D1.ticker - News from Thursday, February 2, 2017

D1.ticker - Eliminate the barrage of articles & time-consuming
searches. Efficient D1 athletics news in a daily email.

New opportunities at Arizona, UC Riverside & USC Upstate below in D1.jobs. Advertise your staff openings directly to thousands of administrators who read D1.ticker every single morning. Leverage the networks of D1.t subscribers & capture job seekers long before they have to work to find your opening elsewhere. Click here for more information.

New 1.Question: Mark Jackson / Athletic Director / Villanova (part I)

Baylor: New records that hit the wire show text message exchanges between former Bears FB HC Briles & various other members of his previous staff & efforts made to suppress questionable incidents by student-athletes. Former AD & new Liberty boss McCaw also included. So much here. (link, link); CBSSports.com's Solomon goes deep on, "Why the NCAA may never punish Baylor for its rape scandal the way fans demand." Key "As awful as this has gotten for Baylor, the NCAA doesn't look like the best avenue to address it. Civil lawsuits and a federal investigation by the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) could produce far more effective discovery than anything obtained by the NCAA, which lacks subpoena power." Big 12 Commish Bowlsby: "I think the inclination is to always try to identify somebody that has standing to do something, and probably OCR is well positioned right now to act on these things. I know the OCR people have been on [Baylor's] campus. The conference and NCAA might have steps that are clearer after that process has run its course. […] I've spoken with a lot of people from the Big Ten and the NCAA about the Penn State process, and one of the things I've learned is when you don't have clear standing, you tend to have to be more responsive than aggressive on it. I wish it was otherwise. Anybody that cares about young people is appalled by that sort of allegation [52 rapes over four years], and by what appears to be that sort of environment." More. (link)

The "guidance" submitted earlier in the week by NLRB General Counsel Griffin that private school student-athletes are employees comes under fire by lawmakers. North Carolina Representative Foxx & Michigan Representative Walberg, chairs of key committees & subcommittees, released a statement that included, "This partisan memorandum puts the interests of union leaders over America’s students, and it has the potential to create significant confusion at college campuses across the nation. It’s an affront to hardworking Americans for Griffin to double down on his extreme, Big Labor agenda, especially at a time when a new president is entitled to move the NLRB in a new direction. Griffin should respect the will of the American people and rescind this memorandum immediately. If he is unwilling to set aside his extreme and partisan agenda, then he should step aside as general counsel." (link); CBSSports.com's Solomon writes further on the topic, "What the opinion can't say is the makeup of the general counsel and board members for the NLRB moving forward. The four-year term of Griffin, who was appointed by former President Barack Obama, expires in November. Three of the five sitting board members are from the Democratic majority. They have staggered five-year terms and President Donald Trump will eventually appoint the majority of the board. For now, Griffin's opinion means any interested party could bring unfair labor practice charges to the NLRB about private football players." More. (link)

CBSSports.com's Solomon was super productive yesterday, also provides revenue and payout totals for the SEC from 2015-16 tax returns. Average payout rose nearly $8M, cracking $40M for the first time (per school range from $39.1M to $41.9M), while total revenue is up 21% to $639M. Former Commish Slive received $4.3M in compensation (including a $250K consulting fee after stepping down), while current Commish Sankey made $1.2M in base pay. Other nuggets include TV/radio rights fees cracking $420M, a $17.2M annual operating surplus for FY16, and $1.2M in legal fees. More. (link)

The new AD at Arizona may one day have to keep MBB HC Miller from going to one of the bluest blue bloods in the sport, but for now he or she won't have to worry about an extension for Miller as he inked a deal that added two years to his current pact, which could keep him in Tucson through the 2021-22 campaign. Miller also received additional shares in Western Refining Logistics stock previously earmarked for former AD Byrne. The stock award is part of a unique incentive structure tied to the performance of the oil & refinery company dolled out based on retention dates. Of note for the AD search & an interesting potential negotiating angle, "The remaining 50,000 shares will be held in trust for the athletic department to use in the future as determined by UA’s president." Starting in June of this year, Miller's contract guarantees $2.6M in compensation, increasing by $100K per year. (link); What should be at the top of the list for the new AD, per FB HC Rodriguez, is a new indoor facility for the Wildcats. During his Signing Day comments, "Our weather is a huge bonus, but the summer heat is sometimes used against us in recruiting. I have been here long enough to know that it never rains. But for the heat and our workouts and all that, I think an indoor is a necessity." (link)

