D1.ticker - News from Tuesday, January 10, 2017

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1.Question Throwback (below) - Jaime Pollard - Athletic Director - Iowa State

Sacramento State Prez Nelsen will hire a new AD in a national process that he expects to be complete by March. "Our commitment to student success at Sacramento State is unwavering, and that commitment includes a resolve to elevate our Division I athletics programs and achieve excellence across the board, both inside and outside the classroom." Outgoing AD Macriss will, according to Nelsen, stay with the Hornets as Executive Assoc. AD for Operations & Facilities. Former FB HC Volek named Interim AD & a full hiring committee will be defined in the near future. (link)

After 11 years leading the Cyclones, Iowa State AD Pollard has a new deal that runs through 2024. Prez Leath: "Jamie is an exceptional leader who shares my vision for elevating the profile of Iowa State as a university known for excellence. His tenure is marked with unprecedented achievement and enthusiasm for Cyclone Athletics – both in competition and in the classroom. More importantly, Jamie has led this success with integrity, doing things the right way — the Cyclone Way." Pollard grateful for the opportunity to continue the momentum in Ames & The Des Moines Register's Peterson notes that Pollard's extension "is near the time the Big 12’s television rights agreement ends." (link)

New Grambling AD Bryant officially introduced, even though he's already been atop the Tigers team since January 1st, receives a two-year contract worth a base of $160K annually. "I saw president Gallot on a national news outlet and he was talking about his vision. He talked about athletics as being an integral part of that. For me, that is something that I wanted. […] Under my leadership, we will begin to pay more attention to the details of athletics and operate as a business. Far too many times we get caught up in making emotional decisions and that can be our mantra as we move forward. I’m very open. I’m very transparent. The one thing I will say is I do speak my mind, good, bad or different." Leverage FB's recent success & build the best comprehensive portfolio in the SWAC are also top of mind for Bryant. (link)

Retired Pittsburgh Vice Chancellor & Dean Juhl will once again serve as Acting AD for the Panthers & add the duties to his existing chairman role for the Panthers search committee for a new leader of the athletic department. Juhl also oversaw athletics prior to the hire of now-outgoing AD Barnes two years ago. Prez Gallagher does not offer further comment on the state of the search process, but says of Juhl, "I have asked Randy to resume this role in order to minimize disruption within our athletic department […] I am deeply grateful that he has agreed to come out of retirement to resume a pair of roles that he successfully carried out for us two years ago." (link)

Monday night's College FB Playoff National Championship Game between Clemson & Alabama averaged 26.029M viewers across all of ESPN's megacast options, down 2.5% from last year. The overnight rating of 15.3 is the second lowest for an NC matchup since 2005. Streaming engagement was significant with "an average audience of 710,000 viewers and 2,413,000 unique viewers watching 182,575,000 minutes. All of those are new standards for a college football game on any ESPN network." Not surprisingly, Birmingham was the top-rated individual market. (link, link); The Big Lead's Duffy takes a shot at why the game didn't do higher numbers, says college FB is a regional sport, engagement from SEC fans is constant & traditional brands matter, but only a handful of them & Clemson is not yet one. (link); Here's a good graph on National Championship Game overnight ratings since 1999 (tops: Texas-USC's 22.7 in 2006). (link)

Sports Illustrated's Deitsch reviews ESPN's multicast effort, argues it's ESPN at its best. On the main feed, "[Chris] Fowler does not have the big voice of Verne Lundquist, Gus Johnson, Keith Jackson or even Joe Tessitore, but he is well prepared and sees the field very well. He was on top of his game on Clemson’s final drive when he recognized Clemson was taking a lot of time, as well as on the final play of the game. The game ended on an odd note as far as broadcast drama, but rules expert Dave Cutaia nailed that Clemson had recovered the on-side kick and would simply have to kill the clock. Well done." Deitsch notes the reality of gambling as a big part of the sport & conversation during pre-game coverage on the topic. Calls ESPN2's "Homers Telecast," "oddly compelling." As usual, the best content for the Coaches Film Room was during breaks. More. (link); Here's how a number of the different megacast options called the final play of the game. (link)

