Tech coach Leach fuels feeding frenzy at Raiderville
By Logan G. Carver | AVALANCHE-JOURNAL
Mike Leach fed the masses of Raiderville on Thursday.
The throng of Tech students that has continued to gather outside Jones AT&T Stadium in the tent city dubbed Raiderville seemed to draw as much pleasure from his presence as they did from the food he brought.
Raiderville residents Kellen Ketchersid, center left, and Collin Griffith, center right, play Xbox 360 with friends outside Jones AT&T Stadium.
Leach, Tech’s head football coach, put in an appearance following afternoon practice to praise the devoted students and fans as the highly anticipated game between the No. 7 Red Raiders and No. 1 University of Texas approaches.
“I appreciate you guys coming out here,” he said. “It’s really our pleasure to have you here and to have you as our fans, and we really, really appreciate your supporting our team.”
Then Leach turned the crowd loose on a table full of barbecue. “I don’t know if there’s gonna honestly be enough for everybody because, keep in mind that sign said “700″ 12 hours ago,” Leach said, referencing the Raiderville “city limits” sign.
The sign at the entrance to the makeshift campground keeps a running total of the estimated number of residents – about 1,700 strong at last count.
Many of the students have been camping out since Tuesday in what is rapidly becoming a small city within a city – all in an effort to get the best seats for Saturday’s game. Student seating is not reserved.
Raiderville has two co-mayors and a chief law enforcement officer who set the rules. Thursday’s visit from coach Leach had Raiderville leadership, as well as the common townsfolk, hyped with anticipation. “I think it’s amazing,” said Drew Gardner, co-mayor. “Not only does he notice that we’re here, but he cares we’re out here.”
Raiderville is not your average shantytown village. Residents have generators running flat-screen televisions, video game consoles and speakers that would rival a rock concert.
The atmosphere in Raiderville is almost Utopian and is probably the closest thing to a hippie commune Lubbock will ever see.
Residents share food and drinks and toss footballs through the smoke rising from barbecues. Musicians on Wednesday night played guitars and banjos in an Appalachian-style pickin’ party.
Mallory Williams has resided in Raidverville since Wednesday and was thankful Leach addressed the Raider faithful. “Him coming out and showing us support makes the energy and atmosphere more exciting,” Williams said. Raiderville leaders expect the number of residents to continue to grow until game day, eclipsing the 3,000 mark by Saturday morning.
“We’re hoping to get bigger than Wolfforth so we’ll be the biggest suburb,” said co-mayor Kurtis Vanderpool.
Leach gave his endorsement of the camp in his Raiderville address. “It would be alright with me if they did this permanently, but I don’t know if they’re going to turn us all loose with that,” he said.
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hello texas tech raiders, hope ya’ll win the game on saturday by at least 6 touchdowns. Your team is much better than you know who.signed devoted texas tech. fan ps. kick a few field goals too. go red raiders. cpr.
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Chris, this is not directed toward you but I just want to know why everyone is just tearring apart our kicker. He is obviously trying and I feel that it is very disrespectful.
I know that we are not fans of A&M but i would like to note that I knew the feild goal kicker for A&M a couple of years ago. He had a far worse average than corona in his freshman year. I cant tell you how hard his life was during that year. He eventually became the best and most consistent kicker of the big twelve and that is because people stuck with him and supported him. I know this season is a big year but I feel we need to support these players in their good AND bad times.
I am not trying to take up for corona but I would like to say hardly any true freshman start as kickers in their first year. I just hate is guy is being punished like this when he has the potential to be great. From his tackles and kickoffs, we know he has talent. Just give him time
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Higher Education
UT-Austin endowment down nearly $1 billion this year
Lower-than-projected revenue possible for next academic year.
By Ralph K.M. Haurwitz
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Friday, October 31, 2008
The endowment of the University of Texas at Austin has declined by nearly $1 billion this year as a result of the turmoil in worldwide financial markets.
The university’s share of the Permanent University Fund, plus its other endowment holdings, stood at $7 billion at the start of the year. By the end of September, the latest date for which figures were available, the value had declined by nearly 13 percent to $6.1 billion. Officials are already revising next year’s budget projections, even as they brace for more bad news about the endowment’s performance in the past month.
