Arkansas, coaching, and running

Hendry ran 1:50.37 for 4th at SEC's this weekend.

It wasn't that he couldn't pull his weight. He just wasn't happy at Arkansas. He's doing a fine job at LSU these days.

I heard he was "sick," or just having some "health problems."

Arkansas gets kids with academic money too, folks. Not everyone is running on athletic dollars, and frankly, if a kid has the grades, he or she is much better off taking academic money over athletic money.

I haven't heard of anyone losing athletic money that didn't deserve to lose it at Fayetteville.

Arkansas does not give in state to every state that borders. There are scholarships that waive out of state, but it's not automatic.

The vast majority of the people listed as Arkansas failures in this thread were just that- kids who couldn't or wouldn't stay elligible academically. Coach McDonnell would give anything to have Sam Vasquez on his team, that kid was talented beyond belief. There is, however, a limit as to what a coach can do for a kid if the kid refuses to go to class.

only sammy V couldn't stay academically elligible everyone else did.

#1trackhouse wrote:

The think I don't like about arkansas is how a lot of runners who go there on scholarship, get tossed to the side after a year or two, this happens to walk on as well. Studs like Alkin, Poe, Sammy V,Burt Hicks,Michael Hendry, harper, have all come up missing after a year or to at Arkansas. And those are just the guys off the top of my head

lol dont ever put burt hicks in the mix with those guys...you must be from arkansas...a 9:30/4:23 miler is not national caliber by any means haha

The school's low academic standards may help - it clearly is one of the worst major universities in the country and admission standards are lax. But still, their success has to be applauded.

There are plenty of guys that do not succeed at Arkansas. Most of those guys would not succeed at any school. That is the nature of HS & College athletes.

Arkansas' failure is their distance program.

Let me explain... If you run for the Hogs, you have to be in RACING shape by September!!! And October, November, January, February, March, April, May, and JUNE!!!! Nine (9) months out of the year, you have to be ready to beat everyone in the nation.

ARKANSAS RUNNERS DO NOT DEVELOP THEMSELVES, THEY ARE ALWAYS IN RACE SHAPE!!!

BLCH wrote:

Let me explain... If you run for the Hogs, you have to be in RACING shape by September!!! And October, November, January, February, March, April, May, and JUNE!!!! Nine (9) months out of the year, you have to be ready to beat everyone in the nation.

ARKANSAS RUNNERS DO NOT DEVELOP THEMSELVES, THEY ARE ALWAYS IN RACE SHAPE!!!

I fail to see how this is different than the majority of successful distance programs. The elite levels of collegiate distance running are less concerned with "developing yourself" and more concerned with putting points up on the board.

That's just the nature of the beast.

I've been to several NCAA XC, Indoor and Outdoor Nat'l Meets. When Arkansas hosted the 94 NCAA XC at Prairie Grove, it was the only one I ever went to where seemingly everyone in the town, from waitresses to hotel clerks and everyone else knew that there was a big meet scheduled, where and when it was on, and could actually carry on a conversation about distance running.

I realize Fayetteville is small and isolated but it shows the influence The General has had...

quantum wrote:

The school's low academic standards may help - it clearly is one of the worst major universities in the country and admission standards are lax. But still, their success has to be applauded.

I've learned several things about Arkansas over the past few years. One, athletes can graduate without attending a high percentage of their classes. Two, many athletes get educations as good as any in the country, but they have to be in the honors college to do so.

You can get a great education at Arkansas, and you can get a poor education at Michigan. It all depends on the student and what they're willing to invest.

wonderin' wrote:

what happened to Chris Barnicle?

? Red shirting?

yep, redshirting indeed.

This thread's topic is what McDonnell did in order to win the 2006 SEC outdoor title. It was an example of good, perhaps great, coaching and atletes performing at their best when needed.

It is being used as a platform to bash the Hogs via "inside" information, hints, allegations, and innuendo.

There are academic failures at every school in the nation.

There are "questionable practices" at every school in the nation.

Does anybody here care about the running part of the sport?

Did anyone notice the drama that unfolded at the SEC meet?

Or where you all too busy doing socio/economic investigative reporting?

Just think about it -- a major conference meet where all eyes were on the men's 5k.

Are there really that few of you that care about the sport?

If you can't beat 'em, berate 'em.

If you can't beat 'em, berate 'em.

I didn't say he doesn't win. Or he isn't a good coach. All I said is I don't like how good runners go there and then get thrown to the side

Erbli wrote:

Does anybody here care about the running part of the sport?

Did anyone notice the drama that unfolded at the SEC meet?

Or where you all too busy doing socio/economic investigative reporting?

Just think about it -- a major conference meet where all eyes were on the men's 5k.

Are there really that few of you that care about the sport?

Well, I think you're right about the problems being across the board. Arkansas is not unique in that respect; however, if you "care about the sport," I believe you must care about the other issues. They are not separate issues. At least in my opinion.

This is a generalization (and I'm told all generalizations are false), but it seems like (for the most part) D-1 is all about winning. You either produce points, or you're quickly cast to the side. D-2 seems more pure, more about the complete college experience, with academics at the top.

Perhaps schools like Stanford are the exception, and of course, Arkansas would point out that Daniel Lincoln got a first class education and had (has) a stellar track career.

Getting back to your point...Coach Mac is the best. No one questions that he meets and exceeds his JOB REQUIREMENT better than anyone. Period and the end, and I also know that he's done some really great things for his kids off the track. Folks like Mac and Coach Wooden come along once in a lifetime.

Running would be more pure if no money was involved in recruiting. The ivy league school and DIII schools are the pure ones.