I am in complete shock. We received the news tonight not long after winning our 3rd consecutive National Championship that UNO plans to move to D1 and they will drop the wrestling and football programs.

There is a meeting at SAP Field House tomorrow (now today) Sunday 3/13 at 6 PM for the Regents to hear from us. If anyone can come wearing any team wrestling shirt, please join in our battle to save wrestling. If such a successful program is dropped, I don't think anyone is safe.

Please read this article for the real story about UNO's plans to drop wrestling. This is not bitter talk due to the announcement. These are all events we have experienced and tried to work through with a very difficult AD

http://themat.com/section.php?section_id=3&page=showarticle&ArticleID=23332

Does the State of Nebraska have an Open Meetings Law - was the public or the school student body ever notified of their meetings behind closed doors, This is all about business and has nothing to do with the student athlete anymore. I can promise the UNO administration that there will be some long term (25 to 50 years) negative impacts. The institution will lose many supporters who make recommendations to other prospective students to attend that school. It is the beginning of an ugly battle and the focus is off the students and their ability to get a college education. If these college administrators want to continue to use state property (owned by the tax payers) in order to run a for profit business then they (AD, President, decision makers) should go buy private property and build their own buildings for semi-professional sports. They Nebraska Board of Regents, Legislature, Governor, Senators need to put a stop to running young students away from a college education.

Wow I am in shock!! Wrestled there back in the late 80's early 90's Coach Denney is the best guy ever. Trev Alberts needs to go.

What a joke. I feel pretty confident in saying that wrestling is about the only program (except hockey which is already d1) that could be competitive and see success right away at the division 1 level. I guess the positive side is they're not trying to mask cutting it by saying its because of Title IX which should make it easier to fight. He says it is a complete business decision, but at one point did college officially become business and not about the students? I mean I know it has been for quite some time and certainly since my first year of college, but at least students were led to believe that it was about their education. And if he's really that worried about making money in the long term scheme of things why would he get rid of football. Football is the biggest revenue sport there is and while it'll take some time to build a big time d1 program up, they would profit in the long run. Heck there's enough bowl games now all the team has to do is go .500 and they'll get money from playing in a bowl. You just don't get rid of a program with the tradition of the uno wrestling team though. Denney has been there for I think 32 years now and has coached the team to 6 titles in 8 years! It'd be about like Penn State not only firing Paterno, but dropping the program after a bcs bowl victory. I think Trev Alberts needs to go back to being a college football analyst. We'd still have to listen to him from time to time but at least his ignorant decisions wouldn't hurt students. I have no idea how in the world he managed to land the AD job at Omaha but he needs to be ousted. Good luck to the UNO wrestling program and all its supporters in fighting this, I really hope the decision gets vetoed.

This is so sad for the UNO wrestling community and the national wrestling community. What is even more depressing is that the chancellor appears to have such a strong wrestling background. I agree I hope they veto this decision. Three straight current national titles and I believe eight total national titles. It also has to be the worst timing of an announcement that I have ever heard of.

Yes!


It was not unlawful for the affected student athlete, student body, or the public to be noticed of the meeting. The following Attorney General's Opinion should answer your question.

"Committees of faculty, administration and students created by the Board of Regents of the University of Nebraska to advise the Chancellor of the University in his administrative/management function with respect to budget cuts were part of the management structure of the University and not public bodies subject to the open meetings statutes. Op. Att'y Gen. No. 92020 (February 12, 1992)."

The only thought I can formulate is.....Down with Trev Alberts!

I second that Ike. UNO is a tremendous wrestling program and a model for other programs around the nation. I hope the UNO wrestling team, alum, and community fight this battle and Win!

Shame on Trev Alberts for the timing of his cowardly phone call. You can't wait till Monday and meet with Coach Denney face to face?

Alberts is bush league and weak.

There are a lot of crappy decisions that college administrators make, but this has got to be one of the crappiest I have ever heard of.

cparks,

I also hope that they can find a way to fight it and win.

I agree with all of you. Denny is one of the greatest men I have ever met. He runs that program with a 20K budget and raises all the rest with the hard work of his assistants and his squad. Alberts has been out for wrestling every since his arrival. Ndsu and sdsu are in that conference with wrestling. Maybe unos arrival would allow a conference meet?

The phone call is the only was he could deliver the message without getting his a** kicked. Denny has been in battles with him before and would go to alberts office dressed in his jujitsu gi(sp?) Ready to battle!

Just in case anyone was thinking Trev Alberts can't be that classless, I just learned that when the wrestlers arrived at the UNO field house today after the trip home from Kearney they were unable to get in because Alberts had changed all of the locks on the building.
Additionally, Alberts tried to call coach DURING the awards ceremony last night to tell him of the plans to drop wrestling!!!!!!! It was upon coach returning the missed call (which I am sure coach assumed was to be congratulatory) that he learned of the plan.
This is a personal thing, Trev Alberts is threatened by Coach Denney's success and the level of respect he receives from not only those at the university, but the entire nation. As mentioned previously, Alberts has been an enemy of the UNO wrestling program from the moment he stepped on campus.
In my opinion, the best solution is to get rid of the source of the problem. Trev Alberts must go!!!!!

Sound like he needs to go. Maybe a national petition from the wrestling community would make a difference. Otherwise, it is like any other Dictatorship that runs a country into the ground.

Trev Alberts may have been an elite level college athlete as a Football player at Univ of Nebraska,but he doesnt have the clue for what building and maintaining a classy and top notch program in Wrestling fully entails and nor does he have the respect for the selfless commitment of Coach Denney, who is one of his best Coaches & someone Alberts as AD should be backing 110%. -

It amazes me how this young, wet behind the ears AD with very little experience can swoop in and have all the answers. I still cannot fathom how a program who was won 6 of the last 8 National Championships is just tossed aside. - I personally dont agree with the decision to go Division 1..but even if they do.. Coach Denney has PROVEN he will do what it takes to maintain a program monetarily and there is NO DOUBT he can field a highly competitive team at that level too ! -
I am in shock as a fan and can only imagine what those close to the program are feeling right now. My heart goes out to them and I sincerely pray that this plan of Alberts doesn't come to fruition.

I have already emailed Trev Alberts as I hope the rest of the wrestling community will do the same! shut down this scum bags server with emails and phone calls! Yes, I Kansas people and people across the country can be a factor in saving this program.

I made sure he was aware of how big of a coward and scumbag he was by the way!

Does anyone know if the Board of Regents has approveed this or if they have to?





Kevin Seybold

The next scheduled meeting of the Board of Regents is in April, but I understand they are considering having a special meeting before that one to discuss and vote on this issue.

SO THERE IS STILL TIME TO TAKE ACTION!!!!

Coach Church, I like your style!!!