D1.ticker - News from Friday, January 20, 2017

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1.Question Throwback: Gene DeFilippo - Managing Director - Turnkey Search

Next 'Athletic Director in Residence' for ADU: Stan Wilcox - Florida State - Submit questions h ere

There were numerous reports of Collegiate Sports Associates earning the assignment & Parker has a system-wide deal, but in the end Turnkey Search will aid Tennessee in its search for a new AD. New Chancellor Davenport: "I am confident with Turnkey’s help, we will identify and hire the best person for the job. I’m looking for a leader with a proven track record of success on and off the field. I will hire someone who is committed to maintaining the integrity of our program and is dedicated to the success of all of our student-athletes and all of the management of our nationally recognized athletic programs. [...] The outpouring of interest in the new AD is just as I expected. This is the premier AD job in the country, and the passion of Big Orange Country is second to none. I appreciate all of the support and words of encouragement I have received. With Turnkey’s help we will conduct a thorough, nationwide search that is open to all candidates to ensure we will yield the best candidates for the job." (link); Vols MBB HC Barnes: "I think with Chancellor Davenport coming in, we all [like what we’re hearing], and what I’ve been able to learn from people that have met her is that we’re gonna be in good hands. Again, they’re gonna go out, and I think they’ll do the due process, and I do think we’ll end up with a great AD." (link)

Debt service of $18.5M led to a deficit of $21.7M for Cal in FY16. Overall revenues of $86.3M versus expenses of $88.1M, only red of $1.8M before factoring in the debt payment for upgrades to Memorial Stadium & the Simpson Training Center. "That interest payment will remain steady until 2032, when the principal kicks in and annual payments soar — first to $30 million and eventually to almost $40 million." FY17 is projected to finish with an $18.8M shortfall. (link)

Maine AD Creech signs a new deal that could keep him in Orono through 2020. "Creech will continue to receive an annual salary of $183,855. However, private donations will provide annual supplements of $25,000 over the next four years to help bring the director of athletics salary within a nationally competitive range." If Creech exits for another gig, he owes the university a buyout of $100K if it occurs within the first two years of the new agreement, $50K in year three & nothing in year four. One year salary is the balancer if Creech exits in the opposite fashion. Prez Hunter: "He is a thought leader, teacher and mentor with a vision for Maine’s only Division I athletic program. He came to UMaine with a strong record of athletics leadership, management and fundraising, and has effectively used those talents in the last three years to advance UMaine Athletics." (link)

Watch: The Arizona Star's Hansen chatted with fellow reporter Finley on the open Arizona AD chair. Hansen starts with Texas A&M Deputy AD Rempe because of her ties to the Pac-12 & the Wildcats where she was a four-year letter winner in Volleyball. Finley says the big questions is if outgoing Prez Hart & her leadership team will hire a growing star (a la former AD Byrne) or try to identify someone who will stay at Zona longterm. Finley also notes the school's connections to TCU AD Del Conte, though both wonder if he's making too much money with the Horned Frogs. More. (link)

Outgoing Alabama AD Battle looks back at his biggest challenges leading the Crimson Tide, points to getting a new deal done with FB HC Saban, rumors of Texas coming after Saban & his eventual decision to part ways with former MBB HC Grant. On Saban to Austin talk, "He never told me that he had any interest he was going. But I was reading he was offered $10 million and a percent of the Longhorn Network. […] I didn't want to lose Nick Saban under my watch. So, until it got done, it was tense." Overall, "You always wake up in the morning with 500 and some student athletes and 300 employees and hope nobody's done something bad the night before. Some days, some have. Those aren't very good moments. But that comes with the territory. Those are probably the two things that I lost the most sleep over." More. (link, link)

Wisconsin releases an updated 169-page facilities master plan. One potential project at Camp Randall's south end could add premium seating options & tie into the Field House at an estimated cost of $40M to $50M. Another possibility is a major revamp to the west side to include widening concourses & VIP spaces for $125M to $150M. At the Kohl Center, "A three-level addition would triple the size of the current academic services area and double the area for strength and conditioning. It would also provide new coaches offices for both basketball programs and the men's hockey program, in addition to renovated locker room spaces." Estimated cost: $40M to $45M. Senior Assoc. AD for Capital Projects King: "Images in this report are just concepts for us to continue to explore. They're not set in stone. A master plan is a road map to your future and there are a lot of different ways to get to where you need to be." More. (link - article, link - full plan PDF)

The Big 12 will invest roughly $1M to launch a centralized FB replay hub for 2017 that will have the capacity of monitoring six games at once. Commish Bowlsby: "We'll still have replay in the stadium. We'll have stations that we monitor what's going on at every game. Where the supervisor sees the need to get involved or the people in the booth need help, they can respond. […] It doesn't guarantee you we wouldn't have a mistake, but it minimizes the chance for a mistake." (link)

