Wojcik Out

[guido911]

Saw on TW.

[dbacks fan]

This guy?
http://www.tulsanow.org/forum/index.php?topic=8344.0

Quote 

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Wojcik infuriated at apathy

By ERIC BAILEY World Sports Writer
12/31/2007
Last Modified: 12/31/2007  2:29 AM

TU coach criticizes spirit after fifth straight win.


Doug Wojcik challenged the Tulsa athletic administration, fans and even the student band following the Golden Hurricane's 71-46 win over Mississippi Valley State on Sunday afternoon.

What was the reason for his press conference rant? The third-year TU basketball coach was fed up with a ho-hum atmosphere at the Reynolds Center.

"I may end up having a lot of people not like me in Tulsa, but that's too bad," an emotional Wojcik said after his team captured its fifth straight victory. "It isn't changing unless I start to do something about it.

"I'm not happy about this environment at all."

While Sunday's paid attendance was 5,175 (the largest this season), there were at least 1,500 less in the seats.

The coach said he's always been thankful for the faithful Hurricane fans, but said things need to change.

"Everyone here -- the fans, the players, the coaches, the administration -- we all want the same thing here," he said. "But we all have to work together to get that accomplished."

Tulsa, he said, isn't in the same category of a Xavier, Wichita State, Creighton or Dayton, "because of all the things that go into being a big mid-major program."

During the press conference, Wojcik pointed at a school like Dayton, which maintained season-ticket sales during lean years in the 1990s. He fingered TU marketing meetings, which need to help drive attendance. He blasted Beach Boys music played during pregame warmups.

Wojcik said he thinks he's done his job as coach, which includes a 21-3 record in home games over the past two seasons.

"I'm doing my part now," he said. "If I didn't care, if I wanted this to be a retirement job, I wouldn't give a dang. But I do care. I care for my kids, who work their butts off."

Wojcik said he even thanked his team before Sunday's game.

"I told them, 'Guys, you never complained to me once. Guess what? I really appreciate that.' Let me be mad about that," Wojcik said.

Does Wojcik worry about negative backlash?

"Of course," he said. "But what are we going to do? Run around and not address the issue?"

TU athletic director Bubba Cunningham, who didn't attend the postgame press conference, didn't hear Wojcik's statements and declined comment.

Wojcik said he's heard grumblings about this year's home schedule, which included games like Central Arkansas, Texas-Pan American and, Sunday's opponent, Mississippi Valley State.

"(TU) played Grambling in (2001) . . . UCLA played UC-Davis yesterday. Dayton, before they played Pitt, played Loyola-Baltimore," Wojcik said. "It goes on. It's an excuse."

Next year's schedule includes home games against BYU, Missouri State and Oklahoma.

"Just so everyone knows, they have a year from today, we have a year to get a pep band, we have a year to get a crowd here for BYU for Dec. 30, 2008," Wojcik said.

During Tulsa's past two home games, during the Christmas break, there hasn't been a TU pep band. That hasn't gone unnoticed by Wojcik.

"My guys are warming up to the Beach Boys and they don't know who the Beach Boys are," he said.

[DolfanBob]

Oh well. The stepping stone didn't work out as well as it had for the others before him. It is definitely not a retirement job by any means. If you win, you will leave. If you don't, you will leave. One is obviously better than the other. But that is T.U.