What do you want to see from a new Athletic Director?

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stevedave23

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In the spirit of wishful thinking I thought I would start this thread early (Maturi's current contract goes through June of '12?) Maybe, just maybe he'll show some mercy and step down sooner now that the fb coach has been hired.

So what do you want to see from a new Athletic Director?

I would like to see someone who isn't afraid to emphasize revenue sports. I'm not saying we need to cut non-revs but enough with the people pleasing political correctness. Specifically, I'd like to see the new AD get the basketball practice facility done for a start.
 

Agreed.

I would like to see someone who isn't afraid to stir things up over there from day 1. He/She will obviously need Kaler's backing, but the the main problem with the U's athletics department right now is the culture. Being a public University, nobody is held accountable from the top down, if the department loses money, they just ask the state for more! The problem with this pattern is that now with the more conservative Republicans in charge, they will be less likely to throw money at the problem and will need to see significant progress before doing so. At the moment, the athletic dept seems happy with "going along to get along," and not trying to hurt anyone's feelings. This culture would need to STOP from DAY 1!!

I agree with your assessment of having an emphasis on revenue sports, specifically Football, Hockey, and Basketball..probably in that order. The Football issues are well documented on this forum so I won't dive into them at this time..and I won't pretend to know all of them. As for Hockey, having the built in advantages that MN does have, it is a disgrace to see how far our program has dropped. It seems that we should be looking for a new HC, but again, I am not a huge hockey fan and don't know all of the details. As for bball, priority #1 should be building a new practice facility, and #2 should be taking care of Tubby.

So to answer your question, the new AD should be strong and willing to stand up for what he/she believes, not just try to appease the masses, should know sports and big business intimately, specifically football, and should be willing to change the culture over there immediately, which would not necessarily make him/her very popular at the U..at least initially.

Thoughts?
 

confusedgopher said:
Agreed.

I would like to see someone who isn't afraid to stir things up over there from day 1. He/She will obviously need Kaler's backing, but the the main problem with the U's athletics department right now is the culture. Being a public University, nobody is held accountable from the top down, if the department loses money, they just ask the state for more! The problem with this pattern is that now with the more conservative Republicans in charge, they will be less likely to throw money at the problem and will need to see significant progress before doing so. At the moment, the athletic dept seems happy with "going along to get along," and not trying to hurt anyone's feelings. This culture would need to STOP from DAY 1!!

I agree with your assessment of having an emphasis on revenue sports, specifically Football, Hockey, and Basketball..probably in that order. The Football issues are well documented on this forum so I won't dive into them at this time..and I won't pretend to know all of them. As for Hockey, having the built in advantages that MN does have, it is a disgrace to see how far our program has dropped. It seems that we should be looking for a new HC, but again, I am not a huge hockey fan and don't know all of the details. As for bball, priority #1 should be building a new practice facility, and #2 should be taking care of Tubby.

So to answer your question, the new AD should be strong and willing to stand up for what he/she believes, not just try to appease the masses, should know sports and big business intimately, specifically football, and should be willing to change the culture over there immediately, which would not necessarily make him/her very popular at the U..at least initially.

Thoughts?
Click to expand...

I agree with the premise of your post except for "if the department loses money, they just ask the state for more!" The department losing money simply means that Maturi has to ask the President and CFO for more money and/or a loan from within the U. It does not mean the U in turn asks for more money from the state.

By the way, anyone care to hazard a guess as to what % of our PUBLIC university's budget comes from the state of Minnesota? Approximately 22%. Yep, folks, that's it. Most revenue at the U now comes from tuition, grants (many of which are federal so taxpayer-subsidized but those are competitively funded so in my mind differ from most public funding), and gift money.
 


I want the next AD to focus on more smoothly integrating separate departments: have the marketing and advertising people be in closer contact with the ticketing people and parking people.

The athletic marketing department should embrace the pro sports in this town: the Wild are looking to inch back up to selling out every game? Invite them to sponsor intermission and in-game activities where Wild tickets are the prizes! Do the same thing at the X and give some seats for gopher games. Similar things could be encouraged with the basketball program and the Twolves and between the Football program and the Vikings. Also, the Gopher baseball team should play a game or two at Target field every year; its a great trial run for their event staff and the perfect way to build support and possibly some funding for gopher baseball.

The parking prices should be lowered and rules relaxed to encourage a maximally enjoyable atmosphere for football tailgating. Once this atmosphere is firmly established, then prices can be raised incrementally: by then it will finally be worth paying the money to park there.

There is no reason why the Minnesota colleges and the Wild can't organize to put together an outdoor hockey game (or weekend of games) each and every year. That's right: make in an annual thing coinciding with Hockey Day Minnesota. It's embarrassing that the state of hockey hasn't had a big-time outdoor hockey game. Minnesota hockey fans deserve more.

Needs to work with the legislature and regents to finally get this damn alcohol issue figured out. Probably wasn't maturi's fault, but it needs to get worked out. And for goodness sake, while the new gopher ballpark is a worthwhile project, the top fundraising priority should be