If I could chat with Tom I would tell him.....

[MadTown Hawk]

I would first tell him “thank you” for his great Hawkeye wrestling and coaching careers. Then I would give him some advice. This advice would not be about wrestler development or recruitment. I grew up as a very mediocre wrestler in rural Iowa. Tom knows more about wrestling in his little pinky finger than I do. However, I would give him advice about being the CEO of a high performing team or organization. I am the CEO of a large organization with over a 100 locations and 10,000 employees. I don’t tell you that last fact to brag. I tell you that because I do know something about organizational leadership and performance. If Tom can improve, it is in the CEO category of his job. Here is what I would tell him:

1) Define the culture. Culture is the most overused word but also the most overlooked when developing a team or organization. In the the short term fantastic athletes or a great idea in the business industry can beat a team/organization with a great culture. But, over time, it is the culture that creates a durable high performing organization. Having a great culture is not organic and does not happen on its own. The leader must be very intentional about setting core values, which lead to the culture. Then the leader must “walk the talk” every day.

I am not close to the wrestling room, but the Hawkeye wrestling culture is not clear to me. If I had to guess, I would define it as “hard work and intensity”? Certainly not bad values, but is that the culture that will attract new recruits? Is that the culture that will promote success over time? I sometimes think our wrestlers are actually too intense about winning and at times tentative because of it. I will never forget Gilman dropped a quote his senior year about “he wrestles everyone like they are trying to take his livliehood away”. We all celebrated the intensity on this board. But, when a 20 year old kid thinks like that they are likely to show up at nationals tighter than a drum. I think that is what happened. Anyway, Tom needs to clearly define the culture through core values, constantly talk about those values, put those values up in the room and on TShirts, and then be consistent with those values over time. I think Spencer Lee in many ways empitomizes the culture that we want. But, you can’t let a specific team member define the culture because team members come and go. The cultural clarity has to come from Tom.

By the way, as much as I hate to admit this, Cael has done a masterful job at this and I think this is the real difference between PSU and other programs right now.

2) Keep the past relevant. The biggest asset of the Hawkeye wrestling program is its past. Right now freshman high school wrestlers never saw Dan Gable wrestle or coach, never saw Tom Brands wrestle, and probably don’t even remember the Hawks ever winning a team national championship. We need to keep telling the history of the program and get great Hawks of the past front and center of the program. I spit up my coffee the other day when I saw a video on social media with several Hawkeye wrestling greats talking about Dresser being the guy to transform ISU wrestling. ISU is now leveraging our past! I’d get Lincoln and all of our other greats up in front of fans, recruits and on social media as often as possible.

3) We need a special event. I honestly feel like we waste the beginning of our schedule every year. We have the best facility and best fan base in the country. We could create an event that is like August and the Masters to the PGA tour. Create something big. Invite the best 3 non Big10 teams every season to a duals event. Make a big deal about it. Bring back past great Hawkeye wrestlers for the event (see point 2 above). Bring recruits to the event. Make the event so special that every wrestling team wants to be a part of it. I think this event could attract ESPN coverage. I know Tom’s philosophy is to ease his wrestlers into the season, but I think the upside is just too tremendous.

4) Be prepared for public speaking. Okay, this gets a bit more critical. I think we all love the brutal honesty of how Tom Brands gives interviews. But, this sometimes leads to rambling, no clear message, and he looks unprepared. For a guy that is hyper prepared for everything in his life, he obviously gives no prep to public speaking. You can’t just say “our guys need to wrestler harder” and then ramble on after every meet. The blue chip wrestling recruits are different today. Unfortunately, many of them come from wealthier families that can afford to put them in wrestling clubs and fly them around the world for wrestling events. Those recruits and their families watch all of these coaching sound bites on FLO and YouTube to evaluate the coaches. While I encourage Tom to keep his honesty, I would also encourage him to whenever possible talk about the Hawkeye culture (see point 1 above) and have some key bullet points or themes that he wants to get across to recruits. As much as I really don’t like Tom Ryan, he is the master at this. He never wastes a public speaking opportunity. And, whether we like it or not, we are a sound bite world now. My kids watch hours of 6 minute YouTube videos. You have a short window to touch these kids and you can’t waste it.

I’ve got a long list of other ideas, but my fingers are getting sore and I am sure you are getting tired of reading this. All just my $.02. I may be way off. I am proud of Tom, our current wrestlers, and our fantastic history. I am proud to be a UI alum. All of this is meant to be constructive feedback and not negative criticism.

 

[texas twister]

Much different than I thought it would be. Great ideas in there.

 

[IAChief32]

I would first tell him “thank you” for his great Hawkeye wrestling and coaching careers. Then I would give him some advice. This advice would not be about wrestler development or recruitment. I grew up as a very mediocre wrestler in rural Iowa. Tom knows more about wrestling in his little pinky finger than I do. However, I would give him advice about being the CEO of a high performing team or organization. I am the CEO of a large organization with over a 100 locations and 10,000 employees. I don’t tell you that last fact to brag. I tell you that because I do know something about organizational leadership and performance. If Tom can improve, it is in the CEO category of his job. Here is what I would tell him:

1) Define the culture. Culture is the most overused word but also the most overlooked when developing a team or organization. In the the short term fantastic athletes or a great idea in the business industry can beat a team/organization with a great culture. But, over time, it is the culture that creates a durable high performing organization. Having a great culture is not organic and does not happen on its own. The leader must be very intentional about setting core values, which lead to the culture. Then the leader must “walk the talk” every day.

I am not close to the wrestling room, but the Hawkeye wrestling culture is not clear to me. If I had to guess, I would define it as “hard work and intensity”? Certainly not bad values, but is that the culture that will attract new recruits? Is that the culture that will promote success over time? I sometimes think our wrestlers are actually too intense about winning and at times tentative because of it. I will never forget Gilman dropped a quote his senior year about “he wrestles everyone like they are trying to take his livliehood away”. We all celebrated the intensity on this board. But, when a 20 year old kid thinks like that they are likely to show up at nationals tighter than a drum. I think that is what happened. Anyway, Tom needs to clearly define the culture through core values, constantly talk about those values, put those values up in the room and on TShirts, and then be consistent with those values over time. I think Spencer Lee in many ways empitomizes the culture that we want. But, you can’t let a specific team member define the culture because team members come and go. The cultural clarity has to come from Tom.

By the way, as much as I hate to admit this, Cael has done a masterful job at this and I think this is the real difference between PSU and other programs right now.

