VCU to A-10 Billboard
http://www.vcuramnation.com/2013/08...ryan-kopacsi-retires-after-15-years-with-vcu/Its a difficult day…and i typically dont post this stuff but after 15 years, I want the people I know and have come to love over the past 15 years to know. This is the only way I have to contact some of you. After 15 years I walk away from my passion. My love. The one thing I have been most faithful to. I think back and I laugh and I cry for all the moments. I could not even begin to tell any of you the opportunities I have been awarded. By the same token it was not one way. My blood was given ( I have the scars). My heart was given. My soul was given. I sacrificed time with my family, my friends, and gave up chances with women I should be married to. I have met some of the most amazing people on this earth, and I have learned from each one. I became a man and I grew up in front of a lot of people.
Today I step away from the band which has been revered and adored by many. Its impact on the community, the school, the lives of people who are in it, and mine are not measurable. The amount of media attention and press brought to the university in which I love was never even imagined. While I am certain it will be fine with out me, there will be sadness in me for awhile.
I can not thank the people enough who loved me, hated me, loved the kids, supported us, fought for us, and care about me and the band. I love you all.
I will leave you all with this….
I always said when I RETIRED from VCU as the director of athletics bands I would give a speech on the court. Its just a song that embodies everything ive done and started and have been emulated. Thank you Mr Sinatra
” Now the end is near
And I face the final curtain
My friends I’ll say it clear
I’ll state my case of which im certain
Ive lived a life thats full
Ive traveled each and every highway
But more MUCH MORE than this
I DID IT MY WAY”
Thank you for the memories VCU!
jon burkett @jonburkettcbs6This officially sucks RT @VCURamNation: Incredibly sad news for #VCU fans...Long-time pep band director, Ryan Kopacsi, is retiring.
Matt Norlander @MattNorlanderVCU #peppa band leader Ryan Kopacsi announces retirement. There goes the #rams 6th man. # havoc #rva
Matt Norlander @MattNorlanderVCU's longtime Peppas band leader has left his post. Within 12 hours a campaign to keep him is briskly mounting http://on.fb.me/1a1HVby
Rob Dauster @RobDausterVCU arguably has the best CBB pep band in the country. I wrote about them in 2012 http://cbsprt.co/1eGPzWD
CollegeBasketbllTalk @CBTonNBC1,200 likes in 12 hours on a facebook page to keep VCU's band director, who left his post last night. Impressive: https://www.facebook.com/keepryanatvcu
http://collegebasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/08/13/leader-of-vcus-band-the-peppas-retiring-at-34/Leader of VCU's band 'The Peppas' retiring at 34 http://wp.me/p1aWjM-1YcT
It looks like there's more to this than meets the eye however:Monday was a sad day for college hoops diehards around the country, as Ryan Kopacsi, the leader of the most beloved band in the country, has stepped down from his post at VCU.
Kopacsi took over the Peppas at the age of 19, and after a decade-and-a-half at the helm, he announced his retirement on his facebook page late Monday night.
“Today I step away from the band which has been revered and adored by many,” Kopasci wrote. “Its impact on the community, the school, the lives of people who are in it, and mine are not measurable. The amount of media attention and press brought to the university in which I love was never even imagined. While I am certain it will be fine with out me, there will be sadness in me for awhile.”
“I can not thank the people enough who loved me, hated me, loved the kids, supported us, fought for us, and care about me and the band. I love you all.”
A facebook page supporting Kopasci’s return to the program received more than 1,200 likes in less than 12 hours.
Matt Norlander @MattNorlanderVCU folks: I'm told VCU putting out a statement soon regarding Peppas band leader. Also heard he hasn't told VCU officials he's leaving.
Jeff Goodman @GoodmanESPN(Also can't believe I'm passing along cloaked information about a pep band leader's career on Twitter, but here we are.)
This is all pretty crazy for a college basketball pep band director, but it just goes to show that VCU's pep band is not like many others in the country.VCU needs to pony up and pay band leader Ryan Kopascsi to keep him with the Rams program. Otherwise, @mattnorlander may go in depression.
"The VCU Athletics Department learned last night via Facebook that Ryan Kopacsi has decided to retire from serving as director of The Peppas. However, VCU Athletics has not received a formal letter of resignation from Ryan and continues contract discussions with him, working through the University process before a final decision is made.
We take all contract negotiations seriously and honor their confidentiality until a final agreement is reached. "
Briante Weber, 6-3, PG, VCU, Junior
A guy who I admittedly did not know much about coming in, Weber was the best defender at the camp, combining max effort with length and athleticism. Once the live action started, Briante finished with both hands at the cup, hit a few mid-range Js, and shut down the dunk contest with his bounce windmill. There may not have been a player who helped himself more in the eyes of NBA scouts in Winston-Salem than Weber.