From the NCAA Convention in Nashville:
+ SEC Commish Sankey commented yesterday on why he's not in favor of FB recruiting calendar changes. Includes thoughts on why a December early signing period may be misguided, "College football programs wouldn't want the NFL draft November 15. They just wouldn't. It would be a huge distraction. So now we're about to put a signing date in the middle of December when in some states high school football playoffs are taking place. That's not providing the right level of attention to high school football programs, which provide a basis for college football. We've talked about colleges' needs, but not about the impact on high school football, and I think that has to be a part of the early signing consideration." Lots more. (link)
+ No more practices during vacation periods, including Spring Break. Passed 58-20. Michigan AD Manuel: "I’m open for the discussion to ensuring that our students have opportunities to have down time. But I think to isolate it to one specific area, one specific time of the year where we don’t vote against not having practice, we just vote that you can’t go anywhere else and have practice, I think it’s missing the point." Again, lots more. (link)
+ A bunch went down yesterday in Nashville & if you're looking for a quick view, I would suggest thumbing through the Twitter feeds of USA Today's Wolken or Inside the NCAA. (link); (link)
+ Here are the detailed voting results from the Autonomy Session. (link)

CBSSports.com's Solomon: "NCAA time demands rules ignore the biggest problem in the situation: the games." Anonymous ADs add thoughts. One: "We all know games are the elephant in the room, especially basketball." Another: "You mean we should be the adults in the room and play fewer games? We can try to make amends where we can that helps. But the travel for all the games really is what changes their lives. The games seem to be sacred among the athletes." Pac-12 Commish Scott: "I agree it's an issue. I think that's a more complex, sport-by-sport set of discussions we may have in the future. I think in this first round of time demands legislation we're focusing around the practice schedules." Volleyball, Women's Tennis & Field Hockey have the highest levels of support for fewer midweek contests. Lots more. (link)

So while practices off campus during vacation periods was squashed at the Convention yesterday, Inside the Fort reports Michigan FB is considering a trip to Rome for its final week of Spring ball. "...allowing the team to practice, take an educational trip and some players could remain in Europe to study abroad. […] This would be a trip similar to the men's and women's college basketball programs, which practice and play exhibitions overseas, a foreign tour, in the summer." (link)

presented by Anthony Travel

With the Oakland Raiders officially looking at the possibility of relocating to Las Vegas, UNLV AD Kunzer-Murphy says the university is all about upgrading Sam Boyd Stadium to NFL standards if the Raiders decide to make the move early. A new $1.9B domed facility for the Raiders & the Rebels isn't expected to be completed until 2020. Next step in the process is a March NFL owners meeting where the Raiders need 24 of 32 votes to proceed with a transition to Sin City. (link)

Oklahoma AD Castiglione on his & the university's handling of the Joe Mixon situation, "We don’t get to go back and re-evaluate. We gave (Mixon) a very strict path, and he chose that and has tried to become a better, stronger person because of that. We just hope that he continues to grow from that experience and becomes an even stronger person." On fans booing at the Sugar Bowl after the Mixon tape came out, "Where I was in the stadium, I could hear the booing. That’s all I could hear. After the booing continued over and over and over again, I think that, beyond the point being made, it raised questions why they keep doing it." (link)

Sprucing Things Up: FAU holds its ground breaking for the $40M Schmidt Complex, which will include all new digs for Owls FB & is expected to be complete during the Summer of 2018. AD Chun notes $30M has already been raised. Scroll down in the article for a slideshow with a bunch of renderings. (link); Marquette has joined hands with Mortenson on the construction of its $120M athletic performance research center. (link); A picture of what I think is a new practice FB field at UAB with a single goalpost as a sign for the Blazers return.(link); LSU will repurpose some outdoor tennis courts for a new Beach Volleyball facility completed by the summer of 2018. (link)

Michigan State Asst. AD for Administration & KPI creator Pauga was in Indy yesterday alongside other hoops data & ratings gurus. Pauga, going in, "Really, what can come out of this meeting is there are a lot of people that have all sorts of levels of understanding from all sorts of backgrounds and can provide knowledge (to decide) if a composite metric the way to go.[…] There’s not a composite metric that’s going to say a committee missed on 15 teams We’re talking about giving more information to the committee and giving an explanation with that information to tell a story." Peer Palm: "There are things computers can’t measure, and every computer system has anomalies. I think it would be helpful to have something a little more sophisticated than the RPI. I don’t think anyone wants the subjective element to go away. I think what they’re talking about is a more subtle change than people might be led to believe." (link)

With the developments in Nashville yesterday, the Ivy League took the opportunity to note how it's been in front of the curve on student-athlete time demands & overall welfare. Importantly, the release notes that the group's advanced changes haven't impacted its national competitiveness. Executive Director Harris: "The Ivy League has a longstanding tradition of enacting time demands limits that are more protective of our student-athletes than current NCAA rules, which are designed to protect the balance between being a student and an athlete." More, including a useful comparative chart of where the Ivy stands vs. DI overall. (link)