2) Keep the past relevant. The biggest asset of the Hawkeye wrestling program is its past. Right now high freshman high school wrestlers never saw Dan Gable wrestle or coach, never saw Tom Brands wrestle, and probably don’t even remember the Hawks ever winning a team national championship. We need to keep telling the history of the program and get great Hawks of the past front and center of the program. I spit up my coffee the other day when I saw a video on social media with several Hawkeye wrestling greats talking about Dresser being the guy to transform ISU wrestling. ISU is now leveraging our past! I’d get Lincoln and all of our other greats up in front of fans, recruits and on social media as often as possible.

3) We need a marquis event. I honestly feel like we waste the beginning of our schedule every year. We have the best facility and best fan base in the country. We could create an event that is like August and the Masters to the PGA tour. Create something big. Invite the best 3 non Big10 teams every season to a duals event. Make a big deal about it. Bring back past great Hawkeye wrestlers for the event (see point 2 above). Bring recruits to the event. Make the event so special that every wrestling team wants to be a part of it. I think this event could attract ESPN coverage. I know Tom’s philosophy is to ease his wrestlers into the season, but I think the upside is just too tremendous.

4) Be prepared for public speaking. Okay, this gets a bit more critical. I think we all love the brutal honesty of how Tom Brands gives interviews. But, this sometimes leads to rambling, no clear message, and he looks unprepared. For a guy that is hyper prepared for everything in his life, he obviously gives no prep to public speaking. You can’t just say “our guys need to wrestler harder” and then ramble on after every meet. The blue chip wrestling recruits are different today. Unfortunately, many of them come from wealthier families that can afford to put them in wrestling clubs and fly them around the world for wrestling events. Those recruits and their families watch all of these coaching sound bites on FLO and YouTube to evaluate the coaches. While I encourage Tom to keep his honesty, I would also encourage him to whenever possible talk about the Hawkeye culture (see point 1 above) and have some key bullet points or themes that he wants to get across to recruits. As much as I really don’t like Tom Ryan, he is the master at this. He never wastes a public speaking opportunity. And, whether we like it or not, we are a sound bit world now. My kids watch hours of 6 minute YouTube videos. You have a short window to touch these kids and you can’t waste it.

I’ve got a long list of other ideas, but my fingers are getting sore and I am sure you are getting tired of reading this. All just my $.02. I may be way off. I am proud of Tom, our current wrestlers, and our fantastic history. I am proud to be a UI alum. All of this is meant to be constructive feedback and not negative criticism.

I am not buddies with Tom or anybody else on staff but I know them to be very receptive to input from outside the organization. Shoot me an email at azchief32@mac.com

 

[choosenuetral]

Gobblin aka spooner is wrapping up breakfast at the Blue Bird and will be here shortly to steal the toy from your box of cracker jacks. Just kidding.

Top level sports are much like large companies in complexity and culture. That’s why many ADs have some biz experience. I think a critical part is evolving with the culture and the sport. Athletes are very different humans now than when TNT wrestled. I think Gable did a great job modifying his communication and input to various styles of kids. TNT are different and I think much better coaches than they were when they each arrived in IC. Always room for improvement and growth and the OP made some good suggestions

 

[JohnBasedow]

Good perspective. Thanks for posting.

 

[KujawaFan]

Wow. I want to digest and respond. Like the thoughts from 30k level looking. Great thoughts. May not agree with all but awesome input.

 

[WildTurk]

I would first tell him “thank you” for his great Hawkeye wrestling and coaching careers. Then I would give him some advice. This advice would not be about wrestler development or recruitment. I grew up as a very mediocre wrestler in rural Iowa. Tom knows more about wrestling in his little pinky finger than I do. However, I would give him advice about being the CEO of a high performing team or organization. I am the CEO of a large organization with over a 100 locations and 10,000 employees. I don’t tell you that last fact to brag. I tell you that because I do know something about organizational leadership and performance. If Tom can improve, it is in the CEO category of his job. Here is what I would tell him:

1) Define the culture. Culture is the most overused word but also the most overlooked when developing a team or organization. In the the short term fantastic athletes or a great idea in the business industry can beat a team/organization with a great culture. But, over time, it is the culture that creates a durable high performing organization. Having a great culture is not organic and does not happen on its own. The leader must be very intentional about setting core values, which lead to the culture. Then the leader must “walk the talk” every day.

I am not close to the wrestling room, but the Hawkeye wrestling culture is not clear to me. If I had to guess, I would define it as “hard work and intensity”? Certainly not bad values, but is that the culture that will attract new recruits? Is that the culture that will promote success over time? I sometimes think our wrestlers are actually too intense about winning and at times tentative because of it. I will never forget Gilman dropped a quote his senior year about “he wrestles everyone like they are trying to take his livliehood away”. We all celebrated the intensity on this board. But, when a 20 year old kid thinks like that they are likely to show up at nationals tighter than a drum. I think that is what happened. Anyway, Tom needs to clearly define the culture through core values, constantly talk about those values, put those values up in the room and on TShirts, and then be consistent with those values over time. I think Spencer Lee in many ways empitomizes the culture that we want. But, you can’t let a specific team member define the culture because team members come and go. The cultural clarity has to come from Tom.

By the way, as much as I hate to admit this, Cael has done a masterful job at this and I think this is the real difference between PSU and other programs right now.

2) Keep the past relevant. The biggest asset of the Hawkeye wrestling program is its past. Right now freshman high school wrestlers never saw Dan Gable wrestle or coach, never saw Tom Brands wrestle, and probably don’t even remember the Hawks ever winning a team national championship. We need to keep telling the history of the program and get great Hawks of the past front and center of the program. I spit up my coffee the other day when I saw a video on social media with several Hawkeye wrestling greats talking about Dresser being the guy to transform ISU wrestling. ISU is now leveraging our past! I’d get Lincoln and all of our other greats up in front of fans, recruits and on social media as often as possible.

3) We need a marquis event. I honestly feel like we waste the beginning of our schedule every year. We have the best facility and best fan base in the country. We could create an event that is like August and the Masters to the PGA tour. Create something big. Invite the best 3 non Big10 teams every season to a duals event. Make a big deal about it. Bring back past great Hawkeye wrestlers for the event (see point 2 above). Bring recruits to the event. Make the event so special that every wrestling team wants to be a part of it. I think this event could attract ESPN coverage. I know Tom’s philosophy is to ease his wrestlers into the season, but I think the upside is just too tremendous.

