This is such a critical hire. I'm happy to take a new AD in any gender, color, shape, or form - as long as we have 0 compromise on getting the best person for the job. Being a minority is a non-factor when it comes to this position, there should be 0 bonus points for being one - and if it surfaces that it did factor in, well, that will piss me right off.
"Reed-Francois is a UCLA alum and was a former rower for the Bruins. "
Thank you for the fine analysis on this AD story. At the risk of being frivolous, the only thing I can come up with with respect to the confluence of rowers and ADs is the old anecdote about Elroy "Crazy Legs" Hirsch (late of the Los Angeles Rams and AD at his alma mater). When he was approached about the crew team needing new rowing shells, he asked how much they would cost and was informed that a decent Pocock shell went for around 25 large.
He declined, telling the coaches he was not about to sink $25,000 into any sport where a person sat on his ass and went backwards!
Below, robbed from Wikipedia, is Hirsch's career at U of W and I note wouldn't it be wonderful if Dann-o showed up doing color for an RB game? You know, the warm afternoon in Sunny SoCal, the shadows creeping over the San Gabriels, the blimp circling the RB, CROWDS OF HUNDREDS IN THE STANDS!!!
University of Wisconsin
In February 1969, Hirsch was hired away from the Rams to serve as the athletic director at the University of Wisconsin.
Within four years, he had raised home attendance at football games from an average of 43,000 to 70,000 per game. During his tenure as athletic director, the number of sports offered by the UW athletics department doubled and the Badgers won national titles in ice hockey, men's and women's crew, and men's and women's cross country. However, the program also had problems with recruiting violations and a fundraising controversy. Hirsch announced his resignation as Wisconsin's athletic director in December 1986; the resignation became effective at the end of June 1987. In July 1987, he was hired to do color commentary on radio broadcasts of Wisconsin football games.
Exit note: Dimitri, if you got any juice with the site developers suggest -- nay, beg -- that they implement Disqus or similar for the comments. Add that it would be nice to be able to post pictures and videos as well. It's easy to implement (I did it for the two blogs I run) and adds so-o-o-o-o much life to a site!
You had me at "No on Rebholz!" I'm kinda liking the top three, if not loving them. Honestly, haven't really given AD much thought other than "get Donut out of here"! As far as 'diversity' hire...if they're all qualified then there is nothing to it. They may not be 'highly qualified' but that on UCLA for being cheapskates.
Am I the only one who noted that Dan's overdue retirement and the sad closure of Stan's Donuts after 55 years in Westwood are occurring virtually simultaneously? I'm sure it's just a weird coincidence.
I'm intrigued by Reed-Francois. As an access monitor in the dorms in the late 80's, I remember the women's crew members leaving each morning around 5a to go down to the creek for practice, and I thought they were a pretty hard core bunch to get up that early every day for a non-scholarship sport. I had tons of respect for that sort of commitment. Not sure that has any direct correlation to being a successful AD, but it's not a bad thing.
I'm glad we are considering candidates who come from schools where football and basketball are major players. That was clearly a weakness in Dan's background coming from Irvine. Those programs pay for a lot of the athletics budget, and their success is (unfortunately) more important in many ways than the other sports. Unlike the donut issue above, the budgetary shortfall and the recent failures in the basketball and football programs are not coincidental. Fixing those two sports (and I think basketball is already in progress) are the number one, two, and three priorities for the new AD.
Thanks for the write-up. Point #3 was something that really bothered me when I first heard the names bring floated as it appeared evident they were focusing on making a minority hire. My concern was that this appearance would automatically discourage non-minority candidates from being interested, regardless of capability. That being said: as you have pointed out, no top-tier names would be beating down the doors to get hired anyways and all three of these names are good candidates even if there were. Reed-Francois in particular stands out to me as a solid hire, given her background.
This is such a critical hire. I'm happy to take a new AD in any gender, color, shape, or form - as long as we have 0 compromise on getting the best person for the job. Being a minority is a non-factor when it comes to this position, there should be 0 bonus points for being one - and if it surfaces that it did factor in, well, that will piss me right off.