Clemson FB HC Swinney called out Fox Sports personality Cowherd during his post-game presser for his labeling of the Tigers as a "fraud." Swinney: "The guy that called us a fraud, ask Alabama if we’re a fraud. Was the name Colin Cowherd? I never met him, don’t know him. Ask Alabama if we’re a fraud. Ask Ohio State if we’re a fraud. Ask Oklahoma if we’re a fraud. The only fraud is that guy, ’cause he didn’t do his homework. I hope y’all print that." Cowherd, in response, "All I can say to Dabo Swinney is, you’re a hell of a coach, you made college football better. You gave me four-and-a-half hours – the game was a tad long – but four-and-a-half hours of entertainment. And your players showed such great character in the most crucial moments. I couldn’t be happier for Clemson." (link)

The push for UT Chattanooga AD Blackburn to sit in the top chair at Tennessee continues. The Copper Cellar Family of Restaurants, a family of seven restaurant & food brands around Knoxville & the surrounding area, took to social media to endorse Blackburn, note that 1,400 others are behind the move & encourage others to contact university leadership & make their opinions heard. "It's time to put the athletic department back in the hands of a Tennesseean." (link)

Notable author Levy for Harvard Business Review: "Finding the Healthy Tension Between Being Confident and Collaborative." Levy has penned alongside a number of super high-profile business leaders, including late Apple boss Jobs. Notes the importance of sticking with a vision or higher purpose, but, "At the same time, these pioneers focus on the details. They believe they know best about how their ideas should be realized and won't let up until their standards are met. [...] While all these aspects of confidence are necessary to achieve greatness, the collective effect can careen out of control if left unchecked." Levy says the counterweight is collaboration. Keys: 1) Having the right people around a leader ("The standard is talent - a superb capacity to contribute"); and, 2) Listen to ideas & criticism ("This does not mean they'll change their vision or their opinions on execution [but, it does resist] the downfall of great collaboration: confirmation bias.") (link)

The World Cup will move from 36 participating nations to 48 for the 2026 version of soccer's most high-profile global competition. FIFA Prez Infantino: "We are in the 21st century, and we have to shape the football World Cup of the 21st century. Football is more than just Europe and South America. Football is global." The format of the tournament will shift to 16 groups of three countries with the top two from each advancing to a 32-team single elimination format. The number of games per country & the number needed to win the World Cup will not change. Still lots of procedural details to work out for the '26 version that's yet to go out to bid. (link)

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The 2015-16 academic year produced a $6.5M surplus for Texas athletics as $188M in revenues versus $181.5M in expenses included $10M getting pushed back to campus. FB alone generated $127.9M against $28.7M or $99.2M in black ink & green dollars. MBB was the only other individual sport with surplus at $8.4M. FB ticket sales were up $2.4M to $37.4M, MBB sales up by $854K, WBB by $231K & Volleyball by $150K. The overall surplus is a big jump from a deficit of $2.8M in 2013-14. Another note on the reportedly looming AD search, "one source said Tuesday the process has not started in earnest." (link)

Northeastern is leveraging some of the best student vocalists on campus for its "#RiseUpNU" campaign. A new music video debuted last night & the overall idea is intended to create a common tie between athletics & the rest of the student body to increase student attendance. Executive Senior Assoc. AD for External Affairs Gardner: "We’re thinking about our students rising up to their best performances, but more broadly about the entire Northeastern community rising up together in support of one another." This is pretty cool. (link - article, link - music video)

Colorado FB AC Tumpkin has been suspended indefinitely as a domestic violence investigation, initiated due to claims by Tumpkin's former girlfriend, is completed. Tumpkin has been rumored to be a candidate for the Buffs open DC spot. AD George: "I am very concerned by the allegations, which don't reflect the high conduct standards I have for our student-athletes and staff. Joe Tumpkin has been suspended indefinitely from his coaching duties, pending the outcome of the court process." (link)

Beer at ballgames: The Citadel could sell alcohol during Baseball season this year, pending approval from the Board of Visitors later this month. The proposal, presented to the BoV yesterday, would allow beer to be sold at concessions stands at Riley Park until the seventh inning. AD Senter throws out $10K as the estimated revenue potential, but points to fan experience as the motivation behind the effort. (link)

For the first time, UNC Wilmington's Seahawk Club has surpassed 2,000 members & also resulted in a record year for student-athlete scholarship contributions. AD Bass: "We’re very pleased with these membership increases and are grateful to the Wilmington community and others who are supporting our program. It’s critical that we continue to grow our fund raising efforts to support our student-athletes in their quest to compete for championships." The club has grown from 598 members in 2012 to 2,033 last year. (link)