4) Be prepared for public speaking. Okay, this gets a bit more critical. I think we all love the brutal honesty of how Tom Brands gives interviews. But, this sometimes leads to rambling, no clear message, and he looks unprepared. For a guy that is hyper prepared for everything in his life, he obviously gives no prep to public speaking. You can’t just say “our guys need to wrestler harder” and then ramble on after every meet. The blue chip wrestling recruits are different today. Unfortunately, many of them come from wealthier families that can afford to put them in wrestling clubs and fly them around the world for wrestling events. Those recruits and their families watch all of these coaching sound bites on FLO and YouTube to evaluate the coaches. While I encourage Tom to keep his honesty, I would also encourage him to whenever possible talk about the Hawkeye culture (see point 1 above) and have some key bullet points or themes that he wants to get across to recruits. As much as I really don’t like Tom Ryan, he is the master at this. He never wastes a public speaking opportunity. And, whether we like it or not, we are a sound bit world now. My kids watch hours of 6 minute YouTube videos. You have a short window to touch these kids and you can’t waste it.

I’ve got a long list of other ideas, but my fingers are getting sore and I am sure you are getting tired of reading this. All just my $.02. I may be way off. I am proud of Tom, our current wrestlers, and our fantastic history. I am proud to be a UI alum. All of this is meant to be constructive feedback and not negative criticism.

Certainly some good points in there. I like where your head is at. Being the CEO of 10,000 people at 100 locations is quite impressive indeed. The fact that you found the time to post those suggestions to Tom tells me you care. Cheers to that!

I have a small suggestion for you. Please go to the top of the forums and click 2019 forum drive. There you will find one of the best ways to help Tom achieve success. Everyone knows a good way to get to the top is to have a bigtime backer. Donate a few million $ and watch your Hawkeyes flourish! (Its only money right? Easy come, easy go)Or You could think of the HWC as Church you care deeply about. All they need from you is 10% of your gross income.. What say you @MadTown Hawk?

 

[MadTown Hawk]

Certainly some good points in there. I like where your head is at. Being the CEO of 10,000 people at 100 locations is quite impressive indeed. The fact that you found the time to post those suggestions to Tom tells me you care. Cheers to that!

I have a small suggestion for you. Please go to the top of the forums and click 2019 forum drive. There you will find one of the best ways to help Tom achieve success. Everyone knows a good way to get to the top is to have a bigtime backer. Donate a few million $ and watch your Hawkeyes flourish! (Its only money right? Easy come, easy go)Or You could think of the HWC as Church you care deeply about. All they need from you is 10% of your gross income.. What say you @MadTown Hawk?

Well played, well played. Did I mention the other critical factor for success is having foot soldiers/advocates all espousing the mission, vision, and values of the organization? That is you, my friend. For various reasons I am not in the position to donate a “few million”. Most notably, I don’t have a “few million”! But, I will certainly keep this in mind and give what I can. Thanks!!

 

[WildTurk]

Well played, well played. Did I mention the other critical factor for success is having foot soldiers/advocates all espousing the mission, vision, and values of the organization? That is you, my friend. For various reasons I am not in the position to donate a “few millions”. Most notably, I don’t have a “few millions”! But, I will certainly keep this in mind and give what I can. Thanks!!

Thank you for that! Any donation is a good donation!

 

[crablegs1]

Very great points. I think the larger concept has been touched on many times on this board which is that Tom Brands is a great wrestling coach, but has lacked some of the organizational leadership skills that you mention. Dresser and Ryan are a couple guys that couldn’t show better single leg technique than TB, but appear to have more of the CEO skills.

That said, I think TB has gotten better in this aspect in the last couple of years.

 

[HoundedHawk]

Just how is Cael masterful at defining PSU culture compared to Tom?

Where did you read this masterful definition of PSU culture? I feel I understand Iowa culture better than PSU's. Is there a mission statement somewhere, or have you just gleaned this by listening to Cael?

And there is a difference between public speaking and giving interviews. No one can be fully prepared for interviews since no one knows what all the questions will be, or how the meet will ultimately turn out. I've heard Tom speak where he is scheduled. I think he does a fine job. And I don't think any other head coach is doing better at interviews. Brands is so unique you keep tuned in because you know he'll say something interesting.

 

[BanjoSaysWoof]

Excellent post. Not much else to say.

I would add that the best part of Tom is the part that stays secret.

I knew Eli Stickley passed away. I didn’t know until recently Tom and his wife took over the role of “essential elders” for Alex and his fiancé. (my mom passed ago a month ago today. The “essential elders” made everything easier in the time I needed people most. As some of you may remember, I mentioned she was suffering and sick. While I appreciate the sentiment, please don’t flood the board with condolences. A simple like is enough.).

I wish I’d known that earlier about Tom. It’s not the least bit shocking he did something like that based on what I already knew, but his image and who he is as a man are very very different. If you’re not a wrestling junkie, you may never know the good.

I would imagine that there are a billion deeds he won’t talk about.

since this is a thread for suggestions, I suggest Tom find a PR agent who can manipulate press stories.

 

[hoythawk]

Just how is Cael masterful at defining PSU culture compared to Tom?

Where did you read this masterful definition of PSU culture? I feel I understand Iowa culture better than PSU's. Is there a mission statement somewhere, or have you just gleaned this by listening to Cael?

And there is a difference between public speaking and giving interviews. No one can be fully prepared for interviews since no one knows what all the questions will be, or how the meet will ultimately turn out. I've heard Tom speak where he is scheduled. I think he does a fine job. And I don't think any other head coach is doing better at interviews. Brands is so unique you keep tuned in because you know he'll say something interesting.

For sure. Madtownhawk missed the mark on almost all of it.
He should listen to Carl talk for about an hour or observe how his guys are like robots.
Unfortuanately Madtown fell for the propaganda. My suggestion is for him to join the inner circle and make a difference. CEO's for those big companies make big money. He could have his voice hears and make a difference behind the scenes where it is needed. Those who have done the IClub circuits know that Tom Brands is the top speaker RIP Norm Parker. Please don't take offense Madtown because I am just offering some constructive criticism. Your post was professional and I'm sure you put a lot of thought into it.

