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Man who ran the NCAA with an iron hand for roughly 3 decades dies at 93
Posted on 5/29/15 at 7:57 am
Posted on 5/29/15 at 7:57 am
Walter Byers
The man who created the monopoly of NCAA football broadcasts for roughly 3 decades is dead. Until the Supreme Court sided with UGA and OU and about 64 schools broke away from the B1G and PAC to allow their local teams broadcast ability on the Big 3 (ABC / CBS / NBC) the SEC was not given priority in their own markets. Thank god this monopoly was busted in the late 70's but this guy was its brainchild.
The man who created the monopoly of NCAA football broadcasts for roughly 3 decades is dead. Until the Supreme Court sided with UGA and OU and about 64 schools broke away from the B1G and PAC to allow their local teams broadcast ability on the Big 3 (ABC / CBS / NBC) the SEC was not given priority in their own markets. Thank god this monopoly was busted in the late 70's but this guy was its brainchild.
Posted on 5/29/15 at 8:13 am to Cheese Grits
Guy was a dirtbag.
Uneven enforcement and kangaroo courts ruled in his time.
Pathetic POS.
Uneven enforcement and kangaroo courts ruled in his time.
Pathetic POS.
Posted on 5/29/15 at 8:18 am to makersmark1
Don't know about all that. But I do know teams used to play on TV about once per yr. for changing that he is in heaven.
Posted on 5/29/15 at 8:29 am to WorkinDawg
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I do know teams used to play on TV about once per yr. for changing that he is in heaven.
He did not change that, he created the B1G and PAC national broadcast monopoly. I am old enough to remember when local SEC teams were not on TV so you had to listen on radio or read the paper the next day. The only schools not to join the CFA in the late 70's were B1G and PAC schools.
Guy was a B1G homer and did little to help schools in the south in both the ACC and SEC.
Posted on 5/29/15 at 8:32 am to makersmark1
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makersmark1
Typical.
Posted on 5/29/15 at 9:16 am to stat19
He is from kansas, what do you expect? We can smell kansas from here.
Posted on 5/29/15 at 9:26 am to Cheese Grits
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Man who ran the NCAA with an iron hand for roughly 3 decades dies at 93
About four or five decades too late, IMO.
Posted on 5/29/15 at 9:28 am to WorkinDawg
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I do know teams used to play on TV about once per yr. for changing that he is in heaven.
He didn't change that. He was behind it. Schools had to take the NCAA to court to change it.
Posted on 5/29/15 at 11:01 am to WorkinDawg
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he is in heaven
No... He is here:
Posted on 5/29/15 at 11:04 am to Cheese Grits
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He did not change that, he created the B1G and PAC national broadcast monopoly. I am old enough to remember when local SEC teams were not on TV so you had to listen on radio or read the paper the next day. The only schools not to join the CFA in the late 70's were B1G and PAC schools.
Guy was a B1G homer and did little to help schools in the south in both the ACC and SEC.
Walter Byer was the moving force behind all the NCAA did from the early 50s on. He set up the NCAA TV contract and did all he could to keep it. Had he not been so zealous at perserving the status quo, likley the NCAA would still control the contract. The schools didn't really want to get rid of it, but he wouldn't compromise.
Posted on 5/29/15 at 11:06 am to Cheese Grits
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Walter Byer was the moving force behind all the NCAA did from the early 50s on. He set up the NCAA TV contract and did all he could to keep it. Had he not been so zealous at perserving the status quo, likley the NCAA would still control the contract. The schools didn't really want to get rid of it, but he wouldn't compromise.
You also seem to be under the mistaken impression that some schools were watching their local teams every week. SEC schools were no different than Big Ten or PAC-8 schools in that matter. Schools were rarely on tv.
Posted on 5/29/15 at 12:34 pm to boxedlunch
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SEC schools were no different than Big Ten or PAC-8 schools in that matter. Schools were rarely on tv.
Not quite correct. As there were only 3 channels there were greatly reduced slots to see games in, that part I agree with. However, that being said of those slots, the majority were filled with B1G schools first and PCC (the current PAC) second. Even Notre Dame had a hard time getting on TV as they would not join the B1G and they were a member of the CFA when the monopoly was broken.
Basically the post Supreme Court decision fell into 2 groups
Group A = B1G and PAC schools at that time (the pro Byer's group)
Group B = ACC, B 8, IND, SEC, and SWC (the anti Byer's group)
As mentioned above in a previous post, had Byer's not been such a shill for the B1G and PAC, the court case never comes up and the NCAA would control CFB today the way it does MCBB and March Madness. Prior to Byer's the NCAA was broad based across the country with Dr. Dudley @ Vanderbilt having a major hand in the early history of the NCAA. If you are ever in Nashville and can gain access to the special archives at VU it is filled with early original documents that are most interesting.
Posted on 5/29/15 at 10:02 pm to Cheese Grits
The PCC died in the 50s.
I watched Notre Dame every year and they filled their limit and the networks wanted more. I find your statement that they couldn't get on TV to be laughable.
I watched Notre Dame every year and they filled their limit and the networks wanted more. I find your statement that they couldn't get on TV to be laughable.
