji) and Tony Key (Mountain). Mountain's Bolen said he had no idea D1 Scheduling was profiting so much. "I feel stupid," he said. "I wish I got more of it."

[johnnyroyale]

Anybody in the know as to why Rob left? Having been at UND for 28 yrs and being the huge Sioux (not to mention DI) proponent, the timing just seems weird. Does anybody know anything concrete?

[bincitysioux]

This position gives him the opportunity to be the No. 1 guy in an organization and everyone with high ambitions wants that opportunity sometime during their career.

Isn't this the same job that Rob had with the UND Alumni Foundation?

[D1sioux]

It is truely a shame UND is losing Rob. I hope some people wake up!!! He was and still IS the BEST MAN for the JOB!!!! Before he even thought of leaving UND the JOB should have been his!!!!! I hope the boss is happy now....no more looking over your shoulder?? No more leaving Rob off committees!!! No more worrying if he could have done the job better!!!! IT IS TRUELY A SAD DAY!!!!! UND just lost the best man next to Mr. Clifford UND could have had!!!!!! THAT IS WITHOUT ARGUMENT!!!!!!

[The Sicatoka]

Anybody in the know as to why Rob left?

How about:

The salary for the Bemidji job was substantially more than he is making at UND. I think UND offered to increase his income but it was still a long ways from what Bemidji offered.

He is leaving UND with no hard feelings, in fact, it was a very difficult decision. He did not go looking for this job but was recruited very hard by the BSU folks. This position gives him the opportunity to be the No. 1 guy in an organization and everyone with high ambitions wants that opportunity sometime during their career. They like the lake country and this gives them the opportunity to move to where they will likely retire in a few years.

Recruited. More money. Head of organization. Tough to turn all that down.

[ScottM]

It is truely a shame UND is losing Rob. I hope some people wake up!!! He was and still IS the BEST MAN for the JOB!!!! Before he even thought of leaving UND the JOB should have been his!!!!! I hope the boss is happy now....no more looking over your shoulder?? No more leaving Rob off committees!!! No more worrying if he could have done the job better!!!! IT IS TRUELY A SAD DAY!!!!! UND just lost the best man next to Mr. Clifford UND could have had!!!!!! THAT IS WITHOUT ARGUMENT!!!!!!

Want a tissue?

[Driveforshow]

I have had the pleasure to work with Rob in many work groups and we are losing a class act of a guy and many of us are looking at the program and saying what the hell is going on.We just lost the guy that could make the D1 jump work. I know that their was alot of alumni that was passed off about Rob not getting the AD job I can only wonder what they are thinking now. Tom B and his current staff are going to have a hard time recovering from Rob's departure and if they think it is going to be easy GOOD LUCK!!!! I wonder what Kupcake and Phil H is thinking now.We need to look at the direction this program is going and look at it HARD!!!!!

WE JUST LOST THE HEART OF UND. GOOD LUCK ROB I WISH YOU AND YOUR FAMILY WELL.

[UND92,96]

So, assuming Rob's position isn't going to be eliminated, how about Rich Glas as his replacement? Seriously, I think this would be right up his alley. Thoughts?

[Driveforshow]

Tom B better bring in a UND guy or he may be up SH-T creek.You can't replace a ROB B.

[BringDeanBack]

Do we really want Glas in this position?

[teamsioux]

No, but we don't want him in his current position either!

We have basically either lost or run out everyone who knew what the Sioux traditions and culture were about. There are an awful lot of the "higher ups" now that are very new and/or outsiders....leaves me with a very uneasy feeling. Having some new outside blood is always good, but I feel we have way too much right now.

[Cratter]

the JOB should have been his!!!!! I hope the boss is happy now....no more looking over your shoulder?? No more leaving Rob off committees!!! No more worrying if he could have done the job better!!!! IT IS TRUELY A SAD DAY!!!!! UND just lost the best man next to Mr. Clifford UND could have had!!!!!! THAT IS WITHOUT ARGUMENT!!!!!!

No more people crying how great Rob is.

[UND Fan]

Anybody in the know as to why Rob left? Having been at UND for 28 yrs and being the huge Sioux (not to mention DI) proponent, the timing just seems weird. Does anybody know anything concrete?

Read my post above. That is as concrete as it gets!

[UND92,96]

We have basically either lost or run out everyone who knew what the Sioux traditions and culture were about. There are an awful lot of the "higher ups" now that are very new and/or outsiders....leaves me with a very uneasy feeling. Having some new outside blood is always good, but I feel we have way too much right now.

That's pretty much exactly how I feel. I think it's imperative that somebody with strong UND ties be hired to replace Rob.