Syracuse AD Wildhack says the plan for MBB HC Boeheim to retire after next season is still on. "Previous to me coming here, the transition was announced by all parties, agreed to by all parties, released by all parties. It's my job to ensure as smooth a transition in this program as we can. That's my job and I'm going to do my absolute best to do it. .... We plan on executing that which has been put in place." (link)

Freshly minted Louisiana AD Maggard is "nowhere near" having an opinion on whether UL has outgrown the Sun Belt but maintains that "from a Power 5 chair, the Sun Belt is highly respected." As a senior leader at Missouri, Maggard was involved with the transition from the Big 12 to the SEC and contends that when committing to the transition process "you need to have the infrastructure in place." UL Prez Savoie also weighs in on the matter, comparing a conference transition to going to the prom, "You have to be asked if you're gonna go. And it's a two-way street." Savoie adds that, despite being in the middle of a $115M, "I don't think we're there yet. I think we're well on our way. But we're gonna get there." Still, Maggard, who indicates that facilities upgrades are only part of the equation, would like to spend at least one full week in the position before adopting a firm position, "That is absolutely a topic that will require...assessment." (link)

New Portland State AD Cleary says her experience at Willamette (DIII) taught her that the role of AD is to "truly make make decisions in the best interest of the entire department on behalf of the university. Often times the decision is not easy to make." Cleary also discusses her experience as interim AD at PSU prior to leaving for Willamette, saying she knew the department needed a "new, fresh outside perspective to breathe energy and excitement back into Viking Athletics" and credits former AD Rountree with gathering support for the community, the department and its programs. During her time away from PSU, she says she returns with the perspective that it is important to "keep a 30,000 foot view on the entire operation" and trusting and supporting the staff to focus on their specific areas. Full Q&A. (link)

Former Albany Tennis HC Graham has sent two letters to the U.S. Department of Education Office of Civil Rights (OCR) alleging that too large a gap exists between male and female student-athlete opportunities. The OCR acknowledged the letter last month. Graham contends that AD Benson's reasoning for the disbandment of the program -- that there were more tractable options in women's athletics on which to spend the program's $365K budget is a "disingenuous excuse." During the 2014-15 academic year, the ratio of male to female student-athletes was roughly 60/40 while the school's enrollment is 51.1% male, 48.9% female, leading Benson to conclude that over the past 12 years, female student-athletes have been shortchanged anywhere from 65 to 109 "participation opportunities." Longtime Men's Tennis HC Lewis adds that disbanding WTEN means UAlbany is short one metric for Title IX compliance: demonstrating that interests of the underrepresented sex have been fully and effectively accommodated. Benson says the university is fully cooperating with the OCR. (link)

Rights Deals: San Diego State & Fox Sports Collegiate Properties join pocket books. Aztecs AD Wicker: "San Diego State is a brand that is on the rise nationally and the relationship with FOX Sports is further proof of that. Being able to align our brand with not only FOX Sports, but schools like Auburn, USC, Georgetown and others that are part of the FOX Family, will only enhance San Diego State athletics. Partnering with FOX Sports allows SDSU to create synergies with FOX Sports San Diego and the FOX Sports headquarters in Los Angeles that haven’t been available to us before." (link); Fordham & Learfield ink a new deal all the way out to 2028. Rams AD Roach: "Together we can continue to build the Fordham Athletics brand while giving our student-athletes an exceptional academic and athletic experience." (link)

