THANK YOU John Turner!!!

Finally a parent inside one of our major programs saying whats needed to be said for several years.

While I aprreciate some of what Dr Yow has done - getting the AD budget under control, building many non-revenue sports, making a few wise coaching hires, etc. - the downside is that she has done what she's done at the expense of her two major revenue sports.

You cant treat football and men's basketball the same way you treat volleyball and competitive cheer. (no offense) At best she's a book keeper who has had nothing better than a tenuous relationship with RF and GW during her "reign". She's more concerned with "equality", making the state of Maryland and Dr Mote happy than being a true AD and giving her coaches what they need to succeed.

While all the problems the men's basketball and football programs have encountered are surely not Dr Yows fault - the responsibility is hers - not to balance the AD budget "fairly" but to give her two high profile revenue sports all the tools they need to be successful. Their success will increase attendance, increase game revenues, increase TC donations, and give her the funds to support her non-revenue sports.

She treats the womens basketball program (which I love and support) like its a revenue sport, and under her leadership watched both of her two revenue sports fall into several recent seasons of mediocrity.

Sure we have all these ACC titles and NC's during her years but with no disrespect meant to any Maryland sport, coach or student-athlete - which ones mean the most when it comes to raising money and paying bills? Quality football bowl games and paid for seats at home football and basketball games.

The many times I've met her she comes across in a very generic, non-offensive, cheer for the home team, plastic way. It feels like a scripted role, no real passion or meaningful communication with the University's general fanbase. Sure she hobknobs with her major contributors and suite owners but hey - spend a little quality time with the little people who collectively support the TC and athletic programs.

Give me an AD who's willing to be a leader and take risks on behalf of thier programs and give coaches what they need to succeeed.

Her most recent questionable decision to guarantee the $1mil "Coach in waiting" agreement with James Franklin. Hopefully it turns out to be a wise investment but please look at the man's resume and accomplishments and tell me what warranted such a guarantee? If he is capable then give him the recruiting and other essential program budget necessary to win and compete at the level we claim to aspire to.

I agree with John Turner.

Time for Yow to go.

JT, you're a martyr for and a hero to us all!

Don't personally know any of the principal actors engaged in this passion play (and last spoke to Coach when he was Ross' OL coach and taking the line out to warm up before the Cherry Bowl victory over Syracuse in Detroit), but it does take me back to a simplier and happy time when UM had a QB from Madison, NJ, Neil O'Donnell. Neil came from a great family, lead by Daddy Jack, who instilled in Neil a work ethic and love of life generally and sports in particular. No matter where Neil was on the depth chart or how he was playing, Jack wrote his check to the Terrapin Club and was 100% supportive of the program, never engaging in what we jokingly tagged "the tennis mom syndrome".

So, not going to pass judgment here on Turner's Dad versus the AD, and instead will only say how I have come to more fully appreciate just what Neil O'Donnell and his family brought to a Terrapin Family of another time and place. RIP, Jack.

I couldn't agree more that Yow has served her time and perhaps even completed her mission. I ask you however,Ms. Yow do you really feel that it has been in anyone's best interest for you to have allowed the appearance of administrative undermining to be the most single enduring memory of your reign?

Oh man.

How could John Turner possibly think this was a good idea? Chris has got to be hating this story right now.

jeff, did you ask turner what he thought was specifically wrong with yow and what things needed to be corrected?
----FROM JEFF----
His comments included in the story were all that he wanted to say.

Regardless of what we need to do with Debbie Yow, a step in the right direction for this program would be to bench his son. I don't understand why so many people give him a free pass. He has never done anything to deserve one.

People seem to be taking it easy on him because the rest of the team is so inexperienced, but Turner couldn't lead the veteran team last year either. What good is beating top twenty five teams (last year) if you can't win the ones you are supposed to. He had all the weapons on that team last year:a stud WR, all ACC RB, veteran O-line, and he still couldn't get it done. The performance against Florida State (among others) was inexcusable.

Turner, at best, is a mediocre QB. He doesn't have what it takes to put this team on his back, which a QB needs to be able to do from time to time. I understand that he might be the most experienced QB on the roster, but all that has given us is a 2-5 record. Put the young QB's out there and let them learn for the rest of the year.

