Link to "The Ohio Bobcat Club Brochure."  Read about the future of sports at OU.

And the brochure states: 

"The overall goal of the Ohio Bobcat Club is to provide unrestricted funding to enhance the student-athlete experience for ALL [brochure's capitals] 537 student athletes that comprise our 20 men's and women's intercollegiate sport teams.  Unrestricted support allows the athletics department to allocate the funds as needs arise, providing more opportunities to more student athletes."

See also OU's work with corporate sponsors to provide support to OU Athletics at these links:

OHIO UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS

BOBCAT BIG WHEEL PROGRAM

Bobcat Big Wheel Participating Members

International Sports Properties

From E-Lacrosse.com

"...More specifically, the forums held by the Title IX panel brought to light the fact that overspending by Division I athletics departments is nearly every bit as much to blame for the elimination of many men's sports and the lack of expansion for men's lacrosse as Title IX. Many who testified pointed to the outrageous amounts of money spent at big-budget Division I schools for sports that ultimately lose money. Even the elite Division I institutions that send football teams to bowl games lost money on the very post-season venture that they are competing for and one member of the panel even said that some of the BCS bowl teams lost money despite going to the biggest of bowl games. It's hard to believe but between recruiting, travel, and equipment expenditures, a football program can draw in upwards of 100,000 fans a game and still lose hundreds of thousands of dollars a year. Just incredible.

And for smaller Division I football schools, the losses are just as bad. Recently, three members of the MAAC Conference (St. John's, Fairfield, Canisius) dropped their football programs in cost-cutting efforts. St. John's used this opportunity to specifically begin a men's lacrosse program and Canisius has significantly upgraded the status of men's lacrosse at that school. One must wonder how many other schools out there could add men's lacrosse if only they saw the light...."

By Nick Claussen
Athens NEWS Associate Editor
Thursday, February 1st, 2007


At the same time that Ohio University is cutting four varsity sports, the athletics department is also making plans to improve its facilities, which would be paid for with private funds.

No money is available yet, but the university is putting together an athletics master plan that calls for improvements to Peden Stadium, construction of an indoor practice facility, and improvements to the softball and soccer stadiums.

Kirby Hocutt, director of athletics at OU, confirmed Tuesday that the university is moving forward on raising money to fund these improvements. He addressed several issues related to the budget cuts, including the following:

* How can these improvements be happening at a time when the athletics department is facing a $4 million budget deficit and just announced that it is cutting four sports?

* If the university is raising private money for these improvements, why can't it just raise private money to pay to keep the four sports?

* Does the football team make money or lose money for the university?

* What happened to the extra $1.5 million the university pledged to give the athletics department two years ago?

LAST WEEK, HOCUTT announced that OU will eliminate indoor men's track and field, outdoor men's track and field, men's swimming and diving, and lacrosse, which is a women's sport. The cuts are being made, according to Hocutt, to help the department overcome a $4 million budget deficit and meet Title IX gender equity requirements.

On Tuesday, Hocutt confirmed that the athletics department is working with Moody & Nolan, an architectural firm based in Columbus, to create an athletics facility master plan. The plan looks 8-10 years in the future for the athletics department, Hocutt said.

The plan includes a renovation to Peden Stadium that focuses mainly on fan amenities such as restrooms and concessions stands, he said.

"We're trying to bring Peden Stadium up to where it can adequately serve 24,000 fans," Hocutt said. "Right now, it is still designed to serve 12,000." The restrooms, concessions stands and other amenities were built when the stadium only seated 12,000, he said, and haven't expanded as the stadium's capacity has gone up. Hocutt said the university just wants to bring the stadium up to modern standards.

The current plans do not include increasing the seating capacity of Peden Stadium, Hocutt said.

"We need to fill up Peden on a weekly basis before we look at expansion," he said.

For basketball, the Convocation Center is "the top playing facility in the Mid-American Conference," but improvements are needed there as well, Hocutt said. The athletics department wants to add more office space for the athletics programs, enhance and enlarge the training facility, and make other improvements, he said.

The softball stadium is relatively new, but it needs a press box and restrooms, Hocutt said. The soccer field also needs public restrooms and other amenities, he added.

The department is also looking to build an indoor training facility that would serve most of the varsity sports, Hocutt said.

The new master plan for the entire university calls for the indoor practice facility to be built directly to the east of Peden Stadium on land once used by the golf course. This master plan states that the football program would be "a major user of the facility," and that building it next to Peden would minimize travel distances for athletes. The plan states that the central location would also benefit all of the potential users of the facility.

"Our indoor training facility is definitely a priority," Hocutt said. "We are engaged with individuals who have an interest in seeing that become a reality."

No money is available yet for the indoor practice facility or other improvements, but the department is actively raising money for these projects, Hocutt said.

Just because the department had to cut its budget significantly does not mean that it won't be aggressive and move forward with the privately funded projects, Hocutt said. The department will continue raising money and planning for the facilities and improvements, even though the four sports had to be eliminated, Hocutt said.

SO WHY NOT RAISE PRIVATE money to help fund the four sports that were cut, as some critics have suggested?