- Signed, an ethnic minority.
I’m so thrilled we’re finally moving on from Guerrero’s reign of error and am also glad it won’t be Rebholz.
"Reed-Francois is a UCLA alum and was a former rower for the Bruins. "
Thank you for the fine analysis on this AD story. At the risk of being frivolous, the only thing I can come up with with respect to the confluence of rowers and ADs is the old anecdote about Elroy "Crazy Legs" Hirsch (late of the Los Angeles Rams and AD at his alma mater). When he was approached about the crew team needing new rowing shells, he asked how much they would cost and was informed that a decent Pocock shell went for around 25 large.
He declined, telling the coaches he was not about to sink $25,000 into any sport where a person sat on his ass and went backwards!
Below, robbed from Wikipedia, is Hirsch's career at U of W and I note wouldn't it be wonderful if Dann-o showed up doing color for an RB game? You know, the warm afternoon in Sunny SoCal, the shadows creeping over the San Gabriels, the blimp circling the RB, CROWDS OF HUNDREDS IN THE STANDS!!!
University of Wisconsin
In February 1969, Hirsch was hired away from the Rams to serve as the athletic director at the University of Wisconsin.
Within four years, he had raised home attendance at football games from an average of 43,000 to 70,000 per game. During his tenure as athletic director, the number of sports offered by the UW athletics department doubled and the Badgers won national titles in ice hockey, men's and women's crew, and men's and women's cross country. However, the program also had problems with recruiting violations and a fundraising controversy. Hirsch announced his resignation as Wisconsin's athletic director in December 1986; the resignation became effective at the end of June 1987. In July 1987, he was hired to do color commentary on radio broadcasts of Wisconsin football games.
Exit note: Dimitri, if you got any juice with the site developers suggest -- nay, beg -- that they implement Disqus or similar for the comments. Add that it would be nice to be able to post pictures and videos as well. It's easy to implement (I did it for the two blogs I run) and adds so-o-o-o-o much life to a site!
You had me at "No on Rebholz!" I'm kinda liking the top three, if not loving them. Honestly, haven't really given AD much thought other than "get Donut out of here"! As far as 'diversity' hire...if they're all qualified then there is nothing to it. They may not be 'highly qualified' but that on UCLA for being cheapskates.
Am I the only one who noted that Dan's overdue retirement and the sad closure of Stan's Donuts after 55 years in Westwood are occurring virtually simultaneously? I'm sure it's just a weird coincidence.
I'm intrigued by Reed-Francois. As an access monitor in the dorms in the late 80's, I remember the women's crew members leaving each morning around 5a to go down to the creek for practice, and I thought they were a pretty hard core bunch to get up that early every day for a non-scholarship sport. I had tons of respect for that sort of commitment. Not sure that has any direct correlation to being a successful AD, but it's not a bad thing.
I'm glad we are considering candidates who come from schools where football and basketball are major players. That was clearly a weakness in Dan's background coming from Irvine. Those programs pay for a lot of the athletics budget, and their success is (unfortunately) more important in many ways than the other sports. Unlike the donut issue above, the budgetary shortfall and the recent failures in the basketball and football programs are not coincidental. Fixing those two sports (and I think basketball is already in progress) are the number one, two, and three priorities for the new AD.
Thanks for the write-up. Point #3 was something that really bothered me when I first heard the names bring floated as it appeared evident they were focusing on making a minority hire. My concern was that this appearance would automatically discourage non-minority candidates from being interested, regardless of capability. That being said: as you have pointed out, no top-tier names would be beating down the doors to get hired anyways and all three of these names are good candidates even if there were. Reed-Francois in particular stands out to me as a solid hire, given her background.
Ben Bolch is saying now the list is narrowed down to Reed-Francois, Martin Jarmond from Boston College, and M Grace Calhoun from Penn.
Announcement should be any day now
Martin Jarmond from BC is the man...
Martin Jarmond has been hired. $1.2mil/yr initially and UCLA covers his $2mil buyout - per BRO