Who is a better AD? Tom Holmoe or Chris Hill?

Looking at their whole body of work, who has proven out to be the better Athletic Director, Tom Holmoe or Chris Hill?



Please leave a message about why you voted the way you did.

One AD has basketball program is trending upward that is selling out arenas at home and on the road. The other has been lost for nearly half a decade and is playing in 1/2 full arenas at home and a 1/3 full on the road.



One has a football program is blazing a new path, that will likely be followed by others while playing large stadiums and filling them. The other has a program the people wonder if it's trending down.



One athletic department is self-sufficient and the other won't even be a full member of its conference for another three years.



One program isn't worried about revenue and where it will come from. The other is having to raise ticket prices to cover a lack of funds coming in from its conference "partners."

kitic77 wrote:
One AD has basketball program is trending upward that is selling out arenas at home and on the road. The other has been lost for nearly half a decade and is playing in 1/2 full arenas at home and a 1/3 full on the road.



One has a football program is blazing a new path, that will likely be followed by others while playing large stadiums and filling them. The other has a program the people wonder if it's trending down.



One athletic department is self-sufficient and the other won't even be a full member of its conference for another three years.



One program isn't worried about revenue and where it will come from. The other is having to raise ticket prices to cover a lack of funds coming in from its conference "partners."

One has a football program that has 2 undefeated seasons in 7 years, is moving to a larger conference with future guaranteed revenue streams that the other can't equal, and has had a final 4 run, several sweet 16 appearances in both men's and women's basketball, and has led the department to unprecedented growth.



The other can't seem to negotiate a contract that is beneficial to the home fans for football games, has given up all his power to ESPN, where we are becoming their little -------, and is moving most of his teams to a lesser conference.



Honestly, I don't know who's better, but we have to be fair and show the good with the bad. If Independence/WCC work out well for BYU, then it's Tom Holmoe. If it doesn't, well...it's obviously Chris Hill. Also, Hill has been doing it for much longer.

I voted for Holmoe.....why? He is a Cougar, the other guy is a ute. That in and of itself makes Holmoe the better guy.

Hill gets WAY too much credit for the PAC move. Here is what happened with the the PAC as a refresher for everybody: Sorry it's so long. :)



The PAC had intentions of inviting 6 Big 12 schools. Texas, Tech, A&M, Oklahoma, OK State, and Colorado were the six teams. They sent out feelers to the Big 12 to see if this could happen. Well what they heard in return was that it could happen but Baylor had some friends in high places, the Texas Legislature, who could force the Texas schools to take Baylor with them. They've done it before, this is why Baylor is in the Big 12 now.



What happened was the PAC sent out an official invite to Colorado in a preemptive move to thwart the Baylor move. Colorado accepted the invitation. So long story short the Big 12 ultimately decides to stay together- minus Colorado and Nebraska.



The PAC was very proud that they had not expanded in 30 years. In order to convince all of the presidents/boosters/fans to expand the commissioner had to come up with something HUGE. Those 6 teams from the BIG 12 would be considered a HUGE move. But the PAC 10 commissioner is left with 11 teams with that 11th team being Colorado who is terrible at everything and whose basketball and football teams are facing NCAA violations. The PAC and its commissioner is basically left with egg on its face.



In order to wipe a little bit of that egg off the PAC had to at least go to twelve. The next best option from a money standpoint was BYU but 2 schools(Cal, Stanford) had a big problem with that because BYU is a Mormon school. BTW-This IS the #1 reason why BYU was not considered and BYU has known for years that they would never get a PAC invite. So Utah gets the invite because they are in the next best market outside of Denver and they are not a Mormon school. Utah will become a full member, at least financially, in 2014.



To summarize- Hill had about as much to do with Utah's invite to the PAC as Urroner did.



PS: Holmoe is the first athletic director in the history of the world to get an exclusive contract with The Worldwide Leader In Sports. Also Holmoe scheduled a 4-2 with Notre Dame. Hill scheduled a 1 and done with Notre Dame.



