D1.ticker - News from Saturday, February 18, 2017

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The latest from the Arizona Daily Star's Hansen on the AD search at Arizona, "I suspect Arizona will tempt Kansas State’s exemplary AD John Currie. He earns $775,000 annually and has a $1.5 million buyout. He might be first on any list in the AD job market. Why Currie? Dempsey has always sought those not thought to be available. He got a Final Four basketball coach from Iowa (Lute Olson), and when Arizona’s football coaching job opened in 1987, he offered the job to head coaches from Ohio State, Baylor and Boston College before finding a gem at Hawaii, Dick Tomey." Beyond Currie, Hansen points to Central Michigan boss Heeke, who has an interesting tie with Dempsey of being an Albion College (DIII) alum. Hansen thinks former Swim HC Busch, who recently exited as USA Swimming National Team Director & will return to Tucson, is unlikely to lead the Wildcats department. (link)

More from UConn AD Benedict with The Courant's Jacobs on the rumors of conversations with the Big East. Benedict: "I have had no conversations with anyone at the Big East regarding us joining their league. Period. Off the record, on the record. I have had no conversations with anyone at the Big East regarding us joining their league. I know, I'm the guy who told you a month earlier we weren't going to make a change with the head football coach. I'm telling you, there is no truth to this. [...] No one knows what the future holds. Whether it's the last 10 years or the last 100 years, there is consistent change in college athletics. I wish there was someone who could predict the future, but there isn't. Right now, we are 100 percent committed to our football program and men's and women's basketball, as well as all our sports. Right now, the AAC is our best opportunity to grow all our sports." Jacobs then runs through changes in the landscape, points squarely to an uncertain or devalued FB brand if the Huskies went Independent or to the MAC. Ultimately, despite Benedict's comments, Jacobs expects the conversation to only grow louder. (link)

DIs in the state of Colorado may soon be able to offer more multi-year contracts if a new senate bill is put into action. Currently, only six multi-year agreements per campus are allowed & state Senator Priola, a Colorado grad & season ticket holder, believes the law has previously "impacted, sometimes, our ability to recruit and retain coaches and staff." If smooth sailing continues for what Priola calls a "bipartisan piece of legislation," it could go into effect on August 9th of this year. (link)

Kentucky MBB HC Calipari is the latest to rant on the decision at NC State to part ways with HC Gottfried at the end of the season. "Here’s what bothers me about this profession right now... we’re firing coaches in midseason. Are you s—ing me? We’re firing coaches in midseason. You know I’m putting in my contract? You can fire me at midseason, but you’re gonna have to pay me $3 million. Oh, you’ll let me stay now, won’t you? There’s a new one that’s going to be in the contract, DeWayne (Peevy, Deputy AD at UK). You can fire me midseason, but you’re paying me. Why would I even have to think of that? Now every coach in the country: Put it in your contract." (link)

"Airlines Phasing Out Screens Because You Are All on Your Devices" is the title of this New York Times piece that explains how improved wireless service will eventually replace the seat-back screens in order to allow content to be streamed to passengers' electronic devices. "Cranky Flier" blogger Snyder points to the financial incentives behind such a move, including removing the weight of the screens and their wiring and the fact that taking away the screens means airplanes can accommodate slimmer seats (oh great), which of course would lead to more seats available for sale on each flight. Expect to see charging outlets at each seat for your devices. (link)

presented by Anthony Travel

The Herald & Review's Tupper runs through the options for Illinois AD Whitman on the future of his MBB program. 1) Retain HC Groce "if he is convinced that Groce has led the program to a pivot point and the results will swing in a positive direction once the 2017-18 recruiting class arrives, he could fly in the face of popular sentiment and pull off the stunner." 2) Hire a proven HC from a top-tier program ("This is the Tony Bennett (Virginia), Cuonzo Martin (Cal) theory.") 3) Hire a hot mid-major HC ("Call this the Mike Thomas approach.") 4) Hire an unproven AC with the right pedigree. 5) Replicate the FB HC Smith hire with former Iowa State HC & current Chicago Bulls boss Hoiberg or San Antonio Spurs VP Williams. Or, 6) Pull a stunner, mentions former Wisconsin HC Ryan. (link)

