Cougarkitty, (10/5/2008 9:29:49 AM)

Wow, that is a pretty one sided article. Everyone knows that Coach K was planning to leave a year before and that would have made Graham heir apparent. When that didn't happen Graham left for Rice to get some head coaching experience. At Rice Graham convinced some pretty deep pockets in the financial community to invest in Rice athletic facilities. That he would be there for a long time and build that program. I just find it convenient that he is happy with his contract until the Tulsa job comes open and then he wants to renegotiate. And surprising enough, he convinces Rice that he isn't going anywhere and they need to lower the buy out clause. I think he deserved everything he got from the MOB. I live in Tulsa and I love Tulsa, but that half time show was funny.

Idon'thateverything, (10/5/2008 11:22:11 AM)

Shame on Graham for getting people excited about Rice football, getting million donated to upgrade the facilities and for taking your pathetic program to its first bowl game in a 1000 years.

timbertoes, (10/5/2008 1:09:39 PM)

I agree with "Cougarkitty" (comment above) that this article is one-sided. Very one-sided and written by someone who has obviously not done proper research. To state that the Rice Ath. Dept. and the Administration Dept. "let Graham go" without protecting their interests, thusly acting in a "naive" business manner, is a gross misrepresentation of the truth. If the author had properly done his homework before writing this ridiculous article he would had to have reported the facts quite differently. It is very common knowledge within the Rice community and, I believe, throughout the entire Houston football area, that Graham is a slick operator who got by with a fast one in his strategically planned exit from Rice by having already made deals with Tulsa before "rearranging" his meticulosly-designed exit from Rice. I won't go into any details herein.

Further, the biggest issue, which wasn't mentioned in the article, is that, despite producing great results in the Wins column for Rice football, making a lot of Rice supporters happy with a bowl appearance, NO ONE in Houston was sad to see him leave. Most importantly, the players themselves were glad to see him leave. Rice was in the process of losing about a dozen players if he had returned a second year! What does that tell you? What Price Glory? Thank Goodness the Rice Ath. Dept. and Administration put moral values above the dollar marks and put player/student development above bowl appearances. Rice supporters are quite satisfied with their present coach and staff (and the MOB).

The Observer, Broken Arrow, (10/5/2008 2:14:19 PM)

Oh come on, you rice cakes, suck it up and deal with it! Head coaches in every sport make and break contracts everyday. Had your whiny players left, Graham would simply have found and/or developed those who stayed and continued winning. I agree with Trammel, Rice didn't want him badly enough, or the won/lost columns might have been reversed.

theBeard, (10/5/2008 2:53:27 PM)

uhm...who cares? it's a game people.

Tbone, (10/5/2008 2:54:52 PM)

Between the men’s basketball and football programs the Tulsa athletic department has taken quit a few shots to the mid-section over the past 10 to 15 years. I don't think they owe anyone an apology for going after the people they feel they need at this time.

Remember the when the big TV contracts are up in a few years the conference square dance will begin. Look for the Mountain West to chase UTEP, Boise State and Fresno State. Look for the ACC or Big east to court Memphis and ECU. I’m not sure where Tulsa and the rest of the Texas Schools will land, but Tulsa has been proactive in getting facilities for all sports in place to show off to other conference officials. They need to make sure they have the best coaches and athletes available when the other leagues start calling for a visit.

Any predictions on what will happen to Tulsa and Conf USA?

Tulsa World Sports Writer Jimmie Tramel, Catoosa (10/5/2008 5:09:26 PM)

Of course the article is one-sided. It's an opinion column and therefore has to include no other opinion, right or wrong, except my own. And, from what I know, Rice didn't try near hard enough to keep Graham around.

ok sooner, (10/5/2008 8:30:13 PM)

no one talked about schools breaking contracts all the time. coaches better make the money when they can. i remember when dave raider was winning games. then TU cut the program's budget and dave was looking for a job.

very good article Jimmie

Jim Shorts, Tulsa (10/5/2008 11:38:34 PM)

Excellent column. Rice fans are just bitter, and the MOB is a bunch of wantabees. That halftime show disgraced their school and made them look like a bunch of whiners and sore losers. That is something a high school band would have done. The author of this column is a darn good journalist and always does his research...but as he said, this was opinion.

louisIV, Chicago (10/9/2008 1:59:52 AM)

Yeah, the Rice band isn't really known for it's humility or tact. Wasn't it the MOB that made fun of the Marshall plane crash tragedy by making the formation of an airplane during halftime and then marched down to the end of the field and made it look like they were crashing into the side of a mountain? That's neither clever, nor humorous...that's just plain low class and pathetic.

Vootie, (10/9/2008 10:52:50 AM)

Hey, louisIV,
Wow. I don't know where you heard that one, but it's absolutely wrong.

As for Graham, when he talked up his association with Rice and stated his desire to stay for years to come, then left for Tulsa within a day or two, he forfeited any claim of honest Texas heritage or common decency. He gave his word then weaseled out on it, and that puts him in the same category as Bobby Petrino and Nick Saban.

ialf_lives, (11/10/2008 1:57:48 PM)

I was at that game in Houston and the halftime show was the funniest thing I have seen from the M.O.B. But the funniest part of the show was when the M.O.B. was talking about how at the lowest point in Hell that there was a sign that read "Welcome to Tulsa" and all the Tulsa fans cheered to the top of their lungs. It was beautiful. They were just so oblivious to what had just been said.

Regarding, Todd Graham. Good riddance. The man conned people all over Houston including the good people of Second Baptist Church into making long term commitments to the athletic program at Rice. Did your reporter bother to ask Dr. Ed Young what he thought of Todd Graham? Of course, Dr. Ed Young is probably too much of a gentleman to tell to us what he really thinks.

Also, Rice's mistake was not in letting Graham go. It was in hiring him in the first place. They should have figured out TG's level of commitment based on his lack of personal commitments to his "how many" wives.

The NCAA should look into the Tulsa program since TG has been there. I am guessing that his level of compliance with the rules would be consistent with those he had before he was fired as head coach at Allen High School and those that he exercised elsewhere.

To say that he is a conman, cheat, adulterer, and a fraud, etc. would be to disparage other conmen, cheats, adulterers, and frauds around the world. 9th level of Hell was right on target.