Early applications up 19% at Baylor this year, with 14,300 prospective students requesting to spend the next four years in Waco. Several high school seniors interviewed in this Dallas Morning News piece indicate they are undeterred by the sexual assault reports in the headlines over the past year. However, a survey of alumni found that 35% are "less likely" or "much less likely" to urge their children or grandchildren to continue the family tradition. Regular apps & final admission rates for the year will be the full indicator of the scandal's impact on BU. (link)

NCAA Prez Emmert was on-hand at CES in Vegas last week & paneled with former NBA Commish Stern, former NBA & Duke standout Hill & current WNBA/former UConn star Bird. Emmert pointed to the NCAA's involvement in the "biggest concussion study in the world" & the key underpinnings of technology to that effort. Fan experience upgrades & student-athlete engagement tools are also key uses of advancing tech within the Association, especially the latter with the considerable demands of in-season travel. Big data & health performance sensors are two other areas where Emmert's team is highly engaged. More. (link - includes a recap & full interview video)

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The Minneapolis Star Tribune's Scoggins writes on the continued work by Minnesota AD Coyle to change the culture with the Gophers. The recent hire of new FB HC Fleck is another marker to go along with key facility upgrades, "Money alone doesn’t guarantees success, of course. Many factors determine whether a program wins at a high level. Think of it as a pie chart, if you will. The Gophers pie chart looks different than it did a year ago. These are interesting times for their athletic department. They now have the youngest Power 5 football coach and men’s basketball coach. […] Let’s see what they do with momentum for a change." (link); Minnesota Prez Kaler has asked the state legislature for an additional $147M in funding & some lawmakers wonder if now was the right timing given the recent negative publicity around the threatened bowl boycott by FB student-athletes. Kaler, on the reality of buyout monies for former HC Claeys & his staff, "Sad to say, that is the cost of doing business in a big-time collegiate conference." More. (link)

Austin American-Statesman scribe Bohls back on some notes, talked to CFP Executive Director Hancock in Tampa about a possible expansion of the event. Hancock's response, "I’ve seen no groundswell calling for change […] There’s no language in the contract that allows for other changes, and I don’t see any movement for change. The leadership is very pleased with the way it is now. […] One thing about going to eight teams, what would that do to the Ohio State-Michigan game? It’d still be a great game, but both would have been in the playoff this year (with eight teams)." Hancock also noted looking into three new host locations this coming September. (link)

BYU Assoc. AD/SWA Darger talks about her experience attending the NCAA Common Ground II forum - a gathering of college administrators and representatives from faith-based organizations & LGBTQ affiliations to strategize on how to work "more cohesively." Darger: "One of the focal points of our discussions was the question 'is it possible for faith-based institutions to follow their policies but still create a safe space for LGBTQ students?' I believe this answer is an absolute 'yes!' There’s a lot of room for each side to seek to understand each other before criticizing one another. Meetings like Common Ground are a great way to join in that process. This group of people truly wanted to find common ground. That’s what is really exciting to me. ... I experienced some vulnerability as the only Mormon there, but at the same time I felt supported in that vulnerability. There were a lot of hard conversations, but very rewarding moments came in the midst of those hard conversations. I came away feeling a great amount of love for those I met and interacted with. I was humbled and strengthened by their courage and vulnerability. I also came away with a lot of hope because I made friends with people who want to be a resource both to me in my work in the athletic department and also to the university." (link)

Lawsuits: Former Michigan State doctor Nassar involved in a new suit brought by 18 more former female athletes who allege he "sexually assaulted them during medical procedures." Claims include MSU coaches & trainers being aware of the issues as far back as 1999 & not appropriately investigating the situation. More. (link); From Law360: "A group of former college football players hit the National Collegiate Athletic Association and the Big 12 Conference with another proposed class action over head injuries and concussions in the sport, this time alleging in Indiana federal court that the organizations breached a contract with players that required them to warn student-athletes of potential risks and take adequate steps to protect players from head injuries." (link)

