Pickens donated $ 290 million to his alma matter, $265 million of which went to the school's athletic department. And thanks to Pickens' management, the value his gift to athletic department has grown to over $300 million.
What's more, Pickens has stated that he'll do "whatever it takes" to make Oklahoma State into a sports juggernaut.
But Yahoo! Sports' Dan Wetzel says that the vast power which Mr. Pickens wields at Oklahoma State may, ultimately, serve as a double edged sword for the university's athletic department:
"Pickens is the George Steinbrenner of college athletics, capable of overriding whatever remaining rationality there is in the hiring and firing game. While all schools increasingly make rash decisions – somewhat justifiable considering the salaries today’s coaches make – they almost always need boosters, the athletic director and perhaps the school president to sign off on it.
At OSU who is crossing Pickens? The school president who has watched Pickens’ original donation of $165 turn into $300 million in a fund managed by no less than Pickens? The athletic director, Mike Holder, who just happens to be an old quail hunting buddy of you know who? How about the other boosters who would have to get into a money burning contest with Pickens just as oil soars past $110 per barrel?
This is T. Boone Pickens University right now and everyone knows it, including every prospective coach."
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2 comments:
Looks like "2nd Chance U" is going to be stuck hiring a 2nd choice coach.
them plains cornfed steroid programs be engineerin them players to be bigger like in them spider man comics. Uh huh. Uh huh. Butler be like them spider man. them good boys showin the world and doin it right. they be churchin and doin it right.
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