Memphis MBB attendance looks to be on pace for the Tigers to receive a $409,500 payment from the FedEx Forum if turnstile numbers of ~6,300 per game continue through the end of the year. Scheduling home games is part of the attendance & competitive challenge for HC Smith, "That’s the toughest thing to do in college sports right now, is scheduling, to be honest, outside of recruiting. If you’re not one of the power five conferences … you got some competition in scheduling because you’ve got 65 other teams in those power conferences that do it a lot. A lot of reasons why they’re able to schedule games, and we probably all know that if you’re in the media, if you follow basketball and TV contracts and everything else that goes on. It makes a big difference, so we’ve got to be very conscious of that going forward." (link)

Reports are on the wire that Iowa State has hired Virginia Tech Wrestling HC Dresser as its new leader in Ames. Anonymous sources pointed to by the student newspaper at Iowa State, but word from inside the Hokies department says it's "not a done deal." Tech AD Babcock declined comment on the speculation earlier this week. Dresser is an Iowa alum & has led Virginia Tech since 2006, including a #5 ranking this season. (link)

Profile of Utah Director of Sports Science Rimer includes his role as a facilitator of knowledge & advanced thinking within the department. AD Hill: "Ernie's expertise puts us even more on the cutting edge. It helps give us our best opportunity to be successful." Part of that experience was serving as Strength & Conditioning coach for the U.S. Ski Team for six years. Data is big part of Rimer's job as he commonly spends a season or two with a program digging into their training methodology. One example of data challenges comes from MBB Strength Coach Stephenson, "I was talking to another coach from another school recently: He said, 'I've got four years of data all here on every athlete. It's not even going to matter.'" (link)

USA Today's Armour pens on the reports of previous student-athlete mistreatment by Colorado State MBB HC Eustachy. Thesis: "Every time there’s a major scandal in college athletics — Miami, Penn State, Baylor, the list goes on and on — there is a furrowing of brows and solemn promise that this will never happen again. Nothing is worth a school sacrificing its integrity, the refrain goes, and everyone will learn from Disgraced U’s mistakes. And then it happens again. And again. And again. Because the ugly truth is, winning is all that matters and most schools will forgive all manner of sins so long as their coach is doing it. And Eustachy has won at Colorado State. A lot. He set a school record with 26 wins in 2012-13, his first season with the Rams, and bettered it by one two years later. He’s finished at .500 or better each year, a streak that will continue this season." More. (link)

AmpThink releases fan engagement trends gleaned from "a Wi-Fi network deployed at a large Collegiate Stadium during the 2016 football season." Of note: Total attendance was 500K with a unique audience of 300K, 71% of attendees only went to one game, 13% to two, down to 2% for all six, .edu email addresses made up 11% of all wi-fi users, 34% of students went to just one game. "The data presented was captured from a single University, but it is consistent with data that AmpThink has collected at other Universities. While it is possible that fans at other Universities might behave differently, it is just as likely that this data is representative of fan behavior at all major collegiate stadiums." (link)

New Tennessee Chancellor Davenport continues framing her early days on the ground in Knoxville with an AD hire looming. While she's committed to diversity, the focus is on hiring the best possible leaders for key open spots, which in addition to the AD chair includes the selection of a new Provost. "These jobs are about relationships; leadership is about relationships. We have to use strategies that educate, that heighten awareness, that find ways to bring people together and it's not easy work. It takes time and it takes care . and we'll be working on those relationships." (link)

