Swofford Loves His Heels

General Quotes of Note33

It is no surprise…but we thought that we would share this little nugget from a recent ACC Area Sports Journal.

“I don’t think anybody is going to dominate this league anymore. (But) those teams that are off their standards this year aren’t going to go away and hide. I think our teams are fine for the long run. … It’s been tough to see (the Tar Heels) as down as they are. North Carolina has a national reputation as an athletics program. The ACC is stronger when (UNC) is good.”

* ACC Commissioner, John Swofford

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General Quotes of Note

33 Responses to Swofford Loves His Heels

  1. WilmingtonWolf05 12/18/2006 at 8:29 AM #

    This is no suprise at all. I’m sure he probably helped bring Butch Davis to UNX.

    ACC Commisioner – UNX grad
    UNC System President – UNX grad

    both spell bad things for NC State….

  2. highonlowe 12/18/2006 at 8:55 AM #

    Was he wearing a blue sweatshirt at the time? Swofford’s individual affection and favoritize for UNC are completely out-of-bounds as commissioner of a 12 team conference.

  3. Rochester 12/18/2006 at 9:02 AM #

    What he really meant was, “The ACC is stronger when UNC gets all the calls.”

  4. legacyman 12/18/2006 at 9:04 AM #

    Swofford did play football for unc-ch so it is impossible for him to totally stifle his bias for his alma mater. He was a terrible choice to be ACC commissioner.

  5. GoldenChain 12/18/2006 at 9:07 AM #

    Like someone told me on another board, “UNX IS the ACC.”
    That actually is their attitude.

  6. GAWolf 12/18/2006 at 9:16 AM #

    This is statement is actually very true…. but the sad thing is that is applicable to every school in the conference rather than just UNC. The better the individual teams from a national perspective, the better the reputation of the conference. Uh duh.

  7. GAWolf 12/18/2006 at 9:17 AM #

    ^^ Geez. Sorry about that. I wish we could edit.

    I need some coffee.

  8. beowolf 12/18/2006 at 9:26 AM #

    Let alone NC State, I wonder how, say, Virginia feels about that comment?

  9. choppack1 12/18/2006 at 9:36 AM #

    “It’s been tough to see (the Tar Heels) as down as they are. North Carolina has a national reputation as an athletics program. The ACC is stronger when (UNC) is good.”

    Not much of a shocker. I’ve maintained all along that Swofford was a horrid choice to run the conference. I wouldn’t have a problem if the position was a changing one. However, I just don’t trust him to protect NC State’s best interest – even if it’s in the ACCs.

    As GA Wolf said – you could say this about any program in the conference. Does he care that NC State hasn’t won a title in football or basketball since 1987? Funny what generates his passion.

  10. Pack84 12/18/2006 at 9:48 AM #

    I hate to say it, but this is what we deserve for allowing this powder-blue pansy boy to become commissioner. How the other schools in the league allowed it to happen is beyond me.

    He’s also stocked the commissioner’s office staff mostly with smurfs.

  11. Sam92 12/18/2006 at 9:51 AM #

    at firts i was going to cut the guy some slack — UNC does have a national reputation as an athletics program, although not in football. they win a lot in other sports. and it’s true, the ACC is stronger when UNC does well.

    the only problem is that swofford, acc commissioner, indicates by his statement that UNC is his focus, and that’s an unfortunate bias for the leader of the conference to have.

    he could have reflected on how the conference was better a few years ago when teams like N.C. State were winning. or, he could have reflected on how n.c. state may be showing some promise of regaining its glory in basketball — which would make the conference stronger.

    or, he could have made an even-handed statement that covered multiple schools in the conference.

    but he didn’t. he showed his true colors. perhaps better that he shows it so none of us have any doubts.

  12. Red_Terrors 12/18/2006 at 10:35 AM #

    Does the axiom hold true in this case? Is it better to be thought a UNX fan, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt?

  13. BoKnowsNCS71 12/18/2006 at 10:41 AM #

    He’s dead wrong. The ACC will be truly stronger only when Duke is also good.

  14. GAWolf 12/18/2006 at 11:04 AM #

    I’m sort of curious now… the parantheses around (the Tar Heels) and (UNC) obviously mean the person scribing Swofford’s quote changed the words. What was replaced, I wonder? “We?”

  15. class of 74 12/18/2006 at 11:12 AM #

    Just wondering but should all future ACC comish’s be non ACC grads?

  16. c6by66 12/18/2006 at 11:51 AM #

    I vote for CTC….Then we need to leave him in that position for several years just to “neutralize” the smurf movement. However, one year a friend of mine got me ACC Tourney tickets from his office one year…they were great seats…

    Guess I shouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth…even if the tongue is BLUE…

  17. justaguy 12/18/2006 at 12:35 PM #

    Swofford is just so wrong. To have a strong conference, you need little people to make it possible. Look at Big 10 football. Where would Ohio State and Michigan be without Indiana and Illinois? When Northwestern was good, the Big 10 was bad. The payoff is that Indiana and Northwestern and all the other weaking teams will get a chunk of the $17 million payout to Ohio State and another $17 mil for Michigan. That’s how you have a strong league. Parity, schmarity! Look what happened to the ACC this year when Wake Forest forgot their place and won the championship: crappy bowls all the way around. I mean, really, Miami playing in Idaho?

    National reputations be damned, UNC needs to make way for real teams to be in big bowl games. The ACC flourished in basketba

  18. justaguy 12/18/2006 at 12:39 PM #

    oops, hit submit too early. Here’s the rest of it.

    National reputations be damned, UNC needs to make way for real teams to be in big bowl games. The ACC flourished in basketball when Matt Doherty coached UNC, with Duke and Maryland winning NCAA Championships during his all-too-short tenure. Likewise, a couple more years of Bunting would surely have produced a national champion from the ACC.

  19. highonlowe 12/18/2006 at 1:20 PM #

    We forget, Swofford’s #1 concern is profitability, not competition. What he really means is: the ACC’s revenue stream is stronger when UNC football is good. Wal-Mart would sell a lot more ACC-licensed sweatshirts if UNC won games.

  20. WilmingtonWolf05 12/18/2006 at 1:21 PM #

    It seems that UNX grads in positions of power are losing their ability to hide their allegiance. Bowles was very involved in the hiring of Butch Davis, and Swofford has his name on the football offices. All NC State fans, as well as all other ACC fans, should be very proactive and get these two individuals out of office.

  21. packpigskinfan23 12/18/2006 at 2:03 PM #

    just how long must they be in office?! is there a contract deal? is it just until they are forced out or retire?!

  22. highonlowe 12/18/2006 at 3:19 PM #

    He would have to resign or be forced out I believe.
    Although I hate that Swofford is a heel grad, the man has taken some great strides in advancing the ACC, (of course that statement is up for debate).
    Here’s his resume

  23. Glen Sudhop54 12/18/2006 at 5:33 PM #

    My seats at the 2001 ACC Tournament at the Georgia Dome were in the club level in front of the luxury suites. We were sitting about 10 rows below a suite that was rented out for the weekend by Michael Jordan. Needless to say, we unfortunately crossed paths with former Heel stars the whole time. Our friend John Swofford spent virtually the ENTIRE weekend at the suite openly cheering for the Heels and hobnobbing with the UNXers. Many around us, not just State fans, were offended that the Commish couldn’t even PRETEND to be unbiased and neutral. It was disgraceful. Sure, I know he’s a UNC guy, and rooting for your Alma Mater is fine. But you cannot be that blatant about it if you’re supposed to the boss of the league.
    ….And then he ruined the ACC by adding the thugs of VaTech and Miami into the league. BC hasnt embarrasssed the league yet, but give them time. Expansion has been an absolute disaster and major boondoggle……but that’s another story.
    Way to go Johnny!!

  24. Joey 12/18/2006 at 5:38 PM #

    I’d like to see his whole statement. The “…” right before his comment about Carolina indicates he said something that was removed. That might have changed the whole context of the statement. What if they removed the interviewer asking “What do you think of the Tar Heels’ troubles this year?” Then I wouldn’t think his response would sound biased at all.

  25. choppack1 12/18/2006 at 7:13 PM #

    I also found it interesting that even Fowler knew better than to give Swofford a heads up before we’d reached an agreement w/ TOB.

    I really can’t blame him either. If I was head of the ACC, I’d still pull for State vs. Carolina. The question is, if I’m a graduate of the school, then the AD of that same school, am I possibly a little too allied to one school to be allowed to do the job of representing ALL OF THE SCHOOLS.

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