Travis Kelce Launches Health and Wellness Endowment for UC Student-Athletes

The Eighty-Seven & Running Foundation will help fund a Psychology and Counseling Department for Cincinnati Athletics

November 09, 2022

Zach StipeAssociate AD / Communications

 

(CINCINNATI, OH – Nov. 9, 2022) – Kansas City Chief and former Cincinnati Bearcat, Travis Kelce has announced that his Eighty-Seven & Running Foundation will make a substantial contribution to the University of Cincinnati Athletics Department by launching a Health and Wellness Endowment for Bearcats student-athletes.
 
The endowment will fund Cincinnati's Sports Psychology and Counseling Department, directly impacting and aiding all 450 student-athletes at Kelce's alma mater, expanding the staff and personnel for Director of Sports Psychology Lenecia Nickell in the process.
 
The grant ensures that all UC student-athletes will have permanent access to the care and services needed to be mentally and physically strong, confident and resilient.
 
"During my time at UC I developed a solid infrastructure of people around to help me navigate through daily life as a student-athlete," said Kelce. "The transition from high school to college was a difficult one; it was an emotional rollercoaster at times dealing with my academic responsibilities and holding my own on the field. There was little to no room for error in the classroom and on the field. Being able to have that support system in place is part of the reason why I decided to start this Endowment and give back to my alma mater and its athletic department. I'm at a place in my career where I'm able to share my experiences and lend resources to provide the university's student-athletes with the assistance they need to become the best versions of themselves they can be."

 

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It's official: UC football coach Fickell leaving for Wisconsin

 

University of Cincinnati football coach Luke Fickell, who led the Bearcats to the first College Football Playoff berth by a school outside of the Power Five conferences, is leaving to take the head coaching job at the University of Wisconsin.

 

Wisconsin announced the hiring of Fickell on Sunday afternoon.

 

UC has named Kerry Coombs, its special teams coordinator and defensive backs coach, as interim coach. Coombs will lead UC in preparations for a bowl game. Coombs was the longtime Colerain High School head coach who has previously been an assistant at UC and elsewhere.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2022/11/27/uc-football-coach-fickell-leaving-for-wisconsin-s.html

 

20 minutes ago, ColDayMan said:

It's official: UC football coach Fickell leaving for Wisconsin

 

University of Cincinnati football coach Luke Fickell, who led the Bearcats to the first College Football Playoff berth by a school outside of the Power Five conferences, is leaving to take the head coaching job at the University of Wisconsin.

 

Wisconsin announced the hiring of Fickell on Sunday afternoon.

 

UC has named Kerry Coombs, its special teams coordinator and defensive backs coach, as interim coach. Coombs will lead UC in preparations for a bowl game. Coombs was the longtime Colerain High School head coach who has previously been an assistant at UC and elsewhere.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2022/11/27/uc-football-coach-fickell-leaving-for-wisconsin-s.html

 

Surprised to say the least and from what I have seen so are a lot of the Wisconsin fan base. He’s a huge figure in Cincy, 5 million dollar salary, nice stadium, heading to the Big 12 next season and a 100 million dollar training and practice facility breaking ground in January or so. Seems like an odd time and job to move  on to especially considering all the schools that’s wanted him before. The Big10 is tough and with USC and UCLA coming and the league going divisionless will only make it tougher. Anyway very interested to see who UC gets, it really is a good job.

Edited November 28, 20222 yr by 646empire

He's only going from $5 to $6 million? There has to more they are offering him, or something else behind the scenes. I think this is technically a step up, as the Big Ten is just better positioned overall compared to the Big 12, but Wisconsin isn't a natural recruiting hot bed and the school doesn't have a national brand. Really this feels like a half step up at best.

1 hour ago, Dev said:

He's only going from $5 to $6 million? There has to more they are offering him, or something else behind the scenes. I think this is technically a step up, as the Big Ten is just better positioned overall compared to the Big 12, but Wisconsin isn't a natural recruiting hot bed and the school doesn't have a national brand. Really this feels like a half step up at best.

Thats what people are saying but not confirmed yet I can’t imagine they got fick at 6 mil? Maybe 7. Either way very odd departure and not the send off folks in Cincy wanted to give him. A real shame.

21 minutes ago, 646empire said:

Thats what people are saying but not confirmed yet I can’t imagine they got fick at 6 mil? Maybe 7. Either way very odd departure and not the send off folks in Cincy wanted to give him. A real shame.

It could be the length of the contract. LSU tripled Brian Kelly's salary, which yeah most anyone would take that, but it was also guaranteed for 10 years. ND was not going to give him 10 years, even at his previous rate they were paying him. Similarly, it looks like USC gave Lincoln Riley a 10 year deal, while he was on a 6-year contract at Oklahoma.

1 hour ago, Dev said:

It could be the length of the contract. LSU tripled Brian Kelly's salary, which yeah most anyone would take that, but it was also guaranteed for 10 years. ND was not going to give him 10 years, even at his previous rate they were paying him. Similarly, it looks like USC gave Lincoln Riley a 10 year deal, while he was on a 6-year contract at Oklahoma.

Being reported officially at 7.9 mil which makes more sense.

14 hours ago, 646empire said:

Being reported officially at 7.9 mil which makes more sense.

Yeah I saw that last night too. 50% pay raise on day one is pretty enticing all right.

Reading the tea leaves going forward with the media deals, if you are not in the Big 10 or SEC you are a second class conference and will struggle to compete. Yes, the Big 12, ACC, and PAC (if still around in 5 years) will have access to the playoff and spots every year, but how competitive will they be? The Big and SEC will have close to a $50 million delta over the other power conferences. There is a lot you can do with that to separate yourselves in order to attract the top talent. It goes way beyond weight rooms and coaches salaries. Schools will start paying players directly through the conference (to avoid Title IX issues) as the Big 10 is developing currently, schools will be able to hire dozens of additional analysts to scrub all the fine data points on the game. Imagine a school like Ohio State having a team of 100 football analysts on staff earning $40-$60k per year whereas UC and other schools may be able to afford 5-10 of those positions.  This is going to be the new reality of college football and I think Fickell recognizes this and why he is making the move now. 

1 hour ago, Brutus_buckeye said:

Reading the tea leaves going forward with the media deals, if you are not in the Big 10 or SEC you are a second class conference and will struggle to compete. Yes, the Big 12, ACC, and PAC (if still around in 5 years) will have access to the playoff and spots every year, but how competitive will they be? The Big and SEC will have close to a $50 million delta over the other power conferences. There is a lot you can do with that to separate yourselves in order to attract the top talent. It goes way beyond weight rooms and coaches salaries. Schools will start paying players directly through the conference (to avoid Title IX issues) as the Big 10 is developing currently, schools will be able to hire dozens of additional analysts to scrub all the fine data points on the game. Imagine a school like Ohio State having a team of 100 football analysts on staff earning $40-$60k per year whereas UC and other schools may be able to afford 5-10 of those positions.  This is going to be the new reality of college football and I think Fickell recognizes this and why he is making the move now. 

Alot of this is even more complicated than many think. The “2nd class” WILL be able to compete which is why you see upsets all day long lol. It’s something Michigans coach hinted at recently about Ohio State in which OSU is rich and gets all the top players but it’s all just Hollywood up there and is losing its culture, point being grit beats glam many times. The sport of football is white hot right now and there is a lot of young talent and only so many starting positions In the top 2 leagues. For example you will see many talented players opt for less money but get better exposure actually playing and not sitting behind 2 other 4-5 stars on the bench. Don’t forget these kids want to be in the NFL and if you’re getting a nice check but not playing because you picked Ohio State over Cincy that doesn’t help you. In regards to Fickell like he once said it ain’t always greener! Coaches make this mistake over and over and over and over. Many are assuming he does well at Wisconsin but most who take these jobs get fired in 3-4 years, and now that the 2 top leagues have even more money and able to pay huge salaries and buyouts when ready to fire you folks like Fickell leash’s will be even shorter!

Edited November 29, 20222 yr by 646empire

Rumors of Deion Sanders in Clifton last night.....

Hmm....

1 minute ago, oakiehigh said:

Rumors of Deion Sanders in Clifton last night.....

Hmm....

Fake News if I had to guess. I would be surprised if that’s the hire. If I was Deion I would really want the Cincy job but if I’m Cincy you have to question whether he is the right fit I’m thinking a more conservative personality.

He could coach baseball AND football.  

15 minutes ago, 646empire said:

Alot of this is even more complicated than many think. The “2nd class” WILL be able to compete which is why you see upsets all day long lol. It’s something Michigans coach hinted at recently about Ohio State in which OSU is rich and gets all the top players but it’s all just Hollywood up there and is losing its culture, point being grit beats glam many times. The sport of football is white hot right now and there is a lot of young talent and only so many starting positions In the top 2 leagues. For example you will see many talented players opt for less money but get better exposure actually playing and not sitting behind 2 other 4-5 stars on the bench. In regards to Fickell like he once said it ain’t always greener! Coaches make this mistake over and over and over and over. Many are assuming he does well at Wisconsin but most who take these jobs get fired in 3-4 years .

It is not that Cincy or a BIG 12 team cant compete in the new reality or even an ACC team like Clemson cant compete and win in the new playoff. They can. However, those opportunities will be much more limited. Ohio State, Michigan, Alabama, Georgia, LSU, USC will make the playoff every year. The Big 12 will have an alternating team that can get in and same with the PAC (depending on what it looks like) The ACC will have Clemson in more often than not and Notre Dame is likely to be there every year too. That leave one open spot for another at large team.  

 

the odds are it will go to a team from the BIG or $EC simply because they have more money and more importantly more exposure. Look at UC over the last few years as they clawed their way into the playoff. It took 3-4 years of program building and 2 years in a row of being undefeated and beating the likes of ND and Indiana to get there. It took UCF and Houston getting slighted in the past. Now, while UC could not compete with Alabama or Georgia, neither could anyone else, but UC could certainly have beaten half the $EC and BIG last year.  However, given the perception of being in the AAC that kept them from getting the credibility they deserved. Now, people say that is no longer an issue since they will be in the Big 12. Certainly that will help some, but as the perception of the BIG and $EC grows, it will not eliminate the gap. It only will mean the BIG 12 is equal to the PAC and ACC but still below the $EC and BIG.  

 

The other main issue that UC and all teams not in the BIG or $EC will face is exposure. The $EC has an exclusive contract with ESPN going forward giving it the first opportunity of prime viewing slots for their conference. The BIG contract with FOX, NBC and CBS does the same. As a recruit, fan, or voter in the polls, the eyeballs will go to the team that has the most exposure. Being on streaming all the time limits your exposure. Any team outside the BIG and $EC will face those issues. The Big 12 is better positioned than the ACC and PAC, but still will play second fiddle. It is going to create the growing perception of the power conferences which is another reason why the top coaches want to be in the BIG and $EC going forward

3 minutes ago, Brutus_buckeye said:

It is not that Cincy or a BIG 12 team cant compete in the new reality or even an ACC team like Clemson cant compete and win in the new playoff. They can. However, those opportunities will be much more limited. Ohio State, Michigan, Alabama, Georgia, LSU, USC will make the playoff every year. The Big 12 will have an alternating team that can get in and same with the PAC (depending on what it looks like) The ACC will have Clemson in more often than not and Notre Dame is likely to be there every year too. That leave one open spot for another at large team.  

 

the odds are it will go to a team from the BIG or $EC simply because they have more money and more importantly more exposure. Look at UC over the last few years as they clawed their way into the playoff. It took 3-4 years of program building and 2 years in a row of being undefeated and beating the likes of ND and Indiana to get there. It took UCF and Houston getting slighted in the past. Now, while UC could not compete with Alabama or Georgia, neither could anyone else, but UC could certainly have beaten half the $EC and BIG last year.  However, given the perception of being in the AAC that kept them from getting the credibility they deserved. Now, people say that is no longer an issue since they will be in the Big 12. Certainly that will help some, but as the perception of the BIG and $EC grows, it will not eliminate the gap. It only will mean the BIG 12 is equal to the PAC and ACC but still below the $EC and BIG.  

 

The other main issue that UC and all teams not in the BIG or $EC will face is exposure. The $EC has an exclusive contract with ESPN going forward giving it the first opportunity of prime viewing slots for their conference. The BIG contract with FOX, NBC and CBS does the same. As a recruit, fan, or voter in the polls, the eyeballs will go to the team that has the most exposure. Being on streaming all the time limits your exposure. Any team outside the BIG and $EC will face those issues. The Big 12 is better positioned than the ACC and PAC, but still will play second fiddle. It is going to create the growing perception of the power conferences which is another reason why the top coaches want to be in the BIG and $EC going forward

The new TV contract the Big 12 is getting from Fox and ESPN is a good one and will provide enough TV exposure. Not sure what the PAC is going to look like as it could be Amazon based which wouldnt be good for them. You are also speaking as tho those top leagues have great parity top-down and they don’t and the TVs guys know it. The BIG in particular is VERY top heavy which only about 4-5 teams that people care about. For example The networks will certainly plug in Oklahoma State v. Cincy over say Iowa v. Rutgers. The Big 12 is beautifully balanced with decent programs top down.

59 minutes ago, 646empire said:

Fake News if I had to guess. I would be surprised if that’s the hire. If I was Deion I would really want the Cincy job but if I’m Cincy you have to question whether he is the right fit I’m thinking a more conservative personality.

 

I would argue UC NEEDS a personality like Deion to move above that "second class" viewpoint.  It'll put them on the map like he did Jackson State.  Trust me, I'd take Deion in a second over Ryan Day.

16 minutes ago, 646empire said:

The new TV contract the Big 12 is getting from Fox and ESPN is a good one and will provide enough TV exposure.

That is true, the BIg 12 is positioning themselves as the strong #3 behind the BIG and SEC. Big 12 will have decent exposure but will play second fiddle on National TV to the $EC and BIG for timeslots. The top BIg 12 game may only be on FS1 that week in a 3:30 time slot going against the top $EC game on ABC and 2nd BIG game on CBS. It is harder to draw eyeballs for the Big 12.  But they are still better off than the PAC who will be on Apple TV or ESPN After Dark and the ACC which is going ot be on ESPN2 or ESPNU or ACCN.

 

20 minutes ago, 646empire said:

The BIG in particular is VERY top heavy which only about 4-5 teams that people care about. For example The networks will certainly plug in Oklahoma State v. Cincy over say Iowa v. Rutgers.

The BIG is top heavy as well as the SEC. Let's face it, the BIG contract is paying for Ohio State, Penn State, Michigan, USC. The rest is filler (Wisconsin, Iowa, Nebraska, Mich State, UCLA could provide content but are secondary). The SEC contract is all about Texas, Oklahoma, Bama, LSU, UGA, Florida.  The other SEC teams (sorry Auburn, Tennessee) are secondary.  Anytime Ohio state plays, they will get bigger billing. Ohio State/Rutgers or Michigan/Indiana will still get better TV placement than UC Oklahoma state. Those names just draw eyeballs. 

 

Also, per the Fox Contract the BIG will always have the BIg Noon slot on Fox. If say the matchups are Michigan/Rutgers (unranked) , Ohio State/Indiana (unranked) vs  #4 Okie State vs #6 UC, the UC/Okie State game will be on FS1 and the Ohio State or Michigan game will be on the main network (because of the contract). Now ESPN could get the game (and I believe ESPN actually would have first choice) but this game may be delegated to ESPN or ESPN 2 depending on what the SEC schedule looks like and their obligation to the SEC contract. This is an important fact to keep in mind.  If, in a given year, you have a top matchup in the Big 12 that would otherwise command a ton of eyeballs, the networks do not have the flexibility anymore to shuffle them to their top tier network per the BIG and SEC contracts (especially the BIG contract)

2 hours ago, Brutus_buckeye said:

UC/Okie State game will be on FS1 and the Ohio State or Michigan game will be on the main network

I disagree with this and no one knows what network particular games will be on this far in advanced lol.  Many times these things are moved and decided a week in advance. I get your point about The BIG contract with Fox but the Big 12 new deal is not Fox based it’s ESPN/ABC with fox at second rights. Most of this is based on how good the teams are. A matchup between UC and say Oklahoma State/Baylor or such wouldn’t be on FS1 haha  unless they are both really bad teams that season. ESPN/ESPN 2 or such would probably carry all those kinds of match ups with FOX/FS1 getting games like UC vs. Kansas or such. Also if it’s a ranked match up you better believe some BIG 12 games will surly be moved to primetime. Keep in mind ESPN is not part of the BIGs new media deal which gives the BIG 12 much better slots. One more thing I’ve heard multiple times FOX bid more so for BIG 12 basketball (which is best in class) not necessarily football.

Edited November 29, 20222 yr by 646empire

1 hour ago, 646empire said:

I disagree with this and no one knows what network particular games will be on this far in advanced lol.  Many times these things are moved and decided a week in advance.

Right, Fox is locked in with the BIG 10 game no matter who it is, a crappy BIG game will always take precedence over a more compelling matchup somewhere else. I am not sure how the SEC/Espn priority lies or even how it works with the ACC, but you have to figure that there are still limited windows there to highlight a top Big 12 game given the priority the SEC would have over certain time windows.  Also, play this out some more. You have 4 teams in the Big 12 that are in the top 10 and they are matching up in the same weekend. Given that Fox has the second pick of Big 12 games, that top 10 matchup will be on FS1 while the main Fox channel would show Michigan/Rutgers or some mismatched BIG game. 

47 minutes ago, Brutus_buckeye said:

You have 4 teams in the Big 12 that are in the top 10 and they are matching up in the same weekend. Given that Fox has the second pick of Big 12 games, that top 10 matchup will be on FS1 while the main Fox channel would show Michigan/Rutgers or some mismatched BIG game. 

I understand what you’re saying but In your scenario for example my point is Fox wouldn’t automatically get one of these top 10 BIG 12 matchups. They both could be ESPN-ABC- ESPN 2. Again it’s a lot that goes into this such as what time zone the host city is in, if for instance one of the top 10 matchups is at BYU and the other is east like Cincy then it’s highly likely ESPN would want to keep both and if would be easy for them to do so with the SEC games already mostly wrapped up or on CBS. So many variables.

Edited November 29, 20222 yr by 646empire

There is a clear delineation in talent. For 2 decades now, there are only a handful of elite teams in a given year. In the past, Bill Connelly was able to show that including the BCS years, there were usually 2-3 elite teams and then another half dozen really good teams. Hopefully NIL flattens this but with players at Alabama getting national commercial deals, I don't know how much it will shift to the lesser programs that are in major media markets, like Rutgers, Maryland, Northwestern.
 

 

4 hours ago, ColDayMan said:

 

I would argue UC NEEDS a personality like Deion to move above that "second class" viewpoint.  It'll put them on the map like he did Jackson State.  Trust me, I'd take Deion in a second over Ryan Day.

 

He's definitely the premier 8-toed coach.  

 

16 hours ago, 646empire said:

ESPN would want to keep both and if would be easy for them to do so with the SEC games already mostly wrapped up or on CBS. So many variables.

I do not know the specifics on how ESPN will select their Big 12 game in 2024 but it is important to remember that CBS no longer will have the SEC game of the week. ESPN will have 100% control over all the SEC content which means that ESPN will want to fill their inventory with SEC games (since they are paying a pretty penny for it) even if they have some contractual flexibility. I do believe from what I remember about the SEC contract, was that pretty much all the SEC games would be carried on a linear network and not a streaming channel. So ABC/ESPN/ESPN2/SEC Network would split a slate of 6-8 SEC games per week (once conference games roll around). 

 

Also, worth noting, starting next year partially and then becoming fully integrated in 2024, CBS will have the #2 BIG selection every week and is contractually obligated to show that in the 3:30 window. They will typically be going against the #1 or #2 SEC game of the week, depending on how ESPN/ABC want to schedule things. NBC will have the #3 BIG game per week in the 8:00 Window and FOX has the top BIG game every week in the BIG noon window.   

 

So for the BIG 12, it means the noon window on FOX is completely boxed out for their top games. On ESPN/ABC, they likely would have room in the noon window to go against FOX, but that will often involve competing against an Ohio STate, Penn State, Michigan and/or USC who are ratings juggernauts. They could go to 3:30 on ESPN but it means going against a top BIG game on CBS and Top SEC game on ABC, or they could be at night on FOX or ESPN and compete against a #3 BIG game on NBC and a potentially lesser slate of SEC/ACC games on ESPN.    

I do not mean to make this sound like a bad position for UC, because clearly, it is better than the alternative in the AAC or even what the PAC and ACC have and the BIG 12 has certainly positioned itself as the #3 conference going forward, and that provides a ton of stability and growth options. 

University of Cincinnati hires Scott Satterfield, of University of Louisville, as head football coach

 

The University of Cincinnati has a new head football coach, just a week after losing Luke Fickell to the University of Wisconsin.

 

On Monday, the university announced Scott Satterfield, currently head coach at the University of Louisville, will be its next head coach. Satterfield takes over a program poised to join the Big 12 in the coming year.

 

Satterfield finishes his tenure at Louisville with a 25-24 record. Under Satterfield, Louisville reached three bowls in four seasons. The team will play in the Wasabi Fenway Bowl against the Bearcats Dec. 17 at 11 a.m.

 

"I am honored to be the next head coach at the University of Cincinnati and am looking forward to building on the winning tradition this program has had over the last 20 years,” Satterfield said in a statement. “My family and I have admired this university and athletic department from afar for many years. I’m excited to take Cincinnati into the Big 12 this fall and ready to compete for championships."

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2022/12/05/uc-scott-satterfield-hire.html

 

I think its pretty telling when Louisville fans are mostly OK with him moving on.

Bearcat fans are mostly just confused about the hire. Seems very MEHH...  Its very hard to move on from Fickell. He did the University and city so well.

The University did allocate a very large sum for assistants/ coordinators/ and position coaches. Lets hope we can bring in some top assistants.

Probably the biggest Louisville fan on this forum and yes, other than the recruiting class he had coming in, I am fine with moving on. He was BIG TIME on the hot seat earlier this season to the point I thought they may let him go with games still to be played. In fact, that class was the only reason I saw for keeping him, despite the 7-5 record seemed to buy him another season with the AD. Hope he takes the DC with him.

UC football coach Scott Satterfield's pay will be less than Fickell's

 

Newly hired University of Cincinnati football coach Scott Satterfield’s pay will be 25% less than his predecessor but still represents a raise from what he had been making.

 

UC will pay Satterfield $22.5 million over the next six years, according to the memorandum of understanding UC and Satterfield finalized Monday. That’s the same day UC introduced him as the Bearcats’ next head football coach.

 

Satterfield replaces Luke Fickell, who left Nov. 27 after six seasons with UC to take the Wisconsin head coaching job.

 

Satterfield is due to make $3.5 million in 2023, according to the agreement. His pay increases by $100,000 each year. He’s scheduled to earn $4 million in 2028, the last year of the deal. Satterfield's pay will average $3.75 million over the course of the contract.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2022/12/07/uc-coach-satterfield-salary.html

 

On 12/6/2022 at 2:06 PM, Rabbit Hash said:

Probably the biggest Louisville fan on this forum and yes, other than the recruiting class he had coming in, I am fine with moving on. He was BIG TIME on the hot seat earlier this season to the point I thought they may let him go with games still to be played. In fact, that class was the only reason I saw for keeping him, despite the 7-5 record seemed to buy him another season with the AD. Hope he takes the DC with him.

Isn't his DC Brohm's younger brother? I heard he was going to Cincy with Satterfield but that was before his brother took the job at Louisville. 

On 12/7/2022 at 4:57 PM, Brutus_buckeye said:

Isn't his DC Brohm's younger brother? I heard he was going to Cincy with Satterfield but that was before his brother took the job at Louisville. 

 

I hadn't heard that. Bryan Brown was DC at Louisville with Satt. Brian Brohm (younger bro) was an assistant at Purdue. Could have confused the similar sounding names?

I don't know anything about the hire but am very glad for Ohio to have a second P5 team. Go Bearcats, represent!

 

Another horrible year for UC Football and Satterfield. He’s turning out to be a big mistake. He is definitely on the hot seat for next season. It will be interesting to see if they fire the athletic director if Satterfield gets the boot. I can’t imagine letting Cunningham hire another football coach.