Posted on 5/29/15 at 10:23 pm to boxedlunch
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The PCC died in the 50s.
Correct, and it was the forerunner to the PAC
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I find your statement that they couldn't get on TV to be laughable.
I never said they never got on TV, I just said they were on the CFA side against Byer's and his monopolistic control. Notre Dame was a CFA member and tell me 1 B1G or PAC team at the time who was in the CFA? I can wait for your response.
Posted on 5/29/15 at 10:50 pm to Cheese Grits
Such an interesting era for college football during his reign.
College football had gained popularity in "some" parts of the US but not in a lot of metropolitan areas. 1984 changed all that (thank you Georgia and Oklahoma) in that teams were freed up to negotiate their own TV contracts mostly by league. For years and years the NCAA controlled all of this. The NCAA gave exclusive rights to ABC and left CBS and NBC to televise only NFL and the Rose, Cotton and Orange Bowls. Also, in 1979 you had ESPN come along but could only televise on a tape-delayed basis. CBS and ESPN got in on the game. CBS began in 1982 I believe with its live coverage but were still left to pick AFTER ABC had chosen its game and ESPN broadcast its first live game in 1984 and I believe it was Florida-Miami if I recall. Being a Bama fan I had seen us play AU and UT every year but rarely saw us play LSU and Ole Miss due to the "3 game rule". Never saw us play state or Vandy. Ever. Most years we opened with Ga Tech and once about every 5 years it would be televised. Now, Everyone is pretty much on every week.
Shortly after this CBS and ABC negotiated per league. The BIG and Pac 10 were on CBS and the SWC, SEC, Big 8 and ACC were on ABC. Similar to what we have today but reversed with CBS having the SEC only and ABC taking the rest of the leagues sans ND. Nuetral site games involving the SEC can be carried by ABC and ESPN is free to televise whatever conference they desire but are further down the pecking order of selections just as they were in 1984.
I'll say this though. When you were on TV it was a BIG deal back then. Now, it's just a matter of what network are you on.
College football had gained popularity in "some" parts of the US but not in a lot of metropolitan areas. 1984 changed all that (thank you Georgia and Oklahoma) in that teams were freed up to negotiate their own TV contracts mostly by league. For years and years the NCAA controlled all of this. The NCAA gave exclusive rights to ABC and left CBS and NBC to televise only NFL and the Rose, Cotton and Orange Bowls. Also, in 1979 you had ESPN come along but could only televise on a tape-delayed basis. CBS and ESPN got in on the game. CBS began in 1982 I believe with its live coverage but were still left to pick AFTER ABC had chosen its game and ESPN broadcast its first live game in 1984 and I believe it was Florida-Miami if I recall. Being a Bama fan I had seen us play AU and UT every year but rarely saw us play LSU and Ole Miss due to the "3 game rule". Never saw us play state or Vandy. Ever. Most years we opened with Ga Tech and once about every 5 years it would be televised. Now, Everyone is pretty much on every week.
Shortly after this CBS and ABC negotiated per league. The BIG and Pac 10 were on CBS and the SWC, SEC, Big 8 and ACC were on ABC. Similar to what we have today but reversed with CBS having the SEC only and ABC taking the rest of the leagues sans ND. Nuetral site games involving the SEC can be carried by ABC and ESPN is free to televise whatever conference they desire but are further down the pecking order of selections just as they were in 1984.
I'll say this though. When you were on TV it was a BIG deal back then. Now, it's just a matter of what network are you on.
Posted on 5/30/15 at 12:42 am to Cheese Grits
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Walter Byers
the man who invented the phrase "student-athlete"...
Posted on 6/3/15 at 11:57 pm to Cheese Grits
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Correct, and it was the forerunner to the PAC
You referred to the PCC in the same paragraph as the CFA. What does a conference that died in the 50s have to do with the CFA? It's confusing at best, ignorant at worse.
quote:
I never said they never got on TV, I just said they were on the CFA side against Byer's and his monopolistic control. Notre Dame was a CFA member and tell me 1 B1G or PAC team at the time who was in the CFA? I can wait for your response.
What nonsense is this? You said Notre Dame had a hard time getting on TV. That's laughably false. What does Big Ten or PAC-8 teams being in the CFA have to do with that?
I won't bother waiting for your response because it's likely to be gibberish as well.
Posted on 6/4/15 at 8:03 pm to boxedlunch
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What does Big Ten or PAC-8 teams being in the CFA have to do with that?
You do realize neither were ever in the CFA right? Not 1 team from either conference crossed the Byer's / NCAA line to join the CFA. You seem to be a bit of a slow coach to have missed this twice now.
a) are you over 60?
b) are you a B1G or PAC fan?
quote:
You said Notre Dame had a hard time getting on TV.
In the early days of the NCAA TV contract, how often did they get on TV when they were not playing a B1G or PAC 8 team?
Posted on 6/4/15 at 8:51 pm to boxedlunch
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What does Big Ten or Pac-8 teams being in the CFA have to do with that?
They didn't need to, their nuts were already being scratched.
Posted on 6/4/15 at 9:05 pm to Cheese Grits
Douche with unaccountable power and ruining the sport, Sounds a lot like this guy
This post was edited on 6/4/15 at 9:07 pm
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