4-2 > 1-0

stuckinbig10country wrote:
Moving to a larger conference with future guaranteed revenue streams that the other can't equal.

That's a pretty baseless assertion. Do you know the particulars of the ESPN contract BYU has to compare with the crumbs Utah is getting from the PAC-12 the next few years? Next year Utah is slated to make just as much money as they did in the MWC last year---a season in which they only managed to break even.



BYU has entered into a more lucrative deal than what they had last year---a year in which the athletic department netted $5.5 million more than Utah---we just signed a one game deal that pays out $1.75 million--only $250,000 less than what Utah will make from TV the entire season.



You say that BYU is ESPN's litte b**** because they have set us up games with Texas (did you forget this is a home-and-home?) and on a neutral field against TCU and have lined our pockets with cash and given us national exposure for each and every game. What does that make Utah when just over half of their games will be televised, and only half of those available nationally?



I just don't understand all this angst about trading up an away game to a neutral game against a better opponent, and I really don't understand how people think Utah is going to be rolling in the dough compared to BYU when BYU was already making more money before the changes, and Utah won't even be a full revenue member of the PAC-12 for another 4 years. If anything, Utah is the one that has yielded power to their new partners.

In my view, that I have tried to be as objective as possible, Homoe wins: The AD's primary job is hire great coaches, provide exposure and balance the budget. Hill succeeded with the most important coach--Whitt--but so did Holmoe. The second most important coach--men's BB--Hill has failed and Homoe has again succeeded. Moving to the Pac 10 is a plus for Hill on the epxosure front, but not so much for now on the revenue front. BYU's new contract with ESPN is a coup on the exposure AND revenue front. We are going to make MORE money from the TCU game than Utah will make at the MAACO LV Bowl, assuming they even make it there. The MWC's efforts to stop BYU and forcing us to go to the WCC when it seems like we wanted the WAC for non football is not something that Holmoe had a lot of ability to stop. In short, on the exposure front, an objective person might call it a wash or a tad plus to Utah. I do not think it outweighs the disaster that is UT BB. Do you? UT has an outstanding women's gymnastics program. BYU has outstanding VB and track programs. BYU men's VB has had some rules violations and that is a black mark, but BYU self reported and took action into its own hands, firing the bad coach and disciplining. I give Homoe credit for addressing the issue up front. On the revenue front, well, the numbers speak for themselves--BYU is doign fine and Utah is struggling. So I give the nod to Holmoe, but that does not mean I think Hill has stunk it up. He has not (with the exception of UT men's BB)



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BoiseBYU wrote:
In my view, that I have tried to be as objective as possible, Homoe wins: The AD's primary job is hire great coaches, provide exposure and balance the budget. Hill succeeded with the most important coach--Whitt--but so did Holmoe. The second most important coach--men's BB--Hill has failed and Homoe has again succeeded.

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Hill's actually failed twice in the last seven years in this department. He's made two bad hires. He had the money to buyout the first guy, he may not be able to get rid of Boylen early, because with no money from their conference partners next year the Utes may not be able to start moving their program in the right direction.



Of course, moving to the PAC10 may help their bball team since their level of competition will drop significantly.

stuckinbig10country wrote:

One AD has basketball program is trending upward that is selling out arenas at home and on the road. The other has been lost for nearly half a decade and is playing in 1/2 full arenas at home and a 1/3 full on the road.



One has a football program is blazing a new path, that will likely be followed by others while playing large stadiums and filling them. The other has a program the people wonder if it's trending down.



One athletic department is self-sufficient and the other won't even be a full member of its conference for another three years.



One program isn't worried about revenue and where it will come from. The other is having to raise ticket prices to cover a lack of funds coming in from its conference "partners."

One has a football program that has 2 undefeated seasons in 7 years, is moving to a larger conference with future guaranteed revenue streams that the other can't equal, and has had a final 4 run, several sweet 16 appearances in both men's and women's basketball, and has led the department to unprecedented growth.



