Reggie was an important part of UB in many ways.
For one, his longevity was inspiring. He was the coach when I was 14. I thought he would be the (minus the current negatives) Paterno of UB. The coach who would be the coach when I was at UB and when my kids went to UB. This is unheard of in today's sport where coaches constantly look to move up and administrations constantly look to upgrade, or perhaps scapegoat.
Secondly, he was a part of our community. He coached at MY high school, he coached at ECC where many UB students start out. I lived next door to some of his family, he is a part of our community, an institution in the institution.
Thirdly, he was a fine example for Black men in Buffalo, where disparity between the city and the primarily white suburbs has to be one of the worst examples of disparity in the country. In 2006, Buffalo had a Black AD, Black Football Coach and Black Basketball Coach. It shouldn't mean much, but speaking solely for myself, it meant a lot. Read my rant on Black students in the NCAA and you'll see why.
The move today, especially coupled with the extension for Jeff Quinn has robbed me of my innocence in a way. I supported one more year for Quinn, I'm an optimist...I supported Reggie, and I trusted AD White. The only thing keeping me from being really upset is the performance of his first Basketball hire Coach Legette-Jack. AD White knows Basketball, and if he thinks he can get someone better, he's welcome to 1-800-prove-it, (I'd make a run at Kevin O'Neil, a NY native I was fortunate enough to meet for a bit at USC and really enjoyed) but I feel it will be even harder to find a new Reggie, than it has been to find a new Turner Gill.
Of course we all want to take the next step. The chart shows Reggie's performance against top 4 teams over the final 10 years of his career at Buffalo. It was not great. If you wanted Reggie gone, that chart is your smoking gun.