Inside Higher Ed (IHE) reports on discussions concerning student-athletes and activism during last month's NCAA meetings in Nashville. "The consensus: let the players speak." IHE points out several instances of activism in recent years, including protests at Missouri over racial representation and the boycott of summer workouts by two Stanford FB captains due to a delay in scholarship money, and quotes Alan Cureton, chair of the DIII Presidents Council: "Athletes have a platform. We have an opportunity to be a voice for those who do not have a voice...The platform allows athletes to say, 'This is what I believe in.'" The position is not universally adopted, though, as the IHE cites UCLA FB HC Mora who publicly criticized his QB for wearing an anti-Trump hat which contained an expletive; Clemson HC Swinney, in response to a hypothetical question about players refusing to stand during the National Anthem, intimated that "some of these people need to move to another country." More from IHE. (link)

So far, applications from international students seeking to attend college in the U.S. are stable and, in some cases, rising, despite the recent policy enactments issued by President Trump. Admissions officials posit that the true test will come in the fall when students decide whether to actually enroll, but so far indicators remain, if not positive, then static. Admissions officers from NYU, Michigan State, USC and Washington all report preliminary application numbers to be at, slightly below or above those from last year -- well above, in the case of NYU, where overseas applications have risen by 7.3%. Paul Seegert, UW's admissions director, adds that the university's 4% dip may be just as attributable to last year's marked increase, and thus not necessarily indicative of decreased interest or increased reticence. (link)

presented by Anthony Travel

The AD search at Hartford most likely won't go down until this fall as noted in a piece from the Hartford Courant's Conner. MBB HC Gallagher & his squad are struggling a bit at 6-17 (1-7) & there are some questions around the future of the program & who could make a leadership decision with Prez Harrison also on his way to retiring. Harrison, who technically exits in June, "Does my leaving make it more likely that one of those things would happen than the other? Any sport works on an every-season-matters basis, it matters to the students who are playing that season, so it's my duty really to judge this for what's best for all concerned. That's the way I'd approach it, but the one thing that's different, I'd certainly be consulting with Greg [Woodward, new Prez] along the way before I made any decision because I wouldn't want to make a decision he wouldn't want." (link)

Calling it a "hidden gem" with "such great potential," IUPUI AD Perry discusses the future of the department with the Indianapolis Recorder. Gives a vote of confidence to MBB HC Gardner and praises the Indiana State Fairgrounds Coliseum as an asset in recruiting and sponsorship opportunities. Also champions the campus community for supporting successful programs, calling the campus "a vibrant setting" that could see "even more development of housing on campus, including sororities and fraternities, as well." (link)

In a joint statement with his executive council, North Dakota Prez Kennedy writes that cutting more sports (as you may recall, baseball and men's golf were axed last year, with the latter saved by private fundraising) will "regrettably" be considered, in order to ensure the viability of the remainder of the department. With North Dakota Governor Burgum having proposed a 20% cut in funding to UND, Kennedy says a target budget will be provided to him one week from today and he will submit a budget plan by March 15. (link)

Buildings & Cash: Schematics were revealed for South Carolina's $50M, 110,000-sq ft FB Operations facility slated to break ground in the near future. Per AD Tanner, the facility will be "impactful for the daily necessities of a college football player. So I would say there are going to be some bells and whistles, maybe not to the extent that you have heard at other places" (link); Miami (OH) opened its donor-funded $25M, 56,400-sq ft Athletic Performance Center (link); Cal State Northridge has received $1.5M for a makeover of baseball Matador Field (link), while also announcing a One Team, One Goal, One Matador alumni engagement initiative for the remainder of 2017 (link); Cornell received a $1.5M gift for Men's Tennis. (link)