Arizona State AD Anderson has stuck to his plan of pushing forward on the Olympic sport front & the "Olympic Village" concept looks to create a "communal area for student-athletes to train and potentially live." Senior Assoc. AD & Executive Director of the Sun Devil Club Nelson, "...the way we look at our Olympic sports and the athletes and the coaches that are looking for training facilities, we think that there is an opportunity to make several of those to make Tempe their home base moving forward." Every program around the nation is looking for its competitive advantage. ASU's is becoming clear. (link)

Nebraska Assoc. AD for FB Operations Van De Riet didn't play much of the sport growing up & as of his senior year at San Jose State, hadn't been to a single college game. Now, he's a close confidant of Huskers HC Riley. Connections built from time in the SJSU equipment room led to Oregon State where his path intersected with Riley's. "Coach Riley talks to Billy and I about everything. I’m part of a conversation. Mike’s the decision-maker. Coach has his vision on where he wants to go and our job is to help him get there." More. (link)

Another interesting career arch comes from Western Carolina Softball HC Clift, who was a 26-year law enforcement veteran when he joined the Catamounts as an AC 2009. Two years later, Clift took over the WCU program & last year became the first HC in the sport to win over 100 games in Cullowhee. "I believe in the team concept, and I had seen it when the stakes were obviously much higher with SWAT, such as life and death. And while it is not the same, the similar principles of working together translate well here in coaching softball." Again, more. (link)

Loyola Chicago MBB has faith on its side in the form of 97-year old nun Schmidt. Pre-game prayer with the team, "Good and gracious God [...] Don't let the refs get under your skin Hold those hands up so they don't think you made a foul. If somebody flops on the floor, just ignore them. Good and gracious God ... let's get a big 'W' after our name." "Sister Jean" was named the team Chaplain in 1994 & is a mainstay for the Ramblers across a variety of spots, though hoops on the hardwood looks like her passion. AD Watson: "She's just not just an iconic figure who we parade around and put in front of folks. She works longer hours than anybody." A whole bunch more. (link)

Also Noticed: UConn WBB HC Auriemma on his new five-year contract in Storrs, "My contract negotiations are easy. I'm not one of these people who goes back and forth and drags it out. I know where I stand, I know where I belong, I know what the deal is. It doesn't take much." (link); Former Rutgers FB HC Flood has landed as an AC with the Atlanta Falcons. (link); The Salt Lake City Screaming Eagles of the Indoor FB League are allowing fans to call their plays via a mobile app. (link); The father of UCLA MBB stand-out Ball says his "boy" is better than Golden State Warriors All-Star & former Davidson stud Curry. (link)

You're not going to believe this, but this is truly a one question 1.Question! The Citadel Athletic Director, Jim Senter, provides feedback on the challenges & opportunities associated with fundraising at a public institution that looks similar to a private school with lots of giving tied to one's graduating class & additional unique dynamics in Charleston. "Our alumni giving has been as high as 40% in the past & it's around 29% now, but that's still probably 20% higher than most public institutions around the county, but not as high as some privates." More from Senter on Monday. Listen by clicking the link. - link (length - 3:39)

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(Posted from most recent over the last 30 days)

Assistant Athletics Director for Fan Engagement (Baylor University / Waco, TX): View the full description: Associate Athletics Director for Branding and Creative Services. AA/EOE. More details HERE.

Assistant Athletics Director for Annual Fund (Baylor University / Waco, TX): View the full description: Assistant Athletics Director for Annual Fund. AA/EOE. More details HERE.

Associate Director of Development for Athletics (University of Massachusetts Amherst / Amherst, MA): This position will manage components of the annual giving program for the athletics department. BA degree and 3-5 years of development experience required. To apply: carolyn.crowley@umass.edu. EOE. More details HERE.

Assistant Commissioner for Compliance (Big South Conference / Charlotte, NC): The successful candidate must demonstrate significant experience in Division I compliance, and strong knowledge of NCAA rules and compliance systems. More details HERE.

Associate Athletics Director for Branding and Creative Services (Baylor University / Waco, TX): View the full description: Associate Athletics Director for Branding and Creative Services. AA/EOE. More details HERE.