The VCU pep band is widely recognized as one of the most captivating crews in the game. One YouTube search for some of its best work will silence any doubters.
“The Peppas” are legit and popular.
So when band director Ryan Kopacsi, 34, announced that he was retiring this week after 15 seasons as the group’s leader, he created a stir.
It’s not uncommon for schools to release statements about situations related to players, coaches and other team personnel.
But this might be the first official statement tied to a band leader. And the idea that the school is still waiting for Kopacsi to give the university an official resignation letter makes this sound like the typical drama we’re accustomed to encountering with college basketball and football coaches. Not band leaders.
It’s also a sign that the VCU community has embraced Kopacsi, and that it views him as a vital component in the pep band’s success.
Stay tuned.
So remember all that talk about VCU’s band leader retiring?
Well, it may not quite be over yet.
If you remember, Ryan Kopacsi, a nation-wide fan favorite and the energetic leader of The Peppas for the last 15 years, more or less announced his resignation on Monday night on Facebook.
VCU, however, hadn’t heard anything form Kopacsi on the matter.
Think about that. VCU had to release a statement on the contract status of their band leader. How often does that happen? I’d put down a car payment on this being the first time.
But wait. There’s more.
Later on Tuesday afternoon, Kopacsi posted this on his facebook page: “I also want to thank VCU, who has reached out to me to continue discussions regarding my contract. I hope there can be a resolution in the next day or two.”
Maybe this isn’t a done deal yet.
And maybe you know it’s August when we’re posting on back-to-back days about a band leader.
https://twitter.com/JayBilas/status/367909843786403840The "arms race" among college bandleaders: http://es.pn/13kpRrl Yep, it's the "Wild West" out there. Glad the athletes are protected.
Milwaukee Bucks center Larry Sanders is nearing completion on a four-year, $44 million contract extension, league sources told Yahoo! Sports.
The deal will include bonuses that could push the value of the contract to the $48 million range, sources said.
Sanders, 24, emerged as a breakout talent for the Bucks in his third NBA season, averaging 9.8 points, 9.5 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per game. He's become one of the league's best rim protectors and the anchor of the franchise's frontline.
VCU hitting up Larry Sanders for support for our program is a mortal lock. LOLThe Bucks drafted Sanders with the 15th overall pick in the 2010 NBA draft out of Virginia Commonwealth.
The Bucks were swept in four games in the first round of the playoffs by the eventual NBA champion Miami Heat, but Sanders averaged 10.8 points and 8.3 rebounds in the series.
Looking forward to the Larry Sanders Practice Facility and Art Gallery at HDL Athletics Village at the Siegel Center presented by Verizon Wireless.VCU hitting up Larry Sanders for support for our program is a mortal lock. LOL
And with that, today's question:Which coach under 45 will make the Hall of Fame?
Shaka Smart (36 years old): 33 percent
Brad Stevens (36 years old): 18 percent
Sean Miller (44 years old): 16 percent
Buzz Williams (40 years old): 8 percent
John Groce (41 years old): 5 percent
Fred Hoiberg (40 years old): 5 percent
On Smart: "He is 36 years old and has a Final Four appearance, seven NCAA tourney wins and 111 wins overall over a four-year stretch."
Shaka Smart getting nearly twice as many votes as anybody else shouldn't be too surprising considering he's never won fewer than 27 games in four seasons as a head coach and already made a Final Four at a program that isn't obviously equipped to make Final Fours. He's an undeniable star and obviously patient enough to wait for the ideal next job, proof being how Smart has turned down practically every athletic director with an opening at some point over the past three offseasons.
Simply put, the kid has a bright future -- whether it's at VCU or somewhere else.
https://twitter.com/GoVCURamsAD/status/369518866524676098Happy to announce that Ryan Kopacsi has agreed to a contract and will continue to be the Director of the Peppas #LetsGoVCU
https://twitter.com/NicoleAuerbach/status/369519733940305920VCU band RT @GoVCURamsAD Happy to announce that Ryan Kopacsi has agreed to a contract and will continue to be the Director of the Peppas
https://twitter.com/GoodmanESPN/status/369519980745719808VCU band director Ryan Kopacsi has come to an agreement so he can return to his position, source told ESPN.
https://twitter.com/GoodmanESPN/status/369520328604536833VCU just followed with an official statement announcing Kopacsi will be back in his post.