More questions in Lawrence as Kansas MBB student-athletes Jackson & Vick are reportedly "persons of interest" in a December vehicle vandalism case. $3K in damage would classify as a felony. The victim in the situation is the same KU female student involved in Vick's 2015 physical altercation investigation. Assoc. AD for Public Affairs Marchiony: "We are aware of the incident and we are aware of the investigation." (link); A restraining order was issued against Duke in its decision to suspend a soccer student-athlete stemming from a sexual assault investigation. A six-semester suspension was handed down by the university. Another court hearing is set for next week. (link)

Arkansas topped the SEC and ranked seventh in the nation in diversion rate, the process of diverting waste from landfills, based on the results from the 2016 EPA Game Day Challenge, which the Razorbacks participated in for their FB home games against Alabama and LSU this past season. Vice Chancellor and AD Long: "Led by our Athletics Facilities staff, and coordinated in conjunction with our sustainability partners on campus and in the community, we have been able to help establish a standard for diversion in the SEC and throughout the nation. While we are pleased with our progress, we remain committed to our collaborative work to minimize our footprint while maximizing the endorsement and promotion of sustainable practices." (link)

The Daily News' Climer takes a retrospective look at the tenure of outgoing Tennessee AD Hart. Thesis: "Dave Hart is leaving the UT athletics department better than he found it. He got things back on solid financial footing. He brought a measure of stability. Yes, there were missteps, including but not limited to the whole Lady Vols fiasco and the hiring of Donnie Tyndall as men’s basketball coach. But his overall performance has been positive." How about this line: "Say what you want about Hart. It won’t matter. He doesn’t care. He has the thickest skin of any UT administrator since Doug Dickey, the athletics director in 1985-2002. If you’re in that position, it helps to have the exoskeleton of a lobster." Climer thinks it's possible the Lady Vols decision gets reversed & the future of WBB HC Warlick is of particular interest. (link)

NYC Buckets conducts a long Q&A with Ivy League Executive Director Harris regarding her impressions of how awarding the league's hoops auto bids via tournament for the first time this year has affected the regular season. Notes that it has enhanced competition by giving teams that start slow something to play for, and doesn't believe (despite anecdotal comments to the contrary) that it diminishes rivalry games. Emphasizes that "we’re going to work hard on our terminology with our broadcast partners at ESPN" to ensure that the regular-season winner is identified as the league champ, and that the tournament winner is identified as just that. Calls The Palestra an "obvious location" to host the inaugural event and likes the size of the two-day affair from a watchability standpoint for fans. Also acknowledges the challenge in scheduling WBB games around MBB game times dictated by ESPN. More. (link)

The College of Charleston WBB team will have its two victories against William & Mary and UNC-Wilmington in early January reversed after the CAA determined the team used "improperly sized" basketballs during the two home games. The team has reportedly been using the wrong basketballs at home games the entire season, but stopped using the men's basketballs prior to its home game against Elon on January 13. Charleston switched athletic apparel brands from Nike to Under Armour before the season started and has been playing with the basketballs sent to them by UA, which they thought were women's basketballs. AD Roberts: "The College of Charleston regrets that this unintentional situation occurred. We accept full responsibility for what happened and appreciate the efforts of the conference office to find an amicable and fair resolution to this matter. We fully support the decision of the commissioner as it relates to the two games in question." (link)

More Deals: Following a yearlong pilot program, Michigan State has officially partnered with the Ross Initiative in Sports for Equality (RISE) to bring RISE’s education programs to MSU athletes and coaches. MSU will utilize various RISE training programs to "educate and empower student-athletes, coaches and administrators to be leaders in discussing and addressing matters of racism, prejudice, diversity and inclusivity within their teams, university and communities." (link); New Orleans is partnering with NeuLion, Inc. to build a new digital ticketing platform for MBB, WBB and Baseball. UNO will use the NeuLion College Platform to "manage its relationship with donors and season ticket holders, increase ticket sales. and create a high quality customer experience." (link); The Maryland MBB program is partnering with Sparta Science to use the Silicon Valley company's state-of-the-art platform "to gain meaningful insight on how to improve student-athlete performance and reduce player injury risk." (link)