Hocutt said that if OU could raise the money needed to pay off the budget deficit, it would still have the Title IX gender-equity problems and would have to add one or two more women's sports in order to comply with the law.

"That is where it gets challenging," Hocutt said.

Hocutt said he understands why so many people are upset about the elimination of the four sports, but said the university had to make the cuts.

"It's been difficult. It's been challenging for the young people it's affected and rightfully so," Hocutt said. "It was a decision that in the best interests of Ohio University and Ohio Athletics had to be made."

The budget cuts will not eliminate the $4 million deficit this year, and Hocutt said the current projections show the athletics department will not operate with a balanced budget until 2011.

The department is currently talking with the university finance office about how the department can operate without a balanced budget until 2011, he added.

Just two years ago, the OU Board of Trustees approved giving the athletics department a $1.5 million base increase over three years. In early 2005, then-athletics director Thomas Boeh discussed in an interview with The Athens NEWS how the extra funding would allow the department to increase the salaries of several coaches, add positions to the football program, and make other funding changes. Boeh also discussed at that time how the university was making privately funded improvements to the Peden Stadium Tower and how head football coach Frank Solich was going to help the entire department raise more money.

The athletics department never got the whole $1.5 million because the department was not exempt from university-wide budget cuts, Hocutt said. Last year, for example, the department did not receive the $500,000 addition and also lost $241,000 in university funding, he explained. So instead of having an extra $500,000 to spend, it actually had $741,000 less, according to Hocutt. The budget cuts played a big part in creating the budget deficit.

The Peden Stadium Tower renovation project did get finished, and the department paid for it with money generated from the 2006 season's non-conference football schedule -- especially games at Rutgers and the University of Illinois, Hocutt said.

The department is now committed to playing at least one "financially attractive game" each football season and using the revenue from that road game (usually against a big-time quality opponent) to help fund the base-operating budget for the entire department, Hocutt said.

In 2006, that game was against the University of Missouri. In 2007, the game will be at Virginia Tech University, he said. In 2008, the game will be at Ohio State University, and in 2009 the game will be at the University of Tennessee.

The Ohio football program does not fully fund itself through tickets sales, Hocutt said. Generally, fewer than 10 percent of the NCAA Division 1-A college football programs are able to support themselves through ticket sales, he added.

"To say that football supports itself is very hard to say," Hocutt said. While the Ohio football program does not fund itself through ticket sales, the program does raise money for athletics in other ways. The university has seen an increase in merchandising sales and donations, and those increases are likely related at least in part to the success of the football program, Hocutt said.

The only football programs that support themselves just through ticket sales are the big programs that charge high prices for tickets and can have much larger stadiums, Hocutt said.

"At Ohio, we are taking steps to become the team that southeast Ohio supports. We want to reach out to the families of this community," Hocutt said. The department has created inexpensive ticket packages to attract families to the games.

The department also created the Ohio Bobcat Club, which is a new fundraising program that has been successful, and Solich has traveled around the country promoting OU and the athletics department, according to Hocutt.

The private fundraising programs will continue and become more aggressive as the department looks for new ways to increase its revenue in order to pay for the planned facility improvements and other changes to the athletic programs, Hocutt said.

Ohio Bobcat Club Reaches Goal  

[Were these donors aware that while OU was asking for "sports specific" donations, it was getting ready to cut teams?]  

[Bold type emphasis inserted by SaveOUSports.Org]

New fundraising initiative reaches $400,000 mark

Dec. 1, 2006

ATHENS, Ohio - The Ohio Bobcat Club, the fundraising arm of Ohio Athletics that was formed in May, has already surpassed its initial goal, raising more than $410,000 in support of Ohio Athletics. The total represents an 18-percent increase in annual giving from the last fiscal year and a 46-percent increase in unrestricted annual giving.

"The primary goal of the Ohio Bobcat Club is to support our student-athletes in their academic and athletic endeavors," Associate Athletic Director for Program Advancement Chris Delisio said. "I feel that the Bobcat Club members agree with this mission by helping to enhance the student-athlete experience. They also know that now is the time to capitalize on our opportunity to establish Ohio Athletics as the model athletics program in the Mid-American Conference."

All annual gifts to athletics -- Tower Club, Phillips Club, unrestricted support and sport-specific giving --now occur within the Ohio Bobcat Club. The levels of membership begin at $100 and increase up to $10,000. The program includes eight levels of membership with varying benefits and the formation of a points system that will prioritize ticket purchasing and seat location privileges for all postseason events, bowl games, away games, conference tournaments and other special contests.

"People have seen the need for this new initiative and Athletics' need for additional financial support." Delisio said. "They also appreciate the fact that we are making giving to athletics easier by having everything under one umbrella - the Ohio Bobcat Club. People are excited that there are now acknowledgement and benefits for their support of Ohio Athletics."

While the organizations' donation goal has been met, the drive to reach 1,000 members is currently underway. As of Nov. 1, the Ohio Bobcat Club had 696 members.

"It has been an exciting fall for our sports teams and our department," Director of Development Maura Murphy said, "Although we have surpassed our monetary goal, we are actively working to reach our membership goal for this year. We encourage all current members to spread the word about the success of our program and the Ohio Bobcat Club."

