Hi, Bob,
It’s been two years almost to the day - on Oct. 12, 2019 - since you left us way too soon at the age of 83. By then, you had been retired from your job as the athletic director at UC for 14 years.
When you left UC in 2005, the Bearcats were about to join the Big East conference, something you had worked hard to make happen when the opening occurred during the first wave of conference realignment.
You had just hired Mark Dantonio to become the head football coach to replace Rick Minter, convinced the program needed new blood as it entered a new conference. Dantonio was just what the program needed at the time. He built on the work that Minter and Tim Murphy before him had done. Dantonio benefited from membership in a BCS conference to upgrade recruiting before he left for Michigan State.
The football program flourished even more under Brian Kelly, who led the Bearcats to the Orange Bowl in 2008 and the Sugar Bowl in 2009 before he left for Notre Dame. Butch Jones was unable to keep the momentum going and the program took a giant step backward under Tommy Tuberville, although Tuberville did one memorable thing during his four years as UC’s head coach – he signed quarterback Desmond Ridder, who has grown into one of the top quarterbacks in the country.
You were still with us when Nippert Stadium – they call it “Historic Nippert Stadium” now – was renovated and expanded in 2015, but I don’t know if you ever got to see it in person. It’s very impressive.
I attended UC’s game against UCF this afternoon with my wife, Rose, on a cool, breezy, sunny, fall day. As we walked through the campus on the way to Nippert, fall wasn’t the only thing in the air. I could also feel a buzz in the air about UC football that reminded me of 2008 and 2009.
When we walked into Nippert, I thought of all the Saturday afternoons I spent covering games in a mostly empty stadium wondering if the program would ever achieve consistent success. I saw the stadium filling up with a sellout crowd of 37,978, most of whom were dressed in red to watch their third-ranked Bearcats win their 15th straight regular-season game, 56-21. It was their 24th straight home game, the second-longest such streak in the country.
That’s right, Bob, they’re ranked No. 3 in the country behind No. 1 Georgia and No. 2 Iowa. And after Iowa’s loss to Purdue today, the Bearcats will probably be ranked No. 2 next week. This is the vision you had for UC football when you were here, and now it has come to fruition.
I remember years ago sitting in your office listening to you talk about Varsity Village, the massive facilities upgrade that would become your legacy as UC’s athletic director. It would include a new administration building that would house all of the athletic offices in one place, with upgraded locker rooms and weight facilities, a state-of-the-art baseball stadium, tennis courts, and a soccer and track stadium. When it was completed, Varsity Village moved UC athletics into the modern era and made the Bearcats attractive to the Big East when it was looking to expand.
Unfortunately, as you know, the Big East fell apart, relegating UC to the American Athletic Conference beginning in 2014. But now UC is headed to the Big 12. The future is bright.
Back in the days when I was covering UC athletics for the Enquirer, you once told me you had tried everything short of parachuting fans into their seats to get people to go to Bearcat football games, but nothing seemed to work. Well, it’s happening now without the aid of parachutes, and it’s a sight to see. I only wish you were here to see it.
Bill Koch
It’s been two years almost to the day - on Oct. 12, 2019 - since you left us way too soon at the age of 83. By then, you had been retired from your job as the athletic director at UC for 14 years.
When you left UC in 2005, the Bearcats were about to join the Big East conference, something you had worked hard to make happen when the opening occurred during the first wave of conference realignment.
You had just hired Mark Dantonio to become the head football coach to replace Rick Minter, convinced the program needed new blood as it entered a new conference. Dantonio was just what the program needed at the time. He built on the work that Minter and Tim Murphy before him had done. Dantonio benefited from membership in a BCS conference to upgrade recruiting before he left for Michigan State.
The football program flourished even more under Brian Kelly, who led the Bearcats to the Orange Bowl in 2008 and the Sugar Bowl in 2009 before he left for Notre Dame. Butch Jones was unable to keep the momentum going and the program took a giant step backward under Tommy Tuberville, although Tuberville did one memorable thing during his four years as UC’s head coach – he signed quarterback Desmond Ridder, who has grown into one of the top quarterbacks in the country.
You were still with us when Nippert Stadium – they call it “Historic Nippert Stadium” now – was renovated and expanded in 2015, but I don’t know if you ever got to see it in person. It’s very impressive.
I attended UC’s game against UCF this afternoon with my wife, Rose, on a cool, breezy, sunny, fall day. As we walked through the campus on the way to Nippert, fall wasn’t the only thing in the air. I could also feel a buzz in the air about UC football that reminded me of 2008 and 2009.
When we walked into Nippert, I thought of all the Saturday afternoons I spent covering games in a mostly empty stadium wondering if the program would ever achieve consistent success. I saw the stadium filling up with a sellout crowd of 37,978, most of whom were dressed in red to watch their third-ranked Bearcats win their 15th straight regular-season game, 56-21. It was their 24th straight home game, the second-longest such streak in the country.
That’s right, Bob, they’re ranked No. 3 in the country behind No. 1 Georgia and No. 2 Iowa. And after Iowa’s loss to Purdue today, the Bearcats will probably be ranked No. 2 next week. This is the vision you had for UC football when you were here, and now it has come to fruition.
I remember years ago sitting in your office listening to you talk about Varsity Village, the massive facilities upgrade that would become your legacy as UC’s athletic director. It would include a new administration building that would house all of the athletic offices in one place, with upgraded locker rooms and weight facilities, a state-of-the-art baseball stadium, tennis courts, and a soccer and track stadium. When it was completed, Varsity Village moved UC athletics into the modern era and made the Bearcats attractive to the Big East when it was looking to expand.
Unfortunately, as you know, the Big East fell apart, relegating UC to the American Athletic Conference beginning in 2014. But now UC is headed to the Big 12. The future is bright.
Back in the days when I was covering UC athletics for the Enquirer, you once told me you had tried everything short of parachuting fans into their seats to get people to go to Bearcat football games, but nothing seemed to work. Well, it’s happening now without the aid of parachutes, and it’s a sight to see. I only wish you were here to see it.
Bill Koch
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