Quotes from Tulane Athletics Press Conference
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June 10, 2003
NEW ORLEANS, La. - Following a University press conference in which the Board of Tulane voted unanimously to keep Tulane Athletics at its current Division IA level, Tulane Director of Athletics Rick Dickson and head football coach Chris Scelfo addressed the media and fans at the James W. Wilson Center, headquarters of the Tulane Department of Athletics.
General Quotes from Director of Athletics Rick Dickson
"Well, I guess I can truly say it has been a pretty good day. I want to thank all of our staff, student-athletes, coaches, certainly all of our fans, supporters and alums and students and everybody that has been part of this amazing ground swell. I think back to three years ago, when for us this all started and I had hopes that, first, this was a program that we could build in the right way, but secondly, that we could develop a level of support that is really necessary to compete in the arena that we aspire to compete in. I can tell you today that it's come full circle. Our work's not done by any means, we may take a short pause, but we'll come back and go at it just as hard."
"To our student-athletes and coaches and staff, I know what I have been through for the last couple of months, but I don't know if anyone truly appreciates what they had to go through. At least I was in a role or position where I could do something. Sometimes when you have a clear vision and a desire to get there, that's a pretty clear direction, so in some sense, maybe I had the easier role. But for them who did not have a clear direction because of the uncertainty. They had to believe and trust and have confidence and faith that the right result would come. Sometimes those are more difficult positions, so my hat goes off to all of them."
"For any student-athlete here, who at any time may have questioned their choice, was this a good choice? To any coach of staff person that may have questioned that choice; to any future student-athlete out there, we are a much better choice. We were a good choice before; today, we are a much better choice, a much stronger choice; and one that you opt to have at the top of your list."
"I did not realize that gorilla weighed that much; not that it is a little bit off of my back, I can tell you it was pretty heavy."
"Again, to all of you, thanks for hanging in there with us. To Brenda and the kids, I think I said this to somebody today, for two months, I have been a terrible husband and father, so thanks for hanging in there with me."
In regards to potential league changes and re-alignment:
"Like I would mention to any prospective recruit, if we were worthy of consideration before, we are stronger as we stand here today."
General Quotes from football coach Chris Scelfo
"From a head coaching standpoint, I think everything here has been well-documented on what Rick has done, not only for our athletic department, but over the last 30 days for our football program. He has given us an opportunity to continue the way we have been. I think the progress that has been made here has been tremendous since four years ago when I stood in this same place, talked about what we had to build here, what I wanted to build, a solid foundation for a program we can all be proud of, from graduating our players to maintaining high gpa's to winning some games along the way. I think we've gotten to that point."
"Where we are now, is with the support we have been asking for, we've been begging for. We have needed it."
"I want to clarify something. I have been asked over the last couple days by many people, how I feel about Scott Cowen; am I pissed off that we had to go through all of this. Let me tell you all about Scott Cowen. He had a job to do for this university. I did not understand what that job was, I still don't know; they don't understand the job I have, with my student-athletes and my staff, so we're on neutral ground there. But I can tell you this, last year, Sunday morning at 8 o'clock, after Army beat us Saturday night, my phone rings, it's Scott Cowen. I look at my wife Christmas-eve night [in Hawaii] and he's there. That's genuine. I have heard a lot of people say rumor this and rumor that and conspiracy and all that, but I know this, Scott Cowen is a believer in Tulane athletics. I want to get that on the record from my standpoint. I know what Scott Cowen stands for; he had a job to do, just like Sept. 1, we have a job to do."
"I can assure you I am committed to this program, the same way I was four years ago, when I stood up here. I am as committed as I have ever been and I have never wavered. I have the utmost respect and belief in my athletic director, but what he needs is all of you to come out and continue to support us."
"I know from a football program standpoint, we have a lot of ground to make up, I understand that. I understand what hurdles we have; I am here to assure you today, we're going to overcome them. There is an old saying that if you have a hangnail in recruiting, they will use it against you. Rick talked about that gorilla, I know where it is now, Rick, trust me."
"My staff and my self and our players, which have yet to waver, you heard from my quarterback [J.P. Losman] last week, have yet to waver. And we're not going to waver. We face this controversy every Saturday. I told somebody the other day, we only have 25 seconds to make a decision. That board had three months, or six months, or a year."
"Guess what? We stopped them on the one, and now we have to go 99 the other way. But we can not do it without the support that has come from within this program, this community and outside it."
"We will continue to do the things that were asked of us four and half years ago, and that is to continue to be a great front porch for this university."
In regards to the program being set back:
"I did not say the program was set back, I said we have to overcome this perception. We have a lot of ground to make up. We just came off of spring recruiting. We didn't recruit, we defended, and that is ground we have to make up now."
Is there any way that this could actually help?
"I think Rick hit the nail on the head. It was a great place before and now it's even better."