[UND Fan]

No, but we don't want him in his current position either!

We have basically either lost or run out everyone who knew what the Sioux traditions and culture were about. There are an awful lot of the "higher ups" now that are very new and/or outsiders....leaves me with a very uneasy feeling. Having some new outside blood is always good, but I feel we have way too much right now.

While I understand and share some of your concerns, who falls into the category of being "run out"?

[NorthDakotaHockey]

That's pretty much exactly how I feel. I think it's imperative that somebody with strong UND ties be hired to replace Rob.

Tim Skarperud? He would be a great hire. They hire NFL coaches at 30, why not someone like Tim, or any number of other guys of his cut who might be interested in the job?

Bollinger was a solid guy and a class act from everything that I ever saw and heard. BSU must be thrilled to have him. Good luck to him.

[UND92,96]

Do we really want Glas in this position?

I'm just curious, are you saying that based on a negative impression of Glas's coaching ability, or for some other reason? Regardless of what one thinks of Rich Glas as a basketball coach--and I'm as big of a critic of him in that regard as anyone--people do like him as a person. That's what I would think you want in somebody who would need to do a lot of fund-raising. I have no idea whether he and/or Buning are even considering this possibility, but it could be a win-win situation. I see no possible way Rich will be coaching basketball at UND until retirement age, and it's difficult to conceive of a better non-coaching job for him at UND. This may be the last, best chance for him to leave his current job under positive circumstances.

[star2city]

We have basically either lost or run out everyone who knew what the Sioux traditions and culture were about.

So who has been run out? Roger Thomas? Rob? DISioux?

Seems to me that Hak, Lennon, and Roebuck all know a little about Fighting Sioux tradition. Perhaps even Jeff Bowen at the UND Foundation, who presumably was Rob's backup, would know a little about it too.

There are an awful lot of the "higher ups" now that are very new and/or outsiders....leaves me with a very uneasy feeling. Having some new outside blood is always good, but I feel we have way too much right now.

Can understand how changes, especially from outsiders, can be unsettling, but it all can be for good.

[D1sioux]

So, assuming Rob's position isn't going to be eliminated, how about Rich Glas as his replacement? Seriously, I think this would be right up his alley. Thoughts?

It would not surprise me to see a certain AD on board already who has sucked up to the new boss become the Associate AD....at least those are his lofty goals in life!!! Go from sharpening skates to not showing up at your job to Assoc. AD fits in with everything else!!!

[D1sioux]

I'm just curious, are you saying that based on a negative impression of Glas's coaching ability, or for some other reason? Regardless of what one thinks of Rich Glas as a basketball coach--and I'm as big of a critic of him in that regard as anyone--people do like him as a person. That's what I would think you want in somebody who would need to do a lot of fund-raising. I have no idea whether he and/or Buning are even considering this possibility, but it could be a win-win situation. I see no possible way Rich will be coaching basketball at UND until retirement age, and it's difficult to conceive of a better non-coaching job for him at UND. This may be the last, best chance for him to leave his current job under positive circumstances.

Rich is the 2nd classiest person left at UND!!!!

[teamsioux]

While I understand and share some of your concerns, who falls into the category of being "run out"?

Well, I certainly think a big part of both Blais and Roger being gone has a lot to do with the mess that has been the REA management....one or both might have left anyway with the opportunites presented them, but I feel the situation within made UND much easier to leave.

star2city, I agree that some new blood is good, but if Rob's job gets filled form the outside, pretty much all the power positions with UND athletics will not have a local background. Kupchella, Hodgson, Buning and Rob's replacement would be outsiders. With UND athletics at a crossroads and some huge decisions to be made, I would like at least some local ties in those positions. I realize UND has groups being formed to study to help, but when it comes down to it, these are the ones to sign off on it.

[Bauer16]

So who has been run out? Roger Thomas? Rob? DISioux?

Seems to me that Hak, Lennon, and Roebuck all know a little about Fighting Sioux tradition. Perhaps even Jeff Bowen at the UND Foundation, who presumably was Rob's backup, would know a little about it too.

Can understand how changes, especially from outsiders, can be unsettling, but it all can be for good.

Hey as a current Junior and di-hard Sioux fan for as long as I can remember, my brother going to school here, and my father playing football and a current Sioux booster and season ticket holder for FB and Men's Hockey, I must say that Col. Tom Bunning is doing a fine job of carrying on the tradition. He wants to keep everything the same, and is open to work with the students about the current cheering standards...which still need to be improved for the better of the students, and I mean standing for the entire game if they please and they should just move the student section to sections I think it is starting in 111 and then over to like 113 or 114. whereever behind the net is.