 

[grapplefann]

I would first tell him “thank you” for his great Hawkeye wrestling and coaching careers. Then I would give him some advice. This advice would not be about wrestler development or recruitment. I grew up as a very mediocre wrestler in rural Iowa. Tom knows more about wrestling in his little pinky finger than I do. However, I would give him advice about being the CEO of a high performing team or organization. I am the CEO of a large organization with over a 100 locations and 10,000 employees. I don’t tell you that last fact to brag. I tell you that because I do know something about organizational leadership and performance. If Tom can improve, it is in the CEO category of his job. Here is what I would tell him:

1) Define the culture. Culture is the most overused word but also the most overlooked when developing a team or organization. In the the short term fantastic athletes or a great idea in the business industry can beat a team/organization with a great culture. But, over time, it is the culture that creates a durable high performing organization. Having a great culture is not organic and does not happen on its own. The leader must be very intentional about setting core values, which lead to the culture. Then the leader must “walk the talk” every day.

I am not close to the wrestling room, but the Hawkeye wrestling culture is not clear to me. If I had to guess, I would define it as “hard work and intensity”? Certainly not bad values, but is that the culture that will attract new recruits? Is that the culture that will promote success over time? I sometimes think our wrestlers are actually too intense about winning and at times tentative because of it. I will never forget Gilman dropped a quote his senior year about “he wrestles everyone like they are trying to take his livliehood away”. We all celebrated the intensity on this board. But, when a 20 year old kid thinks like that they are likely to show up at nationals tighter than a drum. I think that is what happened. Anyway, Tom needs to clearly define the culture through core values, constantly talk about those values, put those values up in the room and on TShirts, and then be consistent with those values over time. I think Spencer Lee in many ways empitomizes the culture that we want. But, you can’t let a specific team member define the culture because team members come and go. The cultural clarity has to come from Tom.

By the way, as much as I hate to admit this, Cael has done a masterful job at this and I think this is the real difference between PSU and other programs right now.

2) Keep the past relevant. The biggest asset of the Hawkeye wrestling program is its past. Right now freshman high school wrestlers never saw Dan Gable wrestle or coach, never saw Tom Brands wrestle, and probably don’t even remember the Hawks ever winning a team national championship. We need to keep telling the history of the program and get great Hawks of the past front and center of the program. I spit up my coffee the other day when I saw a video on social media with several Hawkeye wrestling greats talking about Dresser being the guy to transform ISU wrestling. ISU is now leveraging our past! I’d get Lincoln and all of our other greats up in front of fans, recruits and on social media as often as possible.

3) We need a marquis event. I honestly feel like we waste the beginning of our schedule every year. We have the best facility and best fan base in the country. We could create an event that is like August and the Masters to the PGA tour. Create something big. Invite the best 3 non Big10 teams every season to a duals event. Make a big deal about it. Bring back past great Hawkeye wrestlers for the event (see point 2 above). Bring recruits to the event. Make the event so special that every wrestling team wants to be a part of it. I think this event could attract ESPN coverage. I know Tom’s philosophy is to ease his wrestlers into the season, but I think the upside is just too tremendous.

4) Be prepared for public speaking. Okay, this gets a bit more critical. I think we all love the brutal honesty of how Tom Brands gives interviews. But, this sometimes leads to rambling, no clear message, and he looks unprepared. For a guy that is hyper prepared for everything in his life, he obviously gives no prep to public speaking. You can’t just say “our guys need to wrestler harder” and then ramble on after every meet. The blue chip wrestling recruits are different today. Unfortunately, many of them come from wealthier families that can afford to put them in wrestling clubs and fly them around the world for wrestling events. Those recruits and their families watch all of these coaching sound bites on FLO and YouTube to evaluate the coaches. While I encourage Tom to keep his honesty, I would also encourage him to whenever possible talk about the Hawkeye culture (see point 1 above) and have some key bullet points or themes that he wants to get across to recruits. As much as I really don’t like Tom Ryan, he is the master at this. He never wastes a public speaking opportunity. And, whether we like it or not, we are a sound bite world now. My kids watch hours of 6 minute YouTube videos. You have a short window to touch these kids and you can’t waste it.

I’ve got a long list of other ideas, but my fingers are getting sore and I am sure you are getting tired of reading this. All just my $.02. I may be way off. I am proud of Tom, our current wrestlers, and our fantastic history. I am proud to be a UI alum. All of this is meant to be constructive feedback and not negative criticism.

Thanks for posting. I can't agree with everything, or even most of what you say, but I'm glad you took the time to post it. I'm not sure that Tom has the organizing chops to pull off "defining a culture," and if he did, you or I might find ourselves surprised, and maybe even alienated by it. It's a slippery slope.

Tom Ryan comes off as totally disingenuous to me. Some others come off as cold. Others as just angry. John Smith does a very good job of keeping a believable message that's grounded in that culture. Smith (and Brands) still feel real. You know your getting the real guy, not some guy telling you what you want to hear, like so many corporate mouthpieces.

I especially like your #3. Let's cut the Hawkeye duals where we wrestle jucos and NAIA teams. How about having the Okla. State meet as the FIRST meet every year in Iowa City as part of a quad with 2 other top-ten Div. 1 teams? This would be something that ESPN would WANT to cover.

 

[lookleft goright]

There is a definite difference in the persona that Cael and Tom Ryan give off and what Tom Brands does. I have listened to all of them speak and the most dramatic impression to me that Cael and Ryan look at the big picture more and Brands looks at the details more. This would tie into the CEO mentality which Midtown Hawk eluded too and thinks if missing from Brands approach. I cannot speak for the type of person either guy is, since I do not know them. I hear a lot of talk on different boards where theater guy is made fun of or talked disparagingly about, but they all seem like great guys and they all seem to have pretty loyal team members. Personally, I think it is just PSU's time. Everything changes and what worked for Gable 20 years ago is no longer enough. CEO or recruiting hotbed or RTC or whatever you want to call it. There is no single reason that PSU is the lead dog right now.
However, if this process helps Brands and Ryan and other coaches to be better coaches and put out better men into our society thru coaching them, then that is great. It seems like Brands is looking at himself and trying to figure out how he can improve That is great! It seems that others want to criticize others and call them cheaters etc. That does not help the name caller to grow. Brands has great approach to this situation and it sure seems likely that he will figure it out and win a few more titles before he is done.

 

[fufighters]

Very nice opening post, hopefully you can join the inner circle or become more involved with the HWC.
I agree on almost every point and think a marquee event is exactly what's needed. Why the corridor area doesn't have a great tourney actually is a tragedy. The Grapple on the Gridiron needs to continue, but the complaint was it took alot of work.
Success often does!
The football program has done more with the tiger hawk, anf decal , wave after 1st quarter ect. All very small gestures that have a large following . The wrestling program needs to do more.
Really hope you stay involved and maybe with your business savy would volunteer to help make these events possible.