The men's basketball game versus Marshall on Saturday, Dec. 2 has been designated Ohio Bobcat Club Day. In appreciation of their commitment to Ohio Athletics, all current Ohio Bobcat Club members are invited to watch the game.

Current members of the Ohio Bobcat Club will receive two complimentary admission coupons to the game. Coupons may be redeemed on the day of the game outside of the athletics ticket office in the Convocation Center lobby. Additional tickets may be purchased for $12.00 at the athletics ticket office or by calling 1-800-575-CATS. It is requested that current members bring the Ohio Bobcat Club card to the event for pre-game access to the Rohr Room for a members-only reception.

A current Ohio Bobcat Club member is defined as anyone that has made a contribution of $100 or more to Ohio Athletics since May 1, 2006.

More information regarding the Ohio Bobcat Club can be found at www.ohiobobcats.com , or by calling the Ohio Bobcat Club at 740-593-1119.

Ohio Athletics Announces New Annual Giving Program

[Bold type emphasis inserted by SaveOUSports.Org]

Ohio Bobcat Club to serve as fundraising umbrella for all of Ohio Athletics

June 1, 2006

Ohio Bobcat Club Information

ATHENS, Ohio - Ohio University Athletics has announced the formation of the Ohio Bobcat Club, which will serve as the fundraising arm of Ohio Athletics. The club will supply a way for individuals to help provide Ohio student-athletes with quality educational and competitive opportunities.

"The goal of the Ohio Bobcat Club is to provide the resources enabling our 537 student-athletes to continue to pursue their academic and athletic aspirations," Director of Athletics Kirby Hocutt said. "The Ohio Bobcat Club provides a method for all Bobcats fans to support the overall student-athlete experience as we focus on establishing our athletics programs at the top of the Mid-American Conference."

All annual gifts to athletics -- Tower Club, Phillips Club, unrestricted support and sport-specific giving -- will now occur within the Ohio Bobcat Club. The levels of membership begin at $100 and increase up to $10,000. The new program includes eight levels of membership with varying benefits and the formation of a points system that will prioritize ticket purchasing and seat location privileges for all postseason events, bowl games, away games, conference tournaments and other special contests.

"Our alumni, and fans of Ohio Athletics have fully supported our new initiative, " Chris Delisio, Associate Athletic Director for Program Advancement and Executive Director of the Ohio Bobcat Club said. "We look forward to the continued growth of the Ohio Bobcat Club and its positive impact on all of Ohio Athletics.

More information regarding the Ohio Bobcat Club can be found at www.ohiobobcats.com, or by calling the Ohio Bobcat Club at 740-593-1119.

From "The Post Online" February 9, 2007

OU to absorb post-season costs

[Bold type emphasis inserted by SaveOUSports.Org]

Katie Carrera / Sports Editor / kc207604@ohiou.edu

The Ohio football team’s first trip to a bowl game in 38 years wasn’t planned, nor was it budgeted for.

After reimbursement payments from the Mid-American Conference and ticket revenue are factored in, Ohio University will pick up the remaining $277,550 tab from the Bobcats’ appearance in the MAC Championship and GMAC Bowl, paying for it out of institutional general reserves, said William Decatur, vice president for finance and administration.

“It’s one-time money,” he explained, adding that the same reserves were used to comply with the minimum wage increase. “It’s an opportunity that wasn’t anticipated or budgeted for in the athletic department, but certainly something the university is proud of and, there was no question about us attending those games.”

For winning the MAC East Division, coach Frank Solich received the 5 percent bonus — $12,484 — stipulated in his contract, which will come out of the athletic department’s salary budget, said Kirby Hocutt, director of athletics. Solich’s base salary is $249,672.

There are no contractual bonuses for assistant football coaches, but Hocutt said the athletic department received private donations amounting in $40,000 that is being used “to reward our football coaches for a great season.”

Ohio’s participation in the MAC Championship game in Detroit on Nov. 30, for which the conference doesn’t offer any reimbursement, makes up $95,000 of that total. That includes travel and lodging costs, along with the expense of housing the team while they practiced in Athens during winter break.

Total expenses to send the football team and its staff, cheerleaders, dance team and university officials to Mobile, Ala., for the GMAC Bowl on Jan. 7 came to $531,105. That number includes transportation ($237,644) and meals and lodging per diem ($198,001) for all 261 people who participated in the weeklong bowl-game festivities.

Some other GMAC Bowl expenses include entertainment ($7,124), equipment and supplies ($26,671), awards ($37,223) and promotion expenditures ($12,495).

Those expenditures are offset by the $300,000 reimbursement Ohio will receive from the MAC for its participation, and the revenue from 1,097 tickets sold, or $48,555.

Although Ohio did not make enough money to cover all bowl expenses, Hocutt said the national attention from post-season games is well worth the cost.

“I think you have to look at the intangibles that are associated with it,” Hocutt said. “We’ve been in USA Today every day with the bowl lineups, we’ve been on the scroll of ESPN every night in (December.) We’re exposing Ohio University to the entire country.”