Associate Athletics Director for Resource Development (Baylor University / Waco, TX): Associate Athletics Director for Resource Development. View the full description: Associate Athletics Director for Engagement. More details HERE.

Associate Athletic Director for Engagement (Baylor University / Waco, TX): Associate Athletics Director for Engagement at Baylor University. View the full position description: Associate Athletics Director for Engagement. AA/EOE. More details HERE.

Assistant Director of Ticket Sales Center (Baylor University / Waco, TX): Assistant Director of Ticket Sales Center. View the full description: Assistant Director of Ticket Sales Center. AA/EOE. More details HERE.

Director 3 - Director of Ticket Operations (Southern Methodist University / Dallas, TX): The Director of Ticket Operations will oversee the day-to-day operations of the ticket office, game day management and all the details that pertain to achieving this office and departmental goals. More details HERE.

Director of Compliance (Boise State University / Boise, ID): This position will be the primary compliance administrator for sports as assigned and will help monitor all areas of compliance. Reports to the Associate Athletic Director/Compliance. More details HERE.

Senior Associate Athletic Director for Marketing and Strategic Communications (Rutgers University / New Brunswick, NJ): Reports to Deputy AD. Primary brand steward for Rutgers Athletics. Responsible for establishing a unified voice for all messaging, enhancing customer service, integrating marketing and communications teams, increasing revenue, enhancing the fan experience, and promoting 24 varsity sport programs. More details HERE.

Senior Associate Athletic Director for Academic Services (Texas Tech University / Lubbock TX): Responsible for ensuring student-athletic academic success, retention, and graduation in a fast-paced environment with shifting priorities. Req#ID 9989. Resume/Cover Letter. EEO/AA/Vet/Disability. More details HERE.

Associate AD Business Operations (New Mexico State University / Las Cruces, NM): Directs and oversees the planning, development, and administration of all business and commercial activities, programs, auxiliary enterprises, inventory control, and services of a large organization. More details HERE.

Director of Athletics (University of Nevada, Las Vegas / Las Vegas, NV): Reports to the President of the University, administers the overall athletic program, and provides strategic leadership, direction, and oversight for a 17-sport Division I FBS program. More details HERE.

Assistant Director of Development/Major Gifts Officer ICA (Miami University / Oxford, OH): Will advance the mission of Miami University by planning, organizing, and implementing strategies to increase the level of personal involvement & financial commitment of alumni and friends. More details HERE.

Assistant Director of the Duke Club - Annual Fund (James Madison University / Harrisonburg, VA): James Madison University is accepting applications for an Assistant Director of the Duke Club - Annual Fund to assist the Duke Club in efforts to reach annual fundraising goals. More details HERE.

Assistant Athletics Communications Director (Purdue University / West Lafayette, IN): Responsible for communications for Volleyball and Softball sports. All applicants must apply online at: Purdue University is an EA/EO, affirmative action employer. More details HERE.

Senior Associate or Associate Athletic Director (Tulane University / New Orleans, LA): Primary responsibilities include managing revenue generation. Participate in the development of departmental goals, provides daily oversight, leadership, and management of the units under supervision. More details HERE.

Associate Athletic Director - Student Services and Sport Administration (University of Delaware / Newark, DE): Responsible for collaborating w/team members on all facets of sports admin for UD’s 21 varsity athletics programs & the successful leadership of the Student Services & Career Services. More details HERE.

Assistant Director of Business Operations (Mississippi State University / Starkville, MS): Provide a broad-range of fiscal activities for the Department of Athletics. More details HERE.

Assistant AD for Budget and Finance (University of Minnesota - Twin Cities / Minneapolis, MN): The Assistant AD of Budget/Finance serves as a leader to oversee/direct the daily operation and administration of the athletic budget/finance and travel operations with the budget and finance team. More details HERE.

Associate 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.

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.

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.

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.

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