Around Higher Ed: President Trump tweeted the possibility of cutting federal funding from Cal over the cancellation of a scheduled speech by conservative Yiannopoulos and the ensuing violent protests, although per American Council on Education VP Hartle: "There is no current law allowing funding to be stopped for alleged unwillingness to hear another’s point of view. Congress would have to give the president legal authority to do it, but it would be problematic" (link); Morehead State announced Murray State Provost Morgan as its sole finalist for Prez (link); Brown Prez Paxson has been reappointed to another five-year term through 2022 (link); Wisconsin-Platteville (DIII) Chancellor Shields was announced as the first of three finalists for Wright State Prez (link); The Lehigh Board of Trustees has approved a plan to increase undergrad enrollment by 20% (or 1,000 students), grad enrollment by up to 40% (or 500-800 students), add 100 new faculty, and start a new college concentrating on health (link).

Also Noticed: Here's the NCAA's full response on upholding penalties against former Tennessee & Southern Miss MBB HC Tyndall. (link); Buffalo AD Greene promoted Men's Soccer AC Carmichael to the program's top spot. (link); Anthony Travel announces the promotion of VP Wurzberger to SVP of Event Services. (link); Sounds like the eligibility of West Virginia FB student-athlete & former Florida QB Grier will be decided at some point this summer. (link); Washington State is raising some donation levels in Martin Stadium. (link); Former standout Maryland FB student-athlete & Under Armour endorser Merriman has filed a lawsuit against the company. (link); SBNation is the latest to applaud the hoops atmosphere at Grand Canyon. (link); Amazon's Q4 earnings "disappoint." (link); GoPro also falters. (link)

Correction: UNC Wilmington will host the relocated CAA Baseball Tournament this season & Elon will handle the league's Tennis Championships.

The impact of last year's Men's Basketball National Championship across all sports is where this 1.Q starts with Villanova AD Mark Jackson. Mark asked MBB HC Jay Wright to speak to his Nova HC peers during an annual retreat on the same subject & led us into a conversation about how he structures the day & a half event with internal & external voices. More tomorrow, including Jackson's pervious title of "Chief Innovation Officer" title at USC, the coming revamp to VU's Pavilion & the changing landscape of content consumption. Listen by clicking the link. - link (length - 7:58)

brought to you by Turnkey Search

Want to learn more about advertising to D1.ticker's audience? Click here.

Interested in advertising a job opening in D1.ticker? Click here to submit your position. D1.jobs is sponsored by Turnkey Search, a national search firm specializing in executive level recruiting in sports and entertainment.

(Posted from most recent over the last 30 days)

(NEW!) Assistant Athletic Director, Ticket Sales and CRM (University of Arizona / Tuscon, AZ): Oversee ticket sales, operations, customer experience for all ticketed sports; customer/donor database and CRM program; and coordinate fundraising efforts with Development. More details HERE.

(NEW!) Assistant Director of Business Operations (University of California, Riverside / Riverside, CA): The Assistant Director of Business Operations serves as the travel, purchasing and accounts payable manager for UCR Athletics. Please complete online application by 2/8/17. More details HERE.

(NEW!) Director of Development (University of South Carolina Upstate / Spartanburg, SC): Responsible for major gifts, planned gifts and annual fund support designated for the benefit of the Upstate Athletics facilities, programs and student-athletes. USC Upstate is an AA/EOE institution. More details HERE.

Senior Associate Athletic Director for Finance, Administration and Planning (Rutgers University / New Brunswick, NJ): Reports to AD, dotted line reporting to EVP for Finance and Administration. Provides departmental budgetary planning and fiscal forecasting, and strategic vision/ongoing administration of comprehensive business analytics program. Oversees strategic planning, administers HR management for Department’s 220+ FT employees including recruitment, appointment, compensation and evaluation. More details HERE.

Director, Corporate Sales (Play By Play Sports LLC / Hockey East Sports Properties / Wakefield, MA): Seeking to hire an entrepreneurial, proactive, sports sales and marketing executive in greater Boston area as Director of Sales for Hockey East Sports Properties (HESP), located in Wakefield, MA. More details HERE.