I've written a handful of times on the importance of keeping an eye on the rise of self-driving vehicles in the context of how much auto makers currently spend on sports TV advertising & earlier this week mega-brand Ford said it will shoot for having a fully automated car on the road within the next five years. CEO Fields indicated at the Detroit North American Auto Show that his company is aiming to have a "level four" or "high automation" vehicle in the marketplace by 2021, which includes an "automated system can perform all aspects of the driving task when set in specific driving modes, even if a human driver does not respond appropriately to a request to intervene." (link)

Also Noticed: Marshall AD Hamrick hires University of Charleston (DII) Men's Soccer HC Grassie in the same capacity in Huntington. (link); Tampa will bid on the CFP championship game for 2021, 2022 & 2023. (link); The FCS National Championship between James Madison & Youngstown State pulled in a healthy 1.562M viewers. (link); Abilene Christian AD De Leon via Twitter, "Confirmed 3 more 6-figure gifts to Anthony Field at Wildcat Stadium today! Almost to $40 million of our $50 million goal!! #GodProvides" (link); Two UNLV & two Utah State WBB student-athletes received one-game suspensions for their roles in last weekends scuffle between the two teams. (link); Looks like the new turf for Binghamton Baseball is complete. (link)

Given Jamie Pollard's new contract announced yesterday, here's solid 1.Q from earlier in the year with the Iowa State boss: Jamie Pollard was hired as Iowa State's Athletic Director in 2005 & reflected on how he perceived AD leadership when he first arrived in Ames & how the job as a whole has changed in the last decade. Part of Pollard's response focused on building the right culture, so I also asked how much time per week he spends thinking about how to instill or create the right culture & how much time he actually acts upon his plan. Listen by clicking the link. - link (length - 8:54)

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(Posted from most recent over the last 30 days)

(NEW!) 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.

(NEW!) 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.

Senior Associate Athletic Director / Executive Director of the Mountaineer Athletic Club (West Virginia University / Morgantown, WV): The West Virginia University Foundation, Inc., is seeking a Senior Associate AD/Executive Director of the MAC to lead all development activities for the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. More details HERE.

Assistant Broadcast Engineer (University of Arkansas / Fayetteville, AR): The Asst Broadcast Engineer will work in a team television production environment within the Broadcast Services Department assisting the chief broadcast engineer. More details HERE.

Senior Associate Athletics Director for Development (Temple University / Philadelphia,PA): Senior Associate Athletics Director for Development is responsible for the management of all advancement activities for the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. More details HERE.

Assistant/Associate Director of Development, Intercollegiate Athletics (The Pennsylvania State University / State College, PA): Assistant/Associate Director of Development needed to join the Nittany Lion Club external fundraising unit supporting Penn State Intercollegiate Athletics, a member of the Big Ten Conference. More details HERE.

Head Coach - Women's Soccer (University of Massachusetts Lowell / Lowell, MA): This position responsible for leading, developing and managing a competitive Division I program. To learn more and apply, please visit: jobs.uml.edu/applicants/Central?quickFind=55269. EOE. More details HERE.

Associate Athletic Director, Facilities and Capital Projects (UCLA, Department of Intercollegiate Athletics / Los Angeles, CA): This Senior Staff position will lead and oversee all aspects of current and future athletic facilities, Capital Projects, and venue scheduling related to the Department of Athletics. Requisition#25086. More details HERE.

Head Coach, Women's Soccer (The University of Delaware / Newark, DE): The Head Coach for Women’s Soccer is a valued member of the Head Coaches’ team within the Department and is responsible for all aspects of operating a fully funded NCAA Division I varsity program. More details HERE.

Head Coach, Women's Volleyball (The University of Delaware / Newark, DE): The Head Coach for Women’s Volleyball is a valued member of the Head Coaches’ team within the Department, upholding and embracing the departmental mission of “Inspiring Greatness Together.” More details HERE.

Senior Associate Commissioner / Legal Counsel (Big 12 Conference, Inc. / Irving, TX): The Big 12 is hiring a sports administrator and attorney who thrives in an independent, exciting and fast-paced environment and who can thrive in the complex and varied world of collegiate sports. More details HERE.

Client Partner (Spectra Ticketing & Fan Engagement / Irvine, CA): Responsible for assigned territory’s transaction revenue target and client retention; provides strategic consulting & best practices in areas of ticketing, marketing, fundraising & fan engagement. More details HERE.

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