“October’s not done, but it sure is ugly so far,” said Bruce Zimmerman , CEO of the University of Texas Investment Management Co., which oversees the endowments.
The Permanent University Fund, of which two-thirds is earmarked for UT System campuses and one-third for Texas A&M University System institutions, was worth $13.8 billion at the start of the year. Its value dropped nearly 14 percent to $11.9 billion by the end of September, according to the investment company.
Adjusted for distributions to campuses and for oil royalties and other income from the UT System’s West Texas lands, the university fund’s holdings in stocks, bonds and other assets wound up losing 14.7 percent during the period.
Zimmerman wouldn’t estimate losses for October but noted that U.S. equity markets are down about 20 percent this month, while developed foreign markets are off about 30 percent and emerging markets 40 percent.
UTIMCO invests the endowments in all of those markets, but it also has taken sizable positions in private equity, hedge funds, fixed income, natural resources and real estate — asset classes that have helped cushion volatility. It will be months before figures will be available comparing the investment company’s performance against that of other large university endowments.
“I can tell you the UTIMCO investments, while significantly down, are down far less than the public equity markets,” Zimmerman said.
For UT-Austin, the decline in the value of its endowment raises the potential for lower-than-projected revenue next year. That’s because a smaller endowment generates less money for construction projects, faculty salaries, scholarships and so forth.
At the same time, school officials are concerned about the ability of students to obtain loans in a tight credit market and their parents’ ability to contribute to educational expenses, said Kevin Hegarty, vice president and chief financial officer for UT-Austin.
“Our budget’s pretty well set for the current fiscal year,” which runs through August, Hegarty said. “We’ll manage it as tightly as we can. Next year — we’re worried.”
The school is getting $165 million for the current fiscal year, which ends Aug. 31, from the Available University Fund, through which payouts from the Permanent University Fund are channeled, Hegarty said. Before the markets tanked, officials were expecting the UT System Board of Regents to authorize $12 million to $16 million more for the next fiscal year.
“Now, the regents are projecting next fiscal year’s number will be $163 million, which is $2 million less than we got this year,” Hegarty said. “That’s a dramatic swing” from the projected increase.
Tuition and fees, which rose 4.95 percent this fall, are scheduled to rise the same percentage next fall, to $4,477 a semester on average. Hegarty said it’s unlikely that officials would seek a larger increase. And it’s unclear how much the Legislature will allocate at a time of growing budget pressures related to Hurricane Ike, tax matters and the weakening economy.
Furthermore, declining oil prices have dimmed prospects for the UT Regents’ plan to boost income for the Permanent University Fund by selling some of the oil reserves beneath the system’s 2.1 million acres in West Texas. Although such a sale is not as attractive now as it was when oil prices were higher, officials are still working out the legal details and haven’t ruled out a sale, said Anthony de Bruyn, a spokesman for the UT System.
UT-Austin hasn’t decided how it might cut expenses next year if things don’t improve. For now, hiring is generally restricted to faculty members and people who support them, Hegarty said. Layoffs are not expected.
“Now, you never say never,” Hegarty said. “I could envision a year that salary policies might be more modest than in prior years.”
The financial concerns have not affected ongoing discussions about developing the university-owned Brackenridge tract of 345 acres in West Austin, Hegarty said. “I don’t think that will change whatever will happen at the Brackenridge tract. That’s a long-term vision kind of thing.”
The university’s $3 billion fundraising campaign will help shore up the endowment, but that also is not an overnight endeavor. About $700 million has been raised so far, leaving $2.3 billion to raise by Aug. 31, 2014, when the campaign will conclude.
Although the endowment’s decline of $1 billion or so stings, it could have been worse if the portfolio wasn’t so diversified, Hegarty said.