 

[hoythawk]

I forgot to mention Grapple on the Gridiron. That was a huge event by the program. Hopefully they can pull that off again in the next year or two. I think it was a great move by Tom to move the OSU meet to the last dual of the year.

 

[grapplefann]

Excellent post. Not much else to say.

I would add that the best part of Tom is the part that stays secret.

I knew Eli Stickley passed away. I didn’t know until recently Tom and his wife took over the role of “essential elders” for Alex and his fiancé. (my mom passed ago a month ago today. The “essential elders” made everything easier in the time I needed people most. As some of you may remember, I mentioned she was suffering and sick. While I appreciate the sentiment, please don’t flood the board with condolences. A simple like is enough.).

I wish I’d known that earlier about Tom. It’s not the least bit shocking he did something like that based on what I already knew, but his image and who he is as a man are very very different. If you’re not a wrestling junkie, you may never know the good.

I would imagine that there are a billion deeds he won’t talk about.

since this is a thread for suggestions, I suggest Tom find a PR agent who can manipulate press stories.

I don't know where you got your image of him, but TB is a very good man. The last thing he needs is an PR agent to run his personal life through the media toilet.

 

[grapplefann]

Just how is Cael masterful at defining PSU culture compared to Tom?

Where did you read this masterful definition of PSU culture? I feel I understand Iowa culture better than PSU's. Is there a mission statement somewhere, or have you just gleaned this by listening to Cael?

And there is a difference between public speaking and giving interviews. No one can be fully prepared for interviews since no one knows what all the questions will be, or how the meet will ultimately turn out. I've heard Tom speak where he is scheduled. I think he does a fine job. And I don't think any other head coach is doing better at interviews. Brands is so unique you keep tuned in because you know he'll say something interesting.

Cael's culture is "winning," which works great as long as you are winning.

 

[Scryed]

I like the thought about the head coach being more of a manager than a "traditional" coach going over technique and working with the athletes. Dresser, Ryan and Cael have been brought up (though I think Carl is also a technician in the room like Brands). One other example that comes to mind is Brian Smith of missouri. He always seems to do more with less and I can't imagine he is the clinician in the practice room.

 

[SandBuff]

Good read MadTown. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

 

[BELDEEN]

Kudos to you @MadTown Hawk! Thank you for taking the time to offer your opinion.

 

[SPOONER]

I'm smelling some serious BS in this thread. Can't quite be sure where it's coming from but the ole BS meter is on max.

 

[rossel 33]

Another factor that gets overlooked in the "culture" assessment is the power of negative propaganda.

I may be a little paranoid, but I don't think there is anything like the negativity thrown at Iowa by a group of hard core haters. Tom also once mentioned a "binder" he got, showing what's happening out there. Some may be from ISU or Minny fans, but most are PSU's. The utter anti-Iowa garbage, misinformation and stereotyping that goes on themat forum by less than a dozen posters is staggering. Look at all the jackals who come over here to troll.

FLO's yakking heads are predominantly PSU fans and in their discussions (most recently re Spencer), are not above repeating garbage, portraying Iowa in less than flattering terms.

Sad to say, but this kind of stuff is beyond Brands or anyone else's ability to control. They lead by example, but if prospective recruits read boards, and believe what they read, that, along with negative stuff coming from opposing coaches during recruitment, could scare recruits away.

I believe the key to counter this is to win a title and have great "ambassadors" for the program in their wrestlers (e.g. Spencer).

 

[totough]

Nice post MadTown. I am not as informed as some on here but you brought out some things i never thought. I especially like your marqui event mentioned. It would be nice to see coaches get together & look at better ways to promote the sport. But i know it isn't all that easy .

 

[Rustys Dad]

I would first tell him “thank you” for his great Hawkeye wrestling and coaching careers. Then I would give him some advice. This advice would not be about wrestler development or recruitment. I grew up as a very mediocre wrestler in rural Iowa. Tom knows more about wrestling in his little pinky finger than I do. However, I would give him advice about being the CEO of a high performing team or organization. I am the CEO of a large organization with over a 100 locations and 10,000 employees. I don’t tell you that last fact to brag. I tell you that because I do know something about organizational leadership and performance. If Tom can improve, it is in the CEO category of his job. Here is what I would tell him:

1) Define the culture. Culture is the most overused word but also the most overlooked when developing a team or organization. In the the short term fantastic athletes or a great idea in the business industry can beat a team/organization with a great culture. But, over time, it is the culture that creates a durable high performing organization. Having a great culture is not organic and does not happen on its own. The leader must be very intentional about setting core values, which lead to the culture. Then the leader must “walk the talk” every day.

I am not close to the wrestling room, but the Hawkeye wrestling culture is not clear to me. If I had to guess, I would define it as “hard work and intensity”? Certainly not bad values, but is that the culture that will attract new recruits? Is that the culture that will promote success over time? I sometimes think our wrestlers are actually too intense about winning and at times tentative because of it. I will never forget Gilman dropped a quote his senior year about “he wrestles everyone like they are trying to take his livliehood away”. We all celebrated the intensity on this board. But, when a 20 year old kid thinks like that they are likely to show up at nationals tighter than a drum. I think that is what happened. Anyway, Tom needs to clearly define the culture through core values, constantly talk about those values, put those values up in the room and on TShirts, and then be consistent with those values over time. I think Spencer Lee in many ways empitomizes the culture that we want. But, you can’t let a specific team member define the culture because team members come and go. The cultural clarity has to come from Tom.

By the way, as much as I hate to admit this, Cael has done a masterful job at this and I think this is the real difference between PSU and other programs right now.

2) Keep the past relevant. The biggest asset of the Hawkeye wrestling program is its past. Right now freshman high school wrestlers never saw Dan Gable wrestle or coach, never saw Tom Brands wrestle, and probably don’t even remember the Hawks ever winning a team national championship. We need to keep telling the history of the program and get great Hawks of the past front and center of the program. I spit up my coffee the other day when I saw a video on social media with several Hawkeye wrestling greats talking about Dresser being the guy to transform ISU wrestling. ISU is now leveraging our past! I’d get Lincoln and all of our other greats up in front of fans, recruits and on social media as often as possible.

