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Minneapolis Star Tribune's Hartman believes an increase to tuition costs at Minnesota will impact the Gophers AD search, "It could be that President Eric Kaler and the board had no choice because the university needs additional funding, but the timing is going to hurt the AD selection process. You wonder if the decision could have waited until they made that hire." Out-of-state tuition set to rise by seven to twelve percent, one data point is 65 FB student-athletes are not from in-state or states with reciprocity (link); Also, Minnesota regent Rosha pens an op-ed for St. Cloud Times arguing for more oversight for the board of major contracts & the athletic department budget, "I believe the regents should, as a matter of policy, direct that the athletics department balance its budget or even provide funds back to the university." (link)
At UT Martin, Interim Chancellor Smith has named WBB HC McMillan as the Interim AD after the departure of former AD Freire to Pittsburgh as Deputy AD. FB HC Simpson will also take on the duties of Interim Assoc. AD. Smith recognizes the search for a new permanent AD could be impacted by his own status as an Interim, points to McMillan & Simpson serving in their new capacities through the end of the year. - link
Michigan AD Manuel continues to be one of the most heavily covered ADs in the nation, talks about the importance of honoring tradition for the Wolverines & what legendary FB HC & AD Schembechler means to the UM family, "...there was the mantra he said and believed every day: 'The team, the team, the team, that no man is bigger than the team.' We all had a role in the success, and that always stayed with me." Also promises transparency with the student body & fan base, plus more. - link, link
More on Manhattan's AD hire of Fordham Senior Assoc. AD/SWA Reilly, noted during her presser how she had come full circle from being a Jaspers WBB student-athlete, coincidentally one of her first main assignments in the Bronx will be the hiring of a new WBB HC. MBB HC Masiello, "I haven’t been this happy since we won our second title [in March 2015]. I’m really excited about the passion she’s going to bring, her vision and competitive spirit yet still keeping a model integrity and class in place." - link
Boston College AD Bates delivered an Agape Latte talk in Chestnut Hill on Tuesday night, told BC students about his background growing up in Michigan, how his eyes opened to the possibilities ahead during his sophomore year at the University of Michigan, "Live in the moment." Later told the story of meeting his wife at UM & a car accident she endured as a student, "Don’t overanalyze life. It’ll come to you. God’s presence will take care of it." - link
Learfield & Davidson announce a new partnership between the two set to begin this July & run for 10 years. Learfield CEO Brown points to the addition further growing his company's presence in the Carolinas & on the East Coast to join the likes of North Carolina, NC State, plus eight other Atlantic 10 institutions. Wildcats AD Murphy, "We anticipate our collaboration will begin immediately as we work together to enhance the brand of Davidson College." - link
CBS Moneywatch's Berr, "The financial impact of championship basketball," reviews the impact for MBB National Champion Villanova as VP for University Advancement O'Neill says she closed two $100k+ gifts while in Houston, "It provides the university with a springboard for engagement rather than a massive immediate uptick in donations." UConn WBB's unprecedented continued success could be one reason applications in Storrs hit an all-time high of 34,019 this year, with enrollment up nearly double since 2001. - link
Hartford announces a multi-year deal with Under Armour that will start July 1 for 16 of the Hawks teams, as WBB will finish its existing contract and come to UA for the 2018-19 season. AD Goff, "This agreement is the first time in UHart's 59 year history that athletics has had an all-inclusive sports apparel, footwear, and accessory deal. We're extremely excited to begin working with Under Armour. Aligning ourselves with Under Armour will have a huge impact, not only for our athletics department, but will also help us elevate the University's reputation and recognition both regionally and nationally." No financial details released. - link
On the topic of recruiting prospective FB student-athletes who respect women, Arkansas FB HC Bielema, "I’ve literally left a kid sitting in his living room if they don’t respect...I tell our coaches all the time, ‘Look out for social issues with women.’ If he disrespects women at that time in his life, wait until he’s on his own on campus, it’s just a ticking time bomb. If a kid curses their mother or says something you shouldn’t say in front of your mom, that’s a red flag for us, ‘Let’s get out of this thing before it’s too late.’" More. - link
More intrigue behind who may succeed Disney CEO Iger as New York Times columnist Stewart tells the behind the scenes story of how COO Staggs lost support on the Board, but also of Iger himself. Insiders say Iger's involvement in the failed bid NFL franchise to Los Angeles is not a reason he may stay on for a longer leadership stretch. Interestingly, Staggs won't even be present at the opening of Shanghai Disneyland, which was his crowning achievement. Iger is plenty familiar with leadership battles at the company given his own rise to the top. - link
The Aer Lingus Classic to be played in Dublin this September between Boston College & Georgia Tech has already moved 20,000 tickets after opening sales on Wednesday. There's talk that ESPN's Sports Center programming could take place from Aviva Stadium. Three premier high school games will take place at Trinity College the day before the BC-GTech match-up, plus there's a number of other engagement points for both schools around the game. - link
HC developments: Valparaiso AD LaBarbera stays within his MBB program, promotes AC Lottich to HC (link); The MBB HC search at Wisconsin-Milwaukee is over as AD Braun has selected Michigan AC Jordan to take over the Panthers (link); SMU AD Hart hires Texas AC Mays to oversee his WBB squad (link); Former Western Kentucky MBB HC & new Jacksonville State boss Harper says he had nothing to do with the student-athlete departures in Bowling Green (link); Former Nebraska WBB HC Yori will get a $1.2M severance package (link) Louisiana Tech AD McClelland will hire his second WBB HC in as many years as you've likely heard that HC Summitt stepped down (link); Princeton Men's LAX HC Bates has been dismissed after elbowing an opposing Brown player last Saturday (link)
The editorial board of USC's student newspaper, The Daily Trojan, advocates for the strong consideration of a female as the Trojans next AD. Reviews the gender equity of the department's current leadership that counts three females in the athletic department's top ten ranking positions. Applauds current AD Haden for his work adding Women's Sand Volleyball & Women's LAX. Points to the successes of Princeton AD Marcoux & Penn State AD Barbour. - link
Interesting note since the AD chair at Montana State is open as the Billings Gazette reviews the financial success of the 'Triangle Classic' when the Bobcats take their spring FB game to Great Falls & build a series of events around the gridiron action. Director of Development Wanago says it's the biggest single event fundraising on an annual basis. NFL great Theismann is the keynote speaker at tonight's dinner where tables go for $800. - link
Florida State's annual FB Spring Game will be held in Orlando's Citrus Bowl tomorrow, a venue many of the Seminoles players are familiar with, having played their high school or state championship games there. Additionally, FSU will open with Ole Miss in the Citrus Bowl this season. Eight scholarship players are from the Orlando area. AD Wilcox, "Having a presence in Central Florida, especially in the Orlando and Tampa areas, is so important because of the sheer number of Seminole fans and graduates that live in this part of the state… We hope these two marquee games in Orlando continue to show our fans in Central Florida that we value their support. Our goal is to continue to strengthen that support and expose as many people as possible to our athletics programs." So far 34k tickets have been moved for tomorrow's game. - link
Arguably the biggest AD job in DII is off the board as Grand Valley State selected Assoc. AD Becker as the Lakers new AD. Becker has been at GVSU for the past five years after a 15-year stretch at fellow GLIAC member Ferris State as an administrator & coach. "Winning anywhere is hard. The biggest challenge? Winning. Living up to the expectations that people have. But you also have challenge on taking on a program you have to build, no matter the past. For me, I can't be intimidated in following someone like (Selgo). You have to take it as, 'How can I put my stamp on it over time?'" - link
Interest rate increase talk is back again as 75% of economists surveyed by the Wall Street Journal expect a bump in June. Some believe a jump may come as soon as this month at the Federal Reserve meetings. "Asked to gauge the probability of an April rate increase, on average economists said 11%. They assigned a 55% probability to an increase in June." - link
Looks like Verizon Communications Inc. will still make a first-round bid for Yahoo Inc.'s Web business and would acquire Yahoo Japan Corp. if necessary. Google, Time Inc. and private equity funds Bain and TPG also in the hunt on the bidding process. AT&T and Comcast pulled their interest in bidding and Microsoft won't make an attempt after losing out on its 2008 bid. First-round bids are due April 11. - link
Former Baylor FB student-athlete Oakman is under investigation by the Waco PD for sexual assault, but before that news broke yesterday, BU Prez Starr responded to the Star-Telegram's request for comment about the school's handling of rape issues the past nine months, "I am in favor of transparency. Stand up, take your medicine if you made a mistake. As [former New York Mayor] Fiorello LaGuardia once colorfully said, ‘When I make a mistake, it’s a beaut.’ So if we made mistakes, let’s live up to them, let’s own them and then correct the situation." Starr says legal firm Pepper Hamilton is nearly finished with its investigation, but that BU likely will not release the entire report, per advice from PH. - link
The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport's annual report card showed that from 2014 to 2015, hiring for women made a "slight improvement" while minority hiring went the other direction. The combined overall grade for college sports in 2015 was a 'B' with 81.2 points, a slight bump from 2014's 81.1 points. Racial hiring went from 83.8 to 83.6 points, while gender hiring went from 73.8 to 78.8. UCF TIDES' Director Lapchick not satisfied, "To me, college sports has been the most disappointing of all of the report cards that we do, since I've been involved with higher education for 45 years. When you look at the percentage of women who are head coaches of women's teams and assistant coaches on women's teams 44 years after Title IX and we are still less than 40 percent of head coaches of women's teams being women and less than 50 percent of the assistant coaches. That's a problem when 90 percent of the head coaches in both men's and women's sports across all three divisions are white." - link
Fox Sports' Mandel spent the day at Clemson with FB HC Swinney and his team that returns plenty of players to make another run at the CFP title this season. Biggest hurdles come on the defensive side as six key players left early for the NFL. Swinney, "Most people focus on what's gone. I don't control that. I control who's here. I know the talent we have on our roster." Mandel's five takeaways: 1. Massive defensive tackles; 2. Questionable at defensive end; 3. WR Williams looks "better than ever"; 4. Secondary is an issue; 5. QB Watson is impressive on and off the field. Watson is taking seven courses (19 credit hours) this semester to graduate in December, "It's a lot of late nights and early mornings, but it's something I just wanted to do. I had the opportunity, so why not do it?" - link
Former Arizona State & Texas AD Patterson confirms that he is serving as a consultant for "multiple parties" through his Pro Sports Consulting in the NHLArizona Coyotes quest for a new arena. Vague in his comments, "Lots of different parties are looking at different business opportunities, be they arenas or other opportunities. People have approached various locations, whether it be communities or others and they have fielded all sorts of inquiries." - link
President/Chancellor developments: Nebraska selected vice president for agriculture and natural resources Green as its new Chancellor, base pay will be $430k (link); More debate at Louisville on the leadership future of Prez Ramsey as faculty express their opinions on the state of the university (link); Kent State Prez Warren goes public with the unfortunate news that she has breast cancer & will have surgery, "I will remain active and involved in the business of the university throughout my recovery and I expect to have a reduced public schedule into May." (link); The search firm narrowing at Ball State to assist with its new Prez search is down to Parker Executive Search, Funk & Associates, Witt/Kieffer & AGB Search (link)
Also noticed: I don't commonly cover new game contracts, but Arkansas & Colorado State pulled off the FB/MBB double with three games to be played between 2017-2019, MBB series is home & home (link); A potential move of the Oakland Raiders to Las Vegas continues to be bandied & this piece says the NFL side could use UNLV's Sam Boyd Stadium for exhibitions if the new stadium is built in Sin City (link); Former Cal MBB AC Hufnagel has officially resigned, just a day after comment from his legal team of wanting to fight the allegations (link); The final American Idol aired last night & if you don't think it fits in this space, consider its ability to be one of the only programs to match the live audience TV ratings of sports. (link)
The Pac-12's brand build into China is around four years young & Deputy Commissioner, Jamie Zaninovich, updates on the effort that's built around four initiatives: Events (tours, coaching clinics, MBB games), PR/social media (Weibo, WeChat), media rights strategy (LeTV = ~125 games) & education (expos, summits, etc.). Today's 1.Q covers the most acute challenge of the process & if what the league is learning from a digital OTT standpoint can be translated here in the States. Listento today's by clicking the link. - link (length - 5:18)