Assistant Athletics Director - Marketing and Fan Development (University of Alabama / Tuscaloosa, AL): Oversee the development and implementation of strategic marketing plans for the Athletics Department that utilize innovative and collaborative efforts to engage Crimson Tide fans worldwide. More details HERE.

Head Men’s and Women’s Swimming and Diving Coach (University of Wyoming / Laramie, WY): The University of Wyoming has an immediate full-time opening for the Head Men’s and Women’s Swimming and Diving Coach position. More details HERE.

Sports Law & Business Lecturer (Arizona State University / Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law / Phoenix, AZ): Lecturer will teach 4-6 courses on general sports law as it applies to high school, collegiate, professional sports; will advise JD students on sports research papers. Other duties as assigned. More details HERE.

Graphic Designer (The University of Delaware / Newark, DE): Supports areas across the athletic department. This individual is responsible for creating print and digital promotional materials for athletic teams, and areas within Athletics. More details HERE.

Assistant Director of Development, Athletics (The University of Akron / Akron, OH): The University of Akron, a NCAA Division I institution and proud member of the Mid-American Conference, is now accepting applications for an Assistant Director of Athletics Development / Z-Fund. EEO/AA Employer/Veterans/Disabled. More details HERE.

Director of Corporate Partnerships (American Baseball Coaches Association / Greensboro, NC): The ABCA Director of Corporate Partnerships will oversee sales and execution of all sponsorships. The ABCA has grown to more than 8,300 member coaches and 5,000 attending the annual convention. More details HERE.

Development Officer - Cowboy Joe Club (University of Wyoming / Laramie, WY): Responsibilities include direct involvement with the annual fund drive; game day parking operations/enforcement; premium seating; assisting with auctions, golf tournaments, outreach activities. More details HERE.

Part-time Ticket Sales Representative, Intercollegiate Athletics (Ball State University / Muncie, IN): Market and sell full seasons, partial seasons, group tickets, and mini ticket plans, through outbound sales activities for all ticketed sports. EEO/AA EMPLOYER/Veterans/Disabled. More details HERE.

Director of Athletics (California State University - San Bernardino - CSU / San Bernardino, CA): The Athletics Director is a member of the Div of Student Affairs Sr Management Team. The position directs and administers intercollegiate athletics. Please visit hrd.csusb.edu for more information. More details HERE.

Director of Athletics (Long Beach State University / Long Beach, CA): Long Beach State University (LBSU) invites nominations and applications for the position of Director of Athletics. LBSU Athletics is in Division I in the Big West Conference. More details HERE.

Manager, Talent Management (The University of Delaware / Newark, DE): Responsible for fostering a commitment to diversity & inclusiveness throughout the org. incl but not limited to, staffing & programming. Create, execute, evaluate comprehensive Talent Mgmt prog. More details HERE.

Assistant Director, Athletic Communications (Northwestern University / Evanston, IL): Northwestern Athletics is seeking an innovative & multi-dimensional communications professional w/ graphic design & photography exp to assist in the publicity of Chicago’s Big Ten Team. Job ID 30120. More details HERE.

Marketing and Promotions - Graduate Assistant (Ball State University - Muncie, IN): BSU opening for Marketing and Promotions G.A. 2017 fall semester. Admission to a BSU graduate program is required. Weekly commitment includes office hours as needed, staffing sporting events: weekends/evenings/holidays. More details HERE.

Executive Director, Athletics Development (Syracuse University / Syracuse, NY): Syracuse athletics is seeking an executive to lead all development activities for the athletics program, including direct oversight of the Orange Club. This will be a key senior leadership position. More details HERE.

Assistant Men's Soccer Coach - Goal Keepers (Appalachian State University / Boone, NC): Assist the head coach in the development and management of all facets of a NCAA Division I soccer program. More details HERE.

Forward