3) We need a special event. I honestly feel like we waste the beginning of our schedule every year. We have the best facility and best fan base in the country. We could create an event that is like August and the Masters to the PGA tour. Create something big. Invite the best 3 non Big10 teams every season to a duals event. Make a big deal about it. Bring back past great Hawkeye wrestlers for the event (see point 2 above). Bring recruits to the event. Make the event so special that every wrestling team wants to be a part of it. I think this event could attract ESPN coverage. I know Tom’s philosophy is to ease his wrestlers into the season, but I think the upside is just too tremendous.

4) Be prepared for public speaking. Okay, this gets a bit more critical. I think we all love the brutal honesty of how Tom Brands gives interviews. But, this sometimes leads to rambling, no clear message, and he looks unprepared. For a guy that is hyper prepared for everything in his life, he obviously gives no prep to public speaking. You can’t just say “our guys need to wrestler harder” and then ramble on after every meet. The blue chip wrestling recruits are different today. Unfortunately, many of them come from wealthier families that can afford to put them in wrestling clubs and fly them around the world for wrestling events. Those recruits and their families watch all of these coaching sound bites on FLO and YouTube to evaluate the coaches. While I encourage Tom to keep his honesty, I would also encourage him to whenever possible talk about the Hawkeye culture (see point 1 above) and have some key bullet points or themes that he wants to get across to recruits. As much as I really don’t like Tom Ryan, he is the master at this. He never wastes a public speaking opportunity. And, whether we like it or not, we are a sound bite world now. My kids watch hours of 6 minute YouTube videos. You have a short window to touch these kids and you can’t waste it.

I’ve got a long list of other ideas, but my fingers are getting sore and I am sure you are getting tired of reading this. All just my $.02. I may be way off. I am proud of Tom, our current wrestlers, and our fantastic history. I am proud to be a UI alum. All of this is meant to be constructive feedback and not negative criticism.

Exceptional post in my opinion. I think your points are spot on and well thought out.

 

[IAChief32]

Very great points. I think the larger concept has been touched on many times on this board which is that Tom Brands is a great wrestling coach, but has lacked some of the organizational leadership skills that you mention. Dresser and Ryan are a couple guys that couldn’t show better single leg technique than TB, but appear to have more of the CEO skills.

That said, I think TB has gotten better in this aspect in the last couple of years.

This is where I disagree when you start comparing other coaches. Dresser is not a better CEO type unless you would count time on the golf course, shaking hands etc. We are not a year out from his primary assistant getting fired after only a year in the position...which was a guy that Tom took a pass on. Also, Tom's former coaches have gone on to either be assistants plus a head coach. Dresser's coaches are guys that Tom mentored and molded in the room. Any measurement of a CEO would have to start with both individual and team results. In comparison, VT finished above Iowa once and did not have an individual champion during Dresser's reign. I think the only peers Tom has in the sport of wrestling are Cael, John, and Tan Tom. But compared to Dresser, Tom represents himself and Iowa well.

For the record, Terry runs the practices. Tom is very hands off letting his staff do their thing to include Novak and the HWC. I think Tom has shown the ability to innovate, change, and adapt. For example...Grapple on the Gridiron. Also, instead of getting Iowa kids or those that look exclusively like Iowa guys, he went to PA and other states looking for something different starting with Kemerer. Additionally, Iowa and the HWC are way ahead of the power curve on women's wrestling...something one may not expect considering the knuckledragger historical reputation at Iowa. Finally, fan involvement was pretty stagnant until a few years ago. Instead of blowing the fans off and chalking it up to bitching, they harnessed it and made the Inner Circle. To be honest, I think Tom is kind of leery of fan involvement because of potential SNAFUs in terms of compliance. So they have made a very effective wall between the team and the HWC. Plus, any one of you could go in and shoot the shit with Tom or the staff at a practice...which are open to the public for the most part.

To Madtown's question about core values, I think the core values have always been about toughness, winning, academics but there has been one added that we couldn't point to in the past...family. When Hawks are interviewed, this concept is mentioned frequently. Look at Banjo's example. This wasn't a dude who said "call me if you need me" or "take however much time you need." Tom and his wife had Marinelli and the Stickley family's back as did the whole team. I would be interested in getting @bnicolls pov.

 

[slushhead]

Another factor that gets overlooked in the "culture" assessment is the power of negative propaganda.

I may be a little paranoid, but I don't think there is anything like the negativity thrown at Iowa by a group of hard core haters. Tom also once mentioned a "binder" he got, showing what's happening out there. Some may be from ISU or Minny fans, but most are PSU's. The utter anti-Iowa garbage, misinformation and stereotyping that goes on themat forum by less than a dozen posters is staggering. Look at all the jackals who come over here to troll.

FLO's yakking heads are predominantly PSU fans and in their discussions (most recently re Spencer), are not above repeating garbage, portraying Iowa in less than flattering terms.

Sad to say, but this kind of stuff is beyond Brands or anyone else's ability to control. They lead by example, but if prospective recruits read boards, and believe what they read, that, along with negative stuff coming from opposing coaches during recruitment, could scare recruits away.

I believe the key to counter this is to win a title and have great "ambassadors" for the program in their wrestlers (e.g. Spencer).

I believe prospective recruits are going to be influenced a lot more by what other wrestlers are telling them than what message-board wackadoos like us are putting out there. They're going to have their short lists based on a few biggies like program track record, geography, academics, cost . . . and then take their visits and evaluate how they click with the coach, wrestlers, and environment at each school on the list. Best fit = choice made.

At least, I would hope that's what they are doing. Most should be smart enough to take fan propaganda and negative recruiting with a big lump of salt. When those negative vibes will be taken seriously is when they hear it from the wrestlers who are their impending peers. My hunch.

Of course, the other influential factor not to be underestimated is what they see about a program with their own two eyes when the team takes the mat.

 

[crablegs1]

This is where I disagree when you start comparing other coaches. Dresser is not a better CEO type unless you would count time on the golf course, shaking hands etc. We are not a year out from his primary assistant getting fired after only a year in the position...which was a guy that Tom took a pass on. Also, Tom's former coaches have gone on to either be assistants plus a head coach. Dresser's coaches are guys that Tom mentored and molded in the room. Any measurement of a CEO would have to start with both individual and team results. In comparison, VT finished above Iowa once and did not have an individual champion during Dresser's reign. I think the only peers Tom has in the sport of wrestling are Cael, John, and Tan Tom. But compared to Dresser, Tom represents himself and Iowa well.

