Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.
Skip navigation

Kendal Briles

Post

My ONLY complaint about Lane was he was not a community program builder guy, great Coach but quiet and reserved regarding boosters and community events to fill seats. As said =, he would rather fish!

I pray he does good but my belief is that Ol' Miss culture will eat him alive, their "expectations" are just irrational for the SEC West unless they cheat in recruiting like they did before big time! I give him three years, tops, then fired and blamed!
Back to the top

Post

teambeer said

Agreed, I don't think we should want to be a place where someone plants roots for 10 years, I think we want to be known as the place where you can come and launch your career if you're the hottest coordinator in the land. The way people do that is by winning like mad, putting up yards, points, and shutting teams out and that's a fun ride to be on.

We need our program to be bigger than the coach. When you have the reputation of being a winner, with multiple coaches, it starts to transcend the man at the top.

on Taggart: I've met him twice in the past two years at FSU Booster events (I was there thru work, my boss is a golden chief or whatever they're called), the first time was the Taggart World Tour right after he was hired and I remember saying after his little 50 person Q&A, that I hope that guy is a players coach, because he didn't command that room at all…and it was a room full of people who loved him at the time. He's sheepish, quiet, and sounded unsure of himself. I gave him the benefit of the doubt because at a place like FSU, they don't need to generate fan interest, winning solves all…but we know how that turned out.

Point being…I don't think we can hire a guy like him as we need that shot in the arm of the guy that will be in the community generating hype and interest, going to chapter meetings of the fraternity sororities and asking them to come inside and support the team, doing what they can to help build the brand. Willie didn't seem to have that at all.
Posted On: Dec 10th 2019, 10:58 AM #391982

This stuff isn't that hard. He could've easily gone to fraternity chapter meetings and challenged them to attend the games. Off the top of my head, he coud've literally pitted them against each other to see who had the best attendance beginning to end at games and the winners got to have a luncheon with him or something each week. Those guys draw in the sororities. It's not rocket science. Fraternity with the best overall at the end of season gets to have him at a rush event or something. I'm just spitballing. I'd also like to see marketing do more this year, especially with media. Someone mentioned this needs to be more about players than the coach moving forward. Make videos of these guys, let them show their personality, let students feel invested in the players like it's someone they know, not just a faceless person in a uniform. For example I went to an Atlanta Hawks game and they played on the video board a bracket game where they put various things and the player had to pick his favorite and the bracket kept going till it narrowed it down to his favorite thing. It ended up being chicken wings vs. One of the more popular current rappers (spoiler, he picked the wings).
Back to the top

Post

At the FSU games, they have funny little 5 second videos of players (think goofy smiles or funny faces or little dances) they put up on the board whenever that guy does something good on the field.  That is a pretty small thing, but my daughters and I felt compelled to look at the video board every time there was a good play to “see” what kind of character the guy was who just made the play.

UCF has their deal with the phone flashlights and cheer for every kickoff.  The in-game things go on and on - no reason not to borrow from what is cool and has caught on other places.  We have to get people into the stadium first, but those little things make the in-game experience keep people in the stadium (and maybe compels them to come back).

Oh - and keep winning 10 games.  That will always help!!!
Back to the top

Post

^^ They have keg parties in front of the basketball arena before games and none of the students walk inside.  I think you have to promise 2 free beers to get them inside.
Back to the top

Post


owlsdad said

At the FSU games, they have funny little 5 second videos of players (think goofy smiles or funny faces or little dances) they put up on the board whenever that guy does something good on the field.  That is a pretty small thing, but my daughters and I felt compelled to look at the video board every time there was a good play to “see” what kind of character the guy was who just made the play.
Posted On: Dec 11th 2019, 9:47 AM #392045

I think that's super important to put these guys out there and show that they're likable and relatable people who you can't help but want to root for. I met keke and Davon brown who were 2 guys at fan fest who really stuck out to me as great guys who this season I felt myself especially pulling for. Think of Tim Bonner and people having seen him on last chance U. People who aren't even FAU fans follow his career at FAU because they are invested. Them helping with move in is great but take it a step further ya know. Having 15 minutes of their time for videos and things are super easy as long as they are made right.
Back to the top

Post

Alfred32 said

^^ They have keg parties in front of the basketball arena before games and none of the students walk inside.  I think you have to promise 2 free beers to get them inside.
Posted On: Dec 11th 2019, 9:49 AM #392046

I think it goes to making the game experience more fun and finding ways to again, relate the students to the players. Make them want to support these guys because they like them.
Back to the top

Post

The games are not an event that feels fun. We need more students but the students can't take all the blame, its not like the home side is full by any means. The school can't over play their hand strong arming students into the stadium but they do need to reach out to organizations and talk to student leadership about how the games are more fun if people show up and if the games are more fun more people will show up. It's a symbiotic relationship and if the students have ideas for incentives then I'm sure FAU could make some arrangements.
Social media marketing is improving but I have seen much more from some other schools that we should start to adopt. Producing videos for each of the players is an awesome idea. I've seen that OU social media will create highlight/cinematic videos for players to use for their own social media.

Small things can make a big difference with some fans. At UCF I have seen the cheerleaders going into the stands and taking selfies and thanking people for showing up. At the FAU basketball game I went to last year the players were shaking hands at the door thanking people for coming out. These are small gestures but they make you feel more connected to the program and endears you to the team.
Back to the top

Post

I agree lane could have done more but at some point the students and alumni have to care more about their school. I have invited many alumni to games. Its the south fla lazy culture. Miami even when winning doesn't draw well. Ppl think they are too cool to go to a football game they would rather buy 20 dollar drinks on south beach. Our school is also very diverse many of the students love soccer over football. I just dont see how as a student you can go tailgate, and walk past the stadium. The stadium is beautiful. When I was going to school at FAU we dreamed to have something like this. Lane actually put a good product on the field that is the other part it wasnt like the football was unwatchable. Part of why I would like an offensive coach put a product out there that people want to see! 
Back to the top

Post

1OwlFLATL said

I agree lane could have done more but at some point the students and alumni have to care more about their school. I have invited many alumni to games. Its the south fla lazy culture. Miami even when winning doesn't draw well. Ppl think they are too cool to go to a football game they would rather buy 20 dollar drinks on south beach. Our school is also very diverse many of the students love soccer over football. I just dont see how as a student you can go tailgate, and walk past the stadium. The stadium is beautiful. When I was going to school at FAU we dreamed to have something like this. Lane actually put a good product on the field that is the other part it wasnt like the football was unwatchable. Part of why I would like an offensive coach put a product out there that people want to see!
Posted On: Dec 11th 2019, 10:19 AM #392050
I just moved to Atlanta and if I had a dollar for every person who has told me, "you need to go to an Atlanta United soccer game, I'm not a soccer person but those are fun, you have to try one." You can make people enjoy the atmosphere, I experienced it myself having really only gone to rays and marlins games and then going to a braves game. It was night and day experience wise, there was so much more crowd interaction and things keeping you engaged. I'm going to start taking notes as these games and disseminate what makes say an Atlanta united game something people go to even though they don't like the sport. It's obviously the atmosphere but seeing what they're doing to create it.

Note: Atlanta united is a 5 year old team that drew an average attendance of 53,000 people in 2018
Back to the top

Post

So true sjacks78 - and in the HEART of football Country to boot!

One of the reasons I continue to push HARD for FAU sponsoring a REAL COLLEGE FOOTBALL MNARCHING BAND!

I love our band and the effort and ability of ours but when WESTERN CAROLINA UNIVERITY can afford to have a nearly 500 person band and appear in the Macy's Parade, HOW IN THE WORLD ARE WE STCK ON FAR LESS THAN 100 MEMBERS DR. KELLY???????

Besides our crowd sizes being embarrassing, this is another sore point to me!

And I will post something here for the heck of it, our several chances at hosting large sell out type of crowds have been BOTCHED SO BADLY BY THE UNIVERSITY STAFF - no wonder people don't come again! Get it foxed, offer a free game next year to prove we CAN handle a good Game Day experience to reset with the local football/sports fans and move forward!!! With the product Coach K put on the field there is no way we should EVER have less than 20K for ANY home game!
Back to the top
Control functions: