Will Butler’s basketball success lead bigger schools to recruit its coach?
Four of Butler’s last five coaches have moved on to bigger, better-paying programs.
Four of Butler’s last five coaches have moved on to bigger, better-paying programs.
The decision to hire Brandon Miller came three days after Stevens surprised everyone by taking the head job with the Boston Celtics.
On Wednesday, the 36-year-old Stevens stunned the city of Indianapolis by leaving the tiny school he led to back-to-back national runner-up finishes to take the Celtics job. The news hit hardest inside historic Hinkle Fieldhouse.
Brad Stevens visited with UCLA officials this week, sources said, to discuss the school’s vacant coaching job. But several sources, including ESPN and CBS Sports, reported Friday afternoon that Stevens was staying at Butler.
Twenty-five years ago, Butler University President Geoffrey Bannister had an idea to elevate the college by making the lowly men’s Bulldog basketball team a national power, then use it as a marketing tool to engage alumni, increase annual giving to the school, and recruit more and better students and instructors.
Capitalizing on the newfound national reputation of Butler’s men’s basketball means the relatively small program must raise its revenue game—without pricing the Bulldog faithful out of the arena.
Butler University lost 53-41 to the University of Connecticut on Monday night in the NCAA men's basketball title game. But now, thanks to two straight runs to the final, every mid-major thinks they've got a shot. And a blueprint for how to do it.
The number of applications to Butler University is up 41 percent—to a total of 9,357—compared with applications received by the same time last year, according to school officials. Requests for information and campus visits by prospective students are both up 35 percent for the year.
New York-based management powerhouse will provide representation for opportunities ranging from a potential book deal to speaking
engagements.
The Bulldogs are one of a handful of "mid-major" teams that have carved out a spot on the national map with a simple
strategy: You win by being yourself.
Assuring Stevens stayed in the Bulldogs’ kennel is part of a multi-prong plan to grow the Indianapolis school’s $11.2 million
athletics department budget.
Praise for Brad Stevens, the Butler seniors, and more.
Horizon League Commissioner Jon LeCrone is hopeful Butler University officials will not let their enthusiasm over the school’s
recent push to the NCAA Championship game run wild.
The 12-year deal signed by men’s basketball coach Brad Stevens extends his Butler contract through the 2021-22 season.
From the White House to Main Street, the Bulldogs opened eyes and turned heads.
Butler received so many visits to its main Web site, school officials had to beef up the computer system. School President
Bobby Fong is commissioning a study to gauge the value of the publicity earned through the Bulldogs' run to the Final
Four.
It was the third runner-up finish for the city in the past six months. The Indiana Fever lost in the WNBA finals, the Indianapolis
Colts lost the Super Bowl and now Butler.
National ticket search engine says about 4,500 remained Monday morning for the NCAA championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Butler is winning the war of merchandise sales, leading the other three
schools in the Final Four. A victory tonight, sports marketers said, would increase those sales fivefold.
As is the case at Duke, Butler graduates about 90 percent of its players. As is the case at Duke, there’s more than mere lip
service paid to the classroom at Butler.