For the record, Terry runs the practices. Tom is very hands off letting his staff do their thing to include Novak and the HWC. I think Tom has shown the ability to innovate, change, and adapt. For example...Grapple on the Gridiron. Also, instead of getting Iowa kids or those that look exclusively like Iowa guys, he went to PA and other states looking for something different starting with Kemerer. Additionally, Iowa and the HWC are way ahead of the power curve on women's wrestling...something one may not expect considering the knuckledragger historical reputation at Iowa. Finally, fan involvement was pretty stagnant until a few years ago. Instead of blowing the fans off and chalking it up to bitching, they harnessed it and made the Inner Circle. To be honest, I think Tom is kind of leery of fan involvement because of potential SNAFUs in terms of compliance. So they have made a very effective wall between the team and the HWC. Plus, any one of you could go in and shoot the shit with Tom or the staff at a practice...which are open to the public for the most part.

To Madtown's question about core values, I think the core values have always been about toughness, winning, academics but there has been one added that we couldn't point to in the past...family. When Hawks are interviewed, this concept is mentioned frequently. Look at Banjo's example. This wasn't a dude who said "call me if you need me" or "take however much time you need." Tom and his wife had Marinelli and the Stickley family's back as did the whole team. I would be interested in getting @bnicolls pov.

Actually, time on the golf course with donors and the AD is exactly the kind of activity I’m talking about.

And no, I don’t think you only compare results. Let’s take the CEO of Wells Fargo vs the CEO of a very successful local bank. Is the CEO of Wells Fargo better because they made more profit? I don’t think so. You have to consider the starting point and I think bringing VT to where Dresser did is a much larger accomplishment then winning a title at Iowa. It’s like winning a 100 meter dash with a 50 meter head start.

 

[grapplefann]

Another factor that gets overlooked in the "culture" assessment is the power of negative propaganda.

I may be a little paranoid, but I don't think there is anything like the negativity thrown at Iowa by a group of hard core haters. Tom also once mentioned a "binder" he got, showing what's happening out there. Some may be from ISU or Minny fans, but most are PSU's. The utter anti-Iowa garbage, misinformation and stereotyping that goes on themat forum by less than a dozen posters is staggering. Look at all the jackals who come over here to troll.

FLO's yakking heads are predominantly PSU fans and in their discussions (most recently re Spencer), are not above repeating garbage, portraying Iowa in less than flattering terms.

Sad to say, but this kind of stuff is beyond Brands or anyone else's ability to control. They lead by example, but if prospective recruits read boards, and believe what they read, that, along with negative stuff coming from opposing coaches during recruitment, could scare recruits away.

I believe the key to counter this is to win a title and have great "ambassadors" for the program in their wrestlers (e.g. Spencer).

We see this all the time with the trolls here, and on themat, and I think the intention is to defame us in the eyes of potential recruits. I've even heard the same false themes repeated to me as fact by some PSU fans at a non-Iowa meet a few years ago when they found out I was from Iowa.

I think Tom is right to try to stay above the fray and lead by example. Two things that Tom DOES have control over are 1st-period offense and 3rd-period conditioning. These project traditional Hawkeye values better than anything else would.

Whoever plans our next season needs to provide more home meets that fans can get excited about. This year's schedule just didn't cut it. I also think we need to do an even better job of fund-raising for the new facility and for the HWC.

 

[wasdt21]

running a clean program and not trashing other programs seems pretty defining to me.

 

[Hawkirish]

I would first tell him “thank you” for his great Hawkeye wrestling and coaching careers. Then I would give him some advice. This advice would not be about wrestler development or recruitment. I grew up as a very mediocre wrestler in rural Iowa. Tom knows more about wrestling in his little pinky finger than I do. However, I would give him advice about being the CEO of a high performing team or organization. I am the CEO of a large organization with over a 100 locations and 10,000 employees. I don’t tell you that last fact to brag. I tell you that because I do know something about organizational leadership and performance. If Tom can improve, it is in the CEO category of his job. Here is what I would tell him:

1) Define the culture. Culture is the most overused word but also the most overlooked when developing a team or organization. In the the short term fantastic athletes or a great idea in the business industry can beat a team/organization with a great culture. But, over time, it is the culture that creates a durable high performing organization. Having a great culture is not organic and does not happen on its own. The leader must be very intentional about setting core values, which lead to the culture. Then the leader must “walk the talk” every day.

I am not close to the wrestling room, but the Hawkeye wrestling culture is not clear to me. If I had to guess, I would define it as “hard work and intensity”? Certainly not bad values, but is that the culture that will attract new recruits? Is that the culture that will promote success over time? I sometimes think our wrestlers are actually too intense about winning and at times tentative because of it. I will never forget Gilman dropped a quote his senior year about “he wrestles everyone like they are trying to take his livliehood away”. We all celebrated the intensity on this board. But, when a 20 year old kid thinks like that they are likely to show up at nationals tighter than a drum. I think that is what happened. Anyway, Tom needs to clearly define the culture through core values, constantly talk about those values, put those values up in the room and on TShirts, and then be consistent with those values over time. I think Spencer Lee in many ways empitomizes the culture that we want. But, you can’t let a specific team member define the culture because team members come and go. The cultural clarity has to come from Tom.

By the way, as much as I hate to admit this, Cael has done a masterful job at this and I think this is the real difference between PSU and other programs right now.

2) Keep the past relevant. The biggest asset of the Hawkeye wrestling program is its past. Right now freshman high school wrestlers never saw Dan Gable wrestle or coach, never saw Tom Brands wrestle, and probably don’t even remember the Hawks ever winning a team national championship. We need to keep telling the history of the program and get great Hawks of the past front and center of the program. I spit up my coffee the other day when I saw a video on social media with several Hawkeye wrestling greats talking about Dresser being the guy to transform ISU wrestling. ISU is now leveraging our past! I’d get Lincoln and all of our other greats up in front of fans, recruits and on social media as often as possible.

3) We need a marquis event. I honestly feel like we waste the beginning of our schedule every year. We have the best facility and best fan base in the country. We could create an event that is like August and the Masters to the PGA tour. Create something big. Invite the best 3 non Big10 teams every season to a duals event. Make a big deal about it. Bring back past great Hawkeye wrestlers for the event (see point 2 above). Bring recruits to the event. Make the event so special that every wrestling team wants to be a part of it. I think this event could attract ESPN coverage. I know Tom’s philosophy is to ease his wrestlers into the season, but I think the upside is just too tremendous.

4) Be prepared for public speaking. Okay, this gets a bit more critical. I think we all love the brutal honesty of how Tom Brands gives interviews. But, this sometimes leads to rambling, no clear message, and he looks unprepared. For a guy that is hyper prepared for everything in his life, he obviously gives no prep to public speaking. You can’t just say “our guys need to wrestler harder” and then ramble on after every meet. The blue chip wrestling recruits are different today. Unfortunately, many of them come from wealthier families that can afford to put them in wrestling clubs and fly them around the world for wrestling events. Those recruits and their families watch all of these coaching sound bites on FLO and YouTube to evaluate the coaches. While I encourage Tom to keep his honesty, I would also encourage him to whenever possible talk about the Hawkeye culture (see point 1 above) and have some key bullet points or themes that he wants to get across to recruits. As much as I really don’t like Tom Ryan, he is the master at this. He never wastes a public speaking opportunity. And, whether we like it or not, we are a sound bite world now. My kids watch hours of 6 minute YouTube videos. You have a short window to touch these kids and you can’t waste it.

I’ve got a long list of other ideas, but my fingers are getting sore and I am sure you are getting tired of reading this. All just my $.02. I may be way off. I am proud of Tom, our current wrestlers, and our fantastic history. I am proud to be a UI alum. All of this is meant to be constructive feedback and not negative criticism.

Congrats on your personal success and some good advice in your post. I would disagree with # 1 and #4. Regarding culture I think there would be some truth if you go back a few years and look at a top ranked recruiting class that underperformed based on the rankings. I could argue some of them were over ranked coming out of hs but know that most of them didn’t live the life. TNT adapted and have made some changes and you hear it more often that some aren’t a fit for Iowa and they aren’t talking about style. No one was happy to hear what happened to Stoll in the summer but I know that people close to the program were really disappointed in some upperclassmen not living the life.

Regarding speaking - have you ever had a conversation with Tom? With Carl? I will just stop there. Hawks will win when they have talent close to PSU and they aren’t there yet. No injuries this year and I would be even more pumped for March.

Regarding contributing - CEO with that big of company and you can’t throw a mil at HWC or the new facility? That would help the hawks more than the advice. We had a saying in the part of rural Iowa I grew up in - All hat no cattle.

 

[Gobblin]

Gobblin aka spooner is wrapping up breakfast at the Blue Bird and will be here shortly to steal the toy from your box of cracker jacks. Just kidding.

Top level sports are much like large companies in complexity and culture. That’s why many ADs have some biz experience. I think a critical part is evolving with the culture and the sport. Athletes are very different humans now than when TNT wrestled. I think Gable did a great job modifying his communication and input to various styles of kids. TNT are different and I think much better coaches than they were when they each arrived in IC. Always room for improvement and growth and the OP made some good suggestions

Well... That’s a first.

 

[Is_there_vodka_in_heaven]

I do know something about organizational leadership and performance.

Going to have to know which company you're a CEO of before I take you at your word here.

 

[24 so far]

Congrats on your personal success and some good advice in your post. I would disagree with # 1 and #4. Regarding culture I think there would be some truth if you go back a few years and look at a top ranked recruiting class that underperformed based on the rankings. I could argue some of them were over ranked coming out of hs but know that most of them didn’t live the life. TNT adapted and have made some changes and you hear it more often that some aren’t a fit for Iowa and they aren’t talking about style. No one was happy to hear what happened to Stoll in the summer but I know that people close to the program were really disappointed in some upperclassmen not living the life.

Regarding speaking - have you ever had a conversation with Tom? With Carl? I will just stop there. Hawks will win when they have talent close to PSU and they aren’t there yet. No injuries this year and I would be even more pumped for March.

Regarding contributing - CEO with that big of company and you can’t throw a mil at HWC or the new facility? That would help the hawks more than the advice. We had a saying in the part of rural Iowa I grew up in - All hat no cattle.

I'd day this gentlemen should spend or donate his money however he sees fit.

Far too many people in this country have "great ideas" about how to spend other people's money.

 

[SPOONER]

I'd day this gentlemen should spend or donate his money however he sees fit.

Far too many people in this country have "great ideas" about how to spend other people's money.

Though I agree wholeheartedly, there are also far too many people in this country who run their mouths and think they know it all but don't take action when given the opportunity. So there's that.

 

[24 so far]

Though I agree wholeheartedly, there are also far too many people in this country who run their mouths but don't take action when given the opportunity. So there's that.

I didn't take the OP as someone who was "running his mouth". Looked like he put a lot of thought and time into it to me. Whether you or I agree with all or parts of his sentiment is immaterial.

 

[natchrlman]

I’ll probably get hammered here but I’m gonna dissent a bit.... I was a union Vice President for years and whenever I hear this CEO type of vision I roll my eyes sounds like maybe hes the ceo of a “consulting” firm..... Lots of times this is the advice of people who have no real experience being in the gut of the organization and putting in overtime .... working all hours of the night and day and actually rising to the challenges that go unnoticed but truely drive the profits of an organization.....people on the floor which in this case wrestlers will respond better to someone that has been where they are knows very well exactly what they are going through..... Tom and Terry are exactly that and they have a very well established culture with a proven history....they’re hands on coaches..... not someone sitting in meetings with catered lunches trying to come up with catchy flavor of the month corporate fads.... I found the OPs post condescending and somewhat of an insult.... Coaches coach.... marketers market..... the Brands have the most proven business model in wrestling.... Gable.... the factors that have caused our temporary lull in national titles are things like an overall parity in the sport..... Gable disciples coaching everywhere and the growth of high school wrestling in much bigger populace areas than Iowa.....Ohio State and PSU not only sit in the middle of the best recruiting hotbed in the country..... they have nicer facilities and lots more financial backing..... the Brands are adjusting and all things considered have the programs future looking pretty damn good.... probably not the popular opinion here but its mine..... if the OP feels obligated to help with the program give them financial backing and let Tom run the program

 

[el dub]

I don't know where you got your image of him, but TB is a very good man. The last thing he needs is an PR agent to run his personal life through the media toilet.

Huh?

 

[SPOONER]

I didn't take the OP as someone who was "running his mouth". Looked like he put a lot of thought and time into it to me. Whether you or I agree with all or parts of his sentiment is immaterial.

I never claimed he did. Likewise, I don't think anyone was being anything other than respectful and encouraging when it came to him making a donation to the HWC.