D1.ticker - Eliminate the barrage of articles & time-consuming
searches. Efficient D1 athletics news in a daily email.
Inside Higher Education digs in on topic of Presidents who face sharp learning curves when it comes to athletics, notes background of new Miami leader Frenk that fits perfectly with the university's vision, but may need some guidance on getting up to speed with Hurricanes sports, search firm Witt/Kieffer says 66% of presidents in "the top tier of NCAA football" spent time at a similar institution, William Funk believes candidates that have a good knowledge of the sports space are that much more attractive, lots more - link
New Colorado State AD Parker believes the Rams can be one of the more dominant schools in the Mountain West & says he won't spend time lobbying the Big 12 for membership, no mandate at all from Prez Frank to upgrade leagues, new FB stadium site planning to begin this month or next, in deep design phase with consultants, could see the addition of Women's Lacrosse within the next five years - link, link
Leaders from around the nation talk about the trend of FB scheduling more than a decade out, LSU AD Alleva & Mountain West Commish Thompson wish the window was only three or four years out, Auburn AD Jacobs, "We all hope to get there," comments come on the heels of Oklahoma & LSU setting up a series for 2027 & 2028, limited number of non-conference spots & need for a quality resume is the main reason the development continues - link
Good read from earlier in the week as Sports Business Journal's Ourand looks back on the 14-year, $10.8b deal signed in 2010 by Turner Broadcasting Prez Levy for the NCAA MBB Tournament, at the time many questioned Levy's rationale for such a large commitment, instead of TV ratings, Levy points heavily to digital growth of the property, treats it like a three-week Super Bowl, Team Stream execution will continue, more - link
William Morris Endeavor-IMG acquires the Professional Bull Riders in a deal estimated to be worth over $100m, PBR CEO Haworth excited about WME-IMG's content & international growth opportunities, WME-IMG grows its portfolio on the live events side as PBR executes 300 events annually in front of 3m fans, PBR was previously owned by Spire Capital Partners, Cowboys 44 & PBR management - link
Cleveland State will restore & fund Wrestling while still moving forward on plans to add a Men's Lacrosse program in 2016, student fees will increase by $30 annually to cover the budget outlay for Wrestling in a move that has less of an impact on students than the one endorsed through a student vote last week, university CMO Spademan says leadership listened to community feedback in its decision - link
Illinois State MBB HC Muller talks about moving forward after the tragic loss of AHC Ward, says the Redbirds are in good shape on the recruiting trail because of Ward's hard work, incident has brought his program even closer together, also notes the reality of the situation, "Seriously, and it's not disrespectful, but you have to move on. We won't forget about what happened & we will never forget about those guys, but we can't wallow in sorrow. It's not how it works." - link
Tulsa's official full cost of attendance number for 2015-16 is $2,500 per student-athlete according to AD Gragg, for coverage of 234 with scholarships that works out to a $585k increase to the Golden Hurricane budget, does not believe it will be used as a recruiting tool, "The figure must be in tune with the financial aid office...We're gonna do it the right way, I can promise you that." - link
Troy AD Hartwell & South Alabama boss Erdmann talk full cost of attendance coverage, Hartwell talks about not wanting to put his Trojans at a recruiting disadvantage, but also the reality of adding nearly $1m to his budget, "In a perfect world you're going to go find additional revenue sources to be able to take care of it, which is easier said than done," can see slicing up cost of attendance awards incrementally between student-athletes - link
Georgia Tech will host a Rolling Stones concert in Bobby Dodd Stadium in June with an expected $250k windfall going directly to full cost of attendance coverage, AD Bobinski points directly to having to find creative new ways to generate revenue, there hasn't been a public concert in the stadium since Pink Floyd in 1994, Bobinski believes there's more talk than substance on the role cost of attendance will play in recruiting - link
A number of airlines are re-configuring their interiors, especially for long-distance flights in order to get more first class & business space that demand higher prices & thus reducing the number of coach seats, smaller planes are also taking more to the skies as they allow for companies to better match supply & demand, surveys show flyers would rather be in wide body planes - link
Even more from outgoing Missouri AD Alden, fears ADs don't have enough time to really engage with their student-athletes with the growing fiscal & commercial responsibilities of the job, strong words on his future, "I will never be an AD again," notes the pressure to win for HCs in an environment where salaries continue to increase, not a huge fan of more compensation for student-athletes - link
USA Today's Wolken writes on Liberty's decision to fully fund cost of attendance coverage for their student-athletes, another move in the Flames desire to move up in conference affiliation as AD Barber added yesterday his team is ready to move when the right opportunity comes along, move projected to add $785k to budget, an unnamed FCS AD does not think Liberty's decision will impact others in the peer group because of their obvious push upward - link