“I would say UTIMCO has done a pretty good job overall,” he said. “They’ve beaten the market, so to speak. Let’s hope that loss is temporary. The question is, how long is temporary?”
rhaurwitz@statesman.com; 445-3604
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Wow, i feel so sorry for UT, going from 7 billion down to 6 billion……… not
anyways, it was great to see Leach out there, everyone was ecstatic that he bought us some food. thats why we love leach, he’s a great football coach, AND a great person
Janie, i hope corona does turn out to be a great kicker. But just in case you didnt know, our previous kicker, walk-on alex trilica never missed a SINGLE extra point, and also won each of our last 2 bowl games with a last minute field goal. So, missing as many field goals as he did was unacceptable, and Tech needed to find another option for kicker. and we did. I hope Corona gets better though, if we actually had a competition for who is the best at making PATs and field goals, i’d like that more than who is better than the worst.
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Corona is going to be a fine kicker before he graduates from TTU. There are many many people who are just waiting for the time that will come for his success.
He is being tested, I doubt that it is fun at times, many of the fans do not understand the work, the effort, the desire to succede, and the risk that is involved with kicking a football before thousands and thousands of fans.
DC does what he is asked to do, he does it to his level best, he has success already as a kick off man…do you notice the tackles he makes, one of the best tackling kickers I have seen…that is a plus.
Field goals will come with working with the coaches and reps.
Mike Leach’s support for Raiderville is admirable are the stories we get to read about Raderville, well done! TTU students…and coach.
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One of their football coaches told me personally ( I won’t disclose the name) that U.T. doesn’t have a football budget. Think about that for a minute. In other words, if they want it – they buy it. It’s that simple. With those kind of resources and power and recruiting abilities anything less than a national championship every year is a disgrace to that institution.
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Keep it up kids. Those of us in the working world envy and support all the fun your having. Somone out there should start a website cams etc. So we can watch from our desks.
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Expert pre-game analysis:
http://collegefootball.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=870234
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In this crucial time in American history, it’s vital that your voice be heard. So, go out and VOTE. Vote for the best candidate. Vote for Colt McCoy as your 2008 Heisman winner. I’m Texas Tornado and I approved this message.
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Texas Tornado’s last speech.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eyoz6AYA1Ss&feature=related
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Jeff, do you think that ANYONE here gives a flip about Ut’s endowment? Thanks for wasting so much space on this page. I’m surprised the mods haven’t deleted it.
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WTH, Janie? An extra point is a (normally) perfunctory exercise that nearly every HS kicker executes flawlessly. The prior kicker, Trlica, missed ZERO in 100 ATTEMPTS over 2- 3 years. Carona missed 4-5 (and boinks the uprights w/ others). From what I’ve seen, they have been awful kicks … not bad snaps, not bad holds. Wouldn’t you hate to see an extra (only?) loss on TTU’s best year in 30 (or ever) b/c they didn’t have a decent HS-level kicker? He gets no slack for being a freshman. If he is missing 45 yard FG, that is one thing … but missing an extra point every game or so? Absymal. My bet is that TTU has missed more PAT’s than any other team (both in absolute # and in percentage).
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It is really tough living in Austin and not being able to see the Red Raiders play. Guess I will be watching it at home on a big screen HD TV, with a cold beer in my hand and some take out Bar-B-Que. We’ll be yelling for you, Red Raiders.
I think you can take out #1, with a little luck and some extra points.
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Check out this article in today’s Austin (Reale)statesman on Coach Leach……….
http://www.statesman.com/sports/content/sports/stories/longhorns/10/31//1031leach.html
GO RAIDERS!!!!!!!
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very good article skifool. and this article also leach is a ordinary person unlike some coaches that are to good to do that. long live captain leach
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TOO BAD TECH ADMINISTRATION IS A BUNCH A YOU KNOW WHAT AND FIRED OUR CAPTAIN!! THIS KIND OF MAN WHO LOVES HIS FANS, LOVES HIS PLAYERS, LOVES HIS PEOPLE WONT BE FOUND AGAIN. ANY GOOD QUALITY COACH WOULD BE A FOOL TO SET FOOT WITHIN 100 MILES OF THIS SHAMEFUL ATHLETIC ADMINISTRATION TIL THE RATS ARE EXTERMINATED. LONG LIVE LEACH! LONG LIVE OUR CAPTAIN!
FIRE MEYERS! FIRE BAILEY! FIRE HANCE
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