By now you've heard the tom-tom's beat out the news: Thomas Kent Wetherell will be retiring this week as FSU's Prez and part-time A.D. (according to well-placed sources).
Maybe T.K. is tired of the verbal rotten tomatoes coming from all sides. Some deserved, some not.
Whatever. It's time to wipe the slate clean and find a President who can do for the school what Bobby Bowden once did for the football program. Not just a leader, a miracle worker who'll take Florida State to new heights at the lowest moment in its history. Overcoming budget shortfalls and program cuts in a university system trying to stretch too few tax dollars over too many schools.
Think it's painful for the Noles to rank behind other ACC schools and the reptiles in sports polls? Check out U.S. News and World Report's 2009 rankings of public universities.
We're number 50. Not a cheer you'll hear any student or alum shout at a pep rally. And does it make your teeth hurt to see who's ranked above FSU? UF #17, Maryland #18, Clemson tied for #22 (not a typo), Va. Tech tied for #30, and N.C. State tied for #37.
Truth is, Clemson's #22 because they believe those rankings count -- driving enrollments, helping raise money and attract blue chip faculty. So maybe FSU needs a Prez like this guy. He knows how to play the game and shoot for the top.
We're really number 102. Peruse the magazine's rankings of public and private universities. It's enough to make you choke on your Lucky Charms. Duke, Wake and B.C. are in the top 30. Miami (grrr) is #51 on that list. In fact, FSU ranks last among all ACC schools.
So nothing much is riding on T.K.'s successor. Just the future of your alma mater and the value of your diploma.
T.K. was the Jerry Jones of college football, but...For all his micro-managing of the football program and the chiro school charade, he deserves credit for a few things. Not the least of which is how he went for the NCAA's throat when they tried to knock Chief Osceola off his horse. If it weren't for Wetherell's stout defense of everything Seminole, we might be cheering the FSU Fighting Sea Turtles this fall.
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