Last time a checked, Yow isn't the one out their throwing interceptions.

Yeah can't really argue with Mr. Turner, Maryland has a serious recruiting problem and a change in AD would be for the best. As for those criticizing Chris Turner, look he hasn't been great but he emerged because Jordan Steffy couldn't do anything!!! Ralph hyped up Steffy and all he did was get hurt and play ineffectively, Turner did nothing spectacular except move the ball better that's why they went with him and yet Ralph still tried to get Steffy out there. Like I said, he's not a great QB but he's been an adequate QB with a crappy O-line.

Um, as far as treating all programs the same in terms of funds etc...Um, it's the law, Title IX. Yow does not recruit. And even if she was taking money from the programs in question, basketball and football, that would not prevent those programs from recruiting within driving distance. Yet, in both sports all of the top area players go elsewhere.

It wasn't Yow's fault Gary got wated and had his picture all over the internet partying with co-eds. You don't think that affects recruiting? Plus, Gary doesn't even do his own recruiting. If Mike K. walks into your living room and Gary sends Keith Booth, where would you want to send you son?

If there is any blame to placed on Yow it should be that she is holding on to these coaches too long. Their time has passed.

Drew Miller --

Put down your hash pipe please. 1st title nine has nothing to do with funding football and basketball operationally -- it has everything to do with balancing scholarships between men and women. Football and baskletball are revenue sports the rest are expense sports -- meaning it costs more to field them than they bring in.

As far as Gary's recruiting you are clueless -- have you seen the top 10 ranked class this year. Do you have any idea how much gary traveled this summer and to where? How many in home visits he had this fall and to where?

You clearly have an agenda with little knowledge to back it up.

you people who want to get rid of Yow are wrong. Yow doesn't coach; she doesn't recruit. She only saved MD Athletics from bankruptcy and built a program with some of the best facilities in the ACC! Yes, she had to balance the books this year by cutting costs in Football and Men's Basketball (and all of the other sports, too). So what? The AD doesn't have to get along with the coaches as long as they can work together.
I think the last thing President Mote is going to do is force Debbie Yow to resign. Or would you rather a situation like what's going on now at Florida State. John Turner needs to shut up!

I found most of the comments to be so far off base that I am forced to respond. I would particularly be interested in Marcus explaining what an AD has to do with recruiting. I have been around the program since the 1970's and have seen what the past AD failures have cost us, including Bobby Ross leaving. Fridge has been given so much by Dr. Yow and this includes upgrades to the Team House, Byrd, and the practice fields. Coaching staff pay went up significantly when Fridge came in. He himself has admitted that she has been very good to him. The failure of this program falls directly on Ralph. He has done nothing with his own recruiting and has had failure after failure in coaching hires since Taffee and Blackney left. (Check as to the real reasons they are gone). Ask yourself why he has had to use walk-ons in the "O" line and why they frequently call timeouts for too many or too few players on the field. Why does it take years for a QB to learn the playbook when programs at Florida and southern Cal can start Freshman. Dr. Yow has nothing to do with any of that while Fridge has everything to do with it. You may also want to ask coaches in Montgomery and PG Counties about their view of Ralph after the first few years here. Let me just say it is not real positive for the most part. His "throwing players under the bus" act after his failures during games has not impressed many people. Dr. Yow is the best thing that has happened to this program and will be here long after John Turner crawls back under his rock.

Turner dad doesn't have a clue about what he is saying.Nobody seems to remember a coach named BOBBY ROSS who coached circles around ralph. When bobby was here he begged for upgrades to the stadium, upgrades to the pratice facility, and he got crap. That is why he left and why he won a national championship with Ga Tech. There is no doubt if bobby ross would have stayed at Md he would have had this team in the top 15 every year.

How in the world does changing ADs help football recruiting? You think a 16 year old kid knows who the AD is?

There's a lot of collective amnesia about what Yow has done for this program. Apparently, many have forgotten the debt she inherited from her predecessor that she got off the books. She's hired world class coaches for sports - look at mens' soccer and Kerry McCoy for wrestling. No one in NCAA wrestling thought UMd could land McCoy, but she did.