The other can't seem to negotiate a contract that is beneficial to the home fans for football games, has given up all his power to ESPN, where we are becoming their little -------, and is moving most of his teams to a lesser conference.



Honestly, I don't know who's better, but we have to be fair and show the good with the bad. If Independence/WCC work out well for BYU, then it's Tom Holmoe. If it doesn't, well...it's obviously Chris Hill. Also, Hill has been doing it for much longer.

Plus 1 - ask again after both have retired. Holmoe probably has more time left to establish his legacy. Be honest - Hill has the Utes right where most of us wish BYU was relative to opportunity - In the PAC 10. Hill has the football head coach that turned us down even though he played here, and although basketball is a mess right now - it hasn't always been and may not always be - and then there is Women's Gymnastics.



They are both pretty good if you ask me. Maybe Holmoe can notch some big-time basketball success this year. But what about 2011/12? Give it time.

Cougarbib2 wrote:

Plus 1 - ask again after both have retired. Holmoe probably has more time left to establish his legacy. Be honest - Hill has the Utes right where most of us wish BYU was relative to opportunity - In the PAC 10. Hill has the football head coach that turned us down even though he played here, and although basketball is a mess right now - it hasn't always been and may not always be - and then there is Women's Gymnastics.



They are both pretty good if you ask me. Maybe Holmoe can notch some big-time basketball success this year. But what about 2011/12? Give it time.

Like I said before, Hill gets WAY too much credit for getting Utah into the PAC. His total involvement in making that happen was answering the phone when the PAC called.

Like I said, I don't know who's better. My post was just to point out that it's not as one sided as kitic (who's opinion on BYU sports I value above most) was saying.



And pointing out that Texas is coming to Provo in 2013 doesn't help Holmoe's cause. That will be his 9th year as AD, and will be the only "elite" team he's contracted a home game with. Having said that, has Utah ever had an elite team in SLC? They used to feel ecstatic when they'd get a mid-level Pac 10 team to come.



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stuckinbig10country wrote:
Like I said, I don't know who's better. My post was just to point out that it's not as one sided as kitic (who's opinion on BYU sports I value above most) was saying.



And pointing out that Texas is coming to Provo in 2013 doesn't help Holmoe's cause. That will be his 9th year as AD, and will be the only "elite" team he's contracted a home game with. Having said that, has Utah ever had an elite team in SLC? They used to feel ecstatic when they'd get a mid-level Pac 10 team to come.

What about USC in 2004? Was that Holmoe? I'm really asking, I have no idea if it was Holmoe or if it was contracted before his time. I think Notre Dame that year was contracted before Holmoe but I'm not positive.

CannonCougar85 wrote:

Like I said, I don't know who's better. My post was just to point out that it's not as one sided as kitic (who's opinion on BYU sports I value above most) was saying.



And pointing out that Texas is coming to Provo in 2013 doesn't help Holmoe's cause. That will be his 9th year as AD, and will be the only "elite" team he's contracted a home game with. Having said that, has Utah ever had an elite team in SLC? They used to feel ecstatic when they'd get a mid-level Pac 10 team to come.

What about USC in 2004? Was that Holmoe? I'm really asking, I have no idea if it was Holmoe or if it was contracted before his time.

That was Val Hale. Holmoe was only an associate AD in 2004. That was the year Hale got fired.



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stuckinbig10country wrote:

stuckinbig10country wrote:
Like I said, I don't know who's better. My post was just to point out that it's not as one sided as kitic (who's opinion on BYU sports I value above most) was saying.



And pointing out that Texas is coming to Provo in 2013 doesn't help Holmoe's cause. That will be his 9th year as AD, and will be the only "elite" team he's contracted a home game with. Having said that, has Utah ever had an elite team in SLC? They used to feel ecstatic when they'd get a mid-level Pac 10 team to come.

What about USC in 2004? Was that Holmoe? I'm really asking, I have no idea if it was Holmoe or if it was contracted before his time.

That was Val Hale. Holmoe was only an associate AD in 2004. That was the year Hale got fired.

Okay thanks.

Well Holmoe has scheduled 2 home games with Notre Dame. Notre Dame is an "elite" team. Their record may not show that in recent years but c'mon, it's Notre Dame. And people may complain that a 4-2 with Notre Dame isn't that great but in comparison to Hill, 4-2 beats 1-0.

The earliest ND will come to BYU will be 2014, and I think it's likely we play 3 road games in that series before we get one in Provo. We already know we go there in 2012 and 2013. Then we probably take a year or two off, then go there again, get a return game, another year off then home and home again.



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Gymnastics? Seriously? What has Hill done to bolster their gymnastics program? They have a great program. It wouldn't matter if Hill were AD or even Boylen, the gymnastics program wouldn't be any better or worse. (well, maybe it would be worse if Boylen were AD ;) ). Same with the PAC invite, it would have happened regardless of the AD.



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stuckinbig10country wrote:
The earliest ND will come to BYU will be 2014, and I think it's likely we play 3 road games in that series before we get one in Provo. We already know we go there in 2012 and 2013. Then we probably take a year or two off, then go there again, get a return game, another year off then home and home again.

I understand that but you said that Holmoe has only scheduled one elite team, in Texas, to come to Provo when in fact he has also scheduled Notre Dame.

CannonCougar85 wrote:

Plus 1 - ask again after both have retired. Holmoe probably has more time left to establish his legacy. Be honest - Hill has the Utes right where most of us wish BYU was relative to opportunity - In the PAC 10. Hill has the football head coach that turned us down even though he played here, and although basketball is a mess right now - it hasn't always been and may not always be - and then there is Women's Gymnastics.



They are both pretty good if you ask me. Maybe Holmoe can notch some big-time basketball success this year. But what about 2011/12? Give it time.

Like I said before, Hill gets WAY too much credit for getting Utah into the PAC. His total involvement in making that happen was answering the phone when the PAC called.

I am being honest - I would rather be independent in and of myself, then sharing equal revenue amongst 11 other schools. Especially when the majority of those other 11 schools are liberal hippy leftist do-nothings.



Would you rather be an independent contractor, with the ability to play whomever, whenever you want, for any amount of money you can ask for, and infinite exposure...



OR



Be considered a weaker member of a revenue sharing conference that considers the Pelosi/Obama/Biden train to be the normal part of society?

BlueIsBetter wrote:

Cougarbib2 wrote:

Plus 1 - ask again after both have retired. Holmoe probably has more time left to establish his legacy. Be honest - Hill has the Utes right where most of us wish BYU was relative to opportunity - In the PAC 10. Hill has the football head coach that turned us down even though he played here, and although basketball is a mess right now - it hasn't always been and may not always be - and then there is Women's Gymnastics.



They are both pretty good if you ask me. Maybe Holmoe can notch some big-time basketball success this year. But what about 2011/12? Give it time.

Like I said before, Hill gets WAY too much credit for getting Utah into the PAC. His total involvement in making that happen was answering the phone when the PAC called.

I am being honest - I would rather be independent in and of myself, then sharing equal revenue amongst 11 other schools. Especially when the majority of those other 11 schools are liberal hippy leftist do-nothings.



Would you rather be an independent contractor, with the ability to play whomever, whenever you want, for any amount of money you can ask for, and infinite exposure...



OR



Be considered a weaker member of a revenue sharing conference that considers the Pelosi/Obama/Biden train to be the normal part of society?

Not to mention Utah gets 0% revenue sharing next year, 25% the next, 50%, the next, and finally, in 2014-15 they get a full 1/12 of PAC revenues.

Holmoe without a doubt. Utah to pac10 had nothing to do with hill (well okay, something), but navigating byu into independence with the notice he had was nothing short of amazing. holmoe has done an amazing job with what he was given.



he gets a lot of crap for doing an amazing job i think.