Good read from DIGIDAY with ESPN SVP King & top SportsCenter host Van Pelt on how the centerpiece show is focused on tailoring its approach for the modern consumer across a number of engagement platforms. King notes how the structure of the show changes throughout the day given what fans likely already know as games & events progress. "New & Next" is an internal holding vertical for pending social & digital media content according to the situation. A team of eight is responsible for generating traction for daily SC content across a number of outlets. Lots more. (link)

Augmented reality on the windows of stadium suites that could do a whole host of things to make the game experience more interactive for some of your most valuable fans? This is really interesting & Panasonic already has the technology to do it. (link); AT&T added 200K video subscribers in Q4 & despite the tech hiccups of DirecTV Now, all signs point to the OTT option as the major driver for new subs. (link)

presented by From Now On

ESPN's Dinich chats with College FB Playoff Executive Director Hancock on how the important leadership cadre thinks about new additions. "We're always on the lookout for younger people, but the first focus is on getting the best people for college football. That's the first focus. It's probably the first through four focus. The experience of the members is a really great reflection of their knowledge of college football." Texas Tech AD & committee chair Hocutt notes the key of diversity among the group. Former Secretary of State & committee member Rice: "The coaches had a kind of special role because -- and Kirby very often said we relied on the coaches -- and we did, but everybody came with different perspectives, with different stripes and different skill sets and different ways of looking at whatever question was on the table. There was so much respect for everyone around that table, that I think we got the best out of everybody." (link)

With yesterday's Presidential inauguration, WaPo's Boswell pens on the tense political - and as a byproduct, social - landscape around our nation, somewhat impacted by how various media outlets report various developments, but points to sports as a factual salve. "On what planet have we landed when most people can swap jokes, tease each other and poke holes in arguments about their favorite sports, yet many of us give considerable thought — almost a weighing of social consequences — before we mention a myriad of other subjects under public discussion? Someday, someone in politics will say, 'We were wrong about what caused this Great Event. It did not fit our ideas. But we’ve got to face reality. We’ve changed our minds. We thank those who helped us grasp our mistake. Our new view may produce better results. If it doesn’t, we’ll reexamine it, too.' I’m familiar with one area that, sometimes, still works that way: sports. Please tell me when it happens somewhere else. But warn me before you call. I don’t want to faint and crack my skull." (link)

The Independence Bowl will look for a new title sponsor after Camping World chooses not to exercise its option for a third & fourth year. CEO Lemonis says his company spent $700K for the rights in 2015 & $900K in 2016, but wasn't comfortable with the scheduled $1M+ moving forward after reviewing ROI metrics. Countered with an offer of $550K for one year, which was unanimously declined by the bowl's board. Lemonis also says he wanted to create more events around the game to bring additional attention to Shreveport & his brand, but those things never materialized. "It became too much about money and not, ‘How we can make this work?' More critical thoughts from Lemonis. (link)

Winthrop leveraged 11 promotional efforts to drive attendance for Thursday night's ESPNU MBB matchup with UNC Asheville that saw the Eagles win a close 76-73 decision. The marketing push resulted in the largest crowd of HC Kelsey's tenure of 3,125. Interestingly, AD Halpin was in his office during the second half getting work done since he couldn't personally control the outcome of the game. "Anybody that was new last night walked away with a memory and a feeling like, 'this is big-time college basketball.' And so now, to keep those people coming back, we’ve got to give them that big-time feel." (link); Keeping it in the league, UNC Asheville has secured a six-figure gift toward improvements at Baseball's Greenwood Field to include an entirely new turf surface. (link)

The University of Virginia will look for a new President as current boss Sullivan indicates she won't seek to lead the school after her current contract expires in the summer of 2018. Sullivan's tenure in Charlottesville has been marked by notable challenges - such as the Rolling Stone saga & considerable pushback from the Board - but, also significant accomplishments - like completing a $3B fundraising campaign in 2013. A new UVA Prez will oversee the school's bicentennial in 2019. (link)

Also Noticed: Arizona MBB student-athlete Trier has been cleared to play for the Wildcats. Will make his season debut today in a high-profile matchup at UCLA. (link); Weber State FB HC Hill gets a contract extension through the next five years. (link); Robert Morris MBB HC O'Toole has a year added to his pact, which could keep him in Moon Township through the 2020-21 season. (link)

Another win for Turnkey Search by landing the Tennessee AD search. Here's a good throwback for the weekend with Managing Director DeFilippo centered on the effectiveness of searches where a tight relationship is formed with the hiring President, how often university leadership already has a list of candidates they want vetted when Turnkey starts its work & the advantage of being an alum of an institution where there's an opening. Listen by clicking the link. - link (length - 5:34)

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(Posted from most recent over the last 30 days)

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.

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.

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