There are more sports at UMd than football - and she's helped almost everyone of them achieve greater levels of success than they had before she came her. The FB coach can't recruit, and we're blaming her? The mens' BB coach wants a kid that can barely read and has a rap sheet as long as his arms and she's the bad guy for having some minimum standards for admissions to the state university?

Yow is the least of the problems with Maryland atheltics.

For some parents, it always someone's fault when their kids do not perform as good as anticipated in school. Before, it is the teacher. Nowadays, it is the principal.

By the way, now we all know how Ralph got his 31 wins in his first three years. It's all about Shaun and Scott, two transferees who’s career at MD was too short to be polluted by the offense genius’s play “phonebook,” yes, just a phonebook.

Wasn't Yow responsible for signing off on James Franklin, barely tested as an offensive coordinator (and hardly impressive in his first season in 2008) and completely untested as a head coach, as head-coach-in-waiting? Wasn't Yow considering sacking Gary Williams, one of the greatest college basketball coaches currently in the game? Wasn't Yow responsible in hiring Dave Cottle as lacrosse coach? Yes, all signs point to yes, and yes.

C.D. Mote: Fire Yow. Thanks for all you've done Debby, but it's about that time. I agree with John Turner.

Yow gave Franklin that $1 million cash deal because Ralph wanted it that way, he's Franklin's biggest advocate and considers himself his mentor, so don't get the facts twisted. She's trusting in Ralph and has trusted in him big time. Her mistake is that she's put too much trust in him...Terps67's comments are the truth!

Ralph is also the reason "Rock-n-Roll Part 2" isn't played at any Maryland sporting events anymore, because Ralph wanted it gone, while Gary wanted it to stay in Comcast, and guess who Yow listened too...yeah, Ralph...talk about a major diss to Gary! Since when does a football coach influence what happens in the basketball arena? Ralph needs to go, the state of the football program is ALL his doing, not Yow's.

Does Mr. Turner know anything about balancing a budget for 27 NCAA programs? Even though I'm not YOWS #1 fan, after the whole GW bashing from last year I still respect her.
She got the budget balanced,after millions in the RED, COMCAST CENTRE was built,all kinds of renovations to the broken down "BRYD",and a very nice lady when I meet her in ATL,JAX,and numeruos TERRAPIN CLUB outings.
Maybe Mr. Turner could perform a couple of "DRUM SOLO'S: to raise some money for THE PROGRAM. I'm sure that would bring alot in. Or maybe just simply signing a check,and be supportive like the O'DONNELS,then go to the garage and pound two pieces of "WOOD" toghethere,to take out his frustrations.
What a joke!!!

Anonymous,

I think you confused Yow with who the AD-in-waiting was (or at least she think she was). Yow basically showed up in Gary's conference last year amid Gary's confrontation with AD department's lower ranked staff to support her coach, even when Gary's team appeared to be toward to NIT again.

Be careful of what you wish for, you might get the AD-in-waiting instead.

recap: 5 say fire you, 7 say fire ralph and 3 didnt really say. so, looks like the opinions are pretty even. i graduated from md in mid-70's. interesting to read one of the books about the history of md sports...fball and bball. great tradition. tho i like what ralph brings to the table, something is badly missing. great facilities, coaches well paid....bad results. i would say the same about the bball program....until this years recruiting class seems to be shaping up. the diff is that gary (finally) got out and recruited...and the results seem great. i dont know ralphs involvement in recruiting...does he hand it off for others to do or he is actively involved? if not, learn a lesson from gary and get out of the comfy office and get on the road. bottom line .... ralph has to change or go.
just what we need ... another head coach change....reminds me of another fball team in the dc area

Speaking for the business angle which Yow represents any clue as to how well GW has coached and the mere mention of his NC bring out the clever curses from hicks who think a guy who won once is a great coach. All that talk about X and O has to come to a screeching halt. What is he to you? More than friend. Let's talk business since the highlight reel has already played on the obvious recruiting aspects here. As for Lance it may be that GW was told to back off and let's face it a one and done is not MD's style because what do you do the next year if all you get is one of these future NBA players every decade. The story in the paper about MD's budget cut is ruthless. The bball team was cut 3%. The entire budget was cut 10%. Second when a budget stipulates that the team cost $4.4 million it says that it doesn't make a profit. Oh, yes it does bring in money Mr. Wall Street but it doesn't earn money after expenses. The house that sits there called Comcast has something called a commercial mortgage. That's a 75 million dollar pile of rock that cost TAXPAYERS dough for the next 50 freaking years. Don't come crying about poor old GW who hauls down a seven figure salary. What is he your bosom buddy for goodness sakes. When he's gone and who cares how long he stays no one but the local hicks will give a darn.

As for the recruits now and next year. All I can say is finally. But GW said he'll win every home game. Let's see. He himself said he doesn't bother to recruit. Maybe he learned he's not a warm kinda guy and doesn't shine with youngsters. Maybe, maybe maybe. He doesn't recruit and certainly it's not the AD's fault. She is an administrator, a senior executive. Do you think the CEO of Comcast knows who the project manager is? I'll tell you who knows what goes on at the bottom line here in CP, the state legislature and the governors office. They are the ones cutting budgets. Idiots. I've had all I can listen to from local hicks with no brains.

Terps95,

If what you say is true, then the head of the athletics department doesn't have the backbone to stand up to one of her subordinates... and you use this as a reason she should KEEP her job? Obviously, Ralph does not have the authority to grant Franklin his contract as HCIW, so that means that, ultimately, Yow did it. Whether she did it of her own initiative or at the behest of Friedgen respectively means either (1) she is stupid and shortsighted or (2) she is spineless and not competent to hold that level of responsibility. So take your pick, and fire her for that reason.

CHL,

I said "all signs point to" Yow wanting to fire Williams, and it is not a big secret that the two don't get along. Yow basically waited until the last second to respond and she had to either come out for or against Williams. If she had come out against him at that point, she probably WOULD be looking for a new job right now.

KraftPaper,

You write with the coherence and eloquence of a GED dropout, so it's a little ironic that you attempt to insult others' intelligence.

"How in the world does changing ADs help football recruiting? You think a 16 year old kid knows who the AD is?

Tyree Evans does."

@ Anonymous:

I see you're passionate about the Terps as am I, so don't get stupid on me. You know darn well I did not use my comments as a reason to justify Yow KEEPING her job after she dissed Gary and signed Franklin as CIW for a mill. I stated that she's put too much trust in Ralph and has made some really dumb decisions based on that, which clearly, she's responsible for (and may pay for in the future).

However, regardless of what dumb things Yow may have done as a result of her trust in Ralph, I pointed to the fact that he's been the problem with the football program. He's been given full control and full support since he got here, and he's been responsible for creating this football program mess that started years ago, not the AD.

SOMEONE wrote BOBBY ROSS begged for upgrades and got crap- who was in charge then and who does BOBBY ROSS work for now???

John Turner clearly raised a heated debate- someone needs to change something.... the players are out there doing their job so whoever is picking on the players needs to shut the front door!
So many mistakes, so many injuries, so little experienced players to back the QB. Chris is always the blame guy- last year it was injuries and THANK GOD for Turner- this year its young kids and THANK GOD for Turner. Thank god our terps are hanging with us negative fans.
Basically in my opinion, Turner is wanting support for all the players not just his own. And for cryin out loud- Did you know Turner is a computer guy not a rock n roll guy. Give it up ignorant people who dont know what they are talking about- How about each of you go to the next game, and bring at least $100.00 bring a big GO TERP Sign and Bring some positive team support. Ive watched you since game one- ready to roll on the kids, roll on the team so easy when you are not on the field isnt it???!
GO TURNER GO TERPS
Every one else get down on your knees and pray for these kids. HOLD YOUR HANDS TOGETHER OVER YOUR MOUTHS pointed up and pray for a good game and a healthy game- COme on all you big mouths out there- SO SOME SPIRIT! THEN beat down the doors FOR the CHANGE you all have been wanting! TODAY get out there and support the TERPS! Including the parents of our TEAM!
Go Terps!