Stanford's Graduate School of Business Sports Innovation Conference included a number of intriguing presentations, featured former Secretary of State & College FB Playoff committee member Rice & Pac-12 Commish Scott agreeing that four teams is the right number for the post-season structure, Rice could see a dilution of regular season importance if the field were to grow, Scott compares situation to MBB - link (article), link (more from the conference)
Developments in Delaware's dismissal of Softball HC Wohlbach include support from former players & the youth Softball community in the area, mother of one student-athlete says she was shocked, but another parent points to demotions for anyone that crossed her, UDPolice confirm an incident of a friend of Wohlbach confronting UD officials at the Carpenter Center, more feedback - link
Tulane student-athletes take to social media to protest the dismissal of Strength & Conditioning coach Sharpe, piece notes Sharpe was under investigation for the way she handled student-athletes who showed up late to training sessions that included rolls & bear crawl penalties, a petition has also generated over 200 signatures from student-athletes, no further comment from the school - link
New Hampshire opens its new $1.9m Watkins Center for Student-Athlete Excellence that includes wireless internet, as well as a comfortable & quiet study environment for players, also has space & programming for personal growth, life skills, academic support, career planning, networking & community service, funded entirely through private gifts - link
Houston leadership is all on the same page & did full vetting as former Oregon MBB student-athlete Dotson signed a LOI with the Cougars yesterday, Dotson was one of three Ducks involved in an alleged sexual assault on the Eugene campus last year & was eventually dismissed from the program, outgoing UH AD Rhoades spoke with UO AD Mullens, Senior Assoc. AD/SWA Chizer will serve as mentor for Dotson - link
Nike's run of dominance may not end any time soon as a Piper Jaffray research study shows the brand is the most preferred by teenagers in the apparel category, topping brands such as Forever 21, Hollister, Ralph Lauren & Victoria's Secret, shoe category feedback shows major market share, more data makes it little wonder why Nike has such influence in the recruiting game - link
Oregon FB coaches have committed up to $250k in matching funds to the school's PathwayOregon program that helps low income students afford to attend the university, pushes supporters to donate an identical $250k by the FB Spring game on May 2nd, 1,700 students are a part of the Pathway program with 63% being the first in their families to earn a college degree, HC Helfrich excited to join the passion of Ducks fans with an educational opportunity - link
Michigan Interim AD Hackett still hints at a home FB night game this season, "hang in there, an announcement's coming," likes to tease FB HC Harbaugh that he hasn't won a game yet, "I just learned this week he's not the highest paid coach in the Big Ten, that's good for me." Also, highly impressed with the job MBB HC Beilein did this season with a number of key injuries - link
Evansville gets a new five-year apparel deal done with Nike who will now cover all 14 Purple Aces programs, AD Spencer, "This is an important step for us to strengthen & solidify the Purple Aces brand & raise the profile of the University of Evansville on a national level. To pair our brand with the top sports apparel company in the world is a positive for all parties involved." - link
ESPN's Kimes writes on bonuses that are tied to academic achievements, points to body of research that shows monetary incentives don't work for accomplishing complex tasks, "But there's a bigger problem with academic bonuses: They reward results without any regard for how those results are achieved...coaches become like the Wall Street traders who were paid to earn massive profits without any incentive to avoid risk" - link
Sam Houston State is getting a handful of new scoreboards thanks to Anheuser-Busch distributors from around the Huntsville area, Bowers Stadium, Johnson Coliseum & the Bearkat Softball Complex are all getting new boards, unit for Bowers will be the largest in the FCS measuring 32'4" by 79'6", Johnson Coliseum is also prepping for a $9.5m renovation - link
The San Diego Bowl Game Association is pushing Navy to move its 2016 or 2018 home FB game against Notre Dame to Qualcomm Stadium, Executive Director Neville says the addition aligns with the mission of increasing tourism to the city, Navy is apparently open to the idea & obviously has a strong presence in the port city, the Navy-Notre Dame match-up has been played in a number of locations in the past - link
Fermata keeps rolling, signs Churchill Downs in deal that will begin this summer & replace IMG as the licensing team of record for the iconic racetrack & the Kentucky Derby, Churchill Downs VP of Partnerships Warfield likes Fermata's vision of lifestyle additions for the brand, Fermata plans to increase distribution points for merchandise & also categories of products - link
With the William Morris Endeavor-IMG marriage fashion & sports go together even more now & IMG has found a new home for their famous New York Fashion Week as the Skylight Moynihan Station & Skylight Clarkson Sq. will serve as host venues for the event in September, Skylight Group CEO Blumin recounts phone call from WME-IMG co-CEO Emanuel that came from her photo being in the New York Times, lots of details still to work out - link
Add matt@d1ticker.com to your contact list to ensure the daily D1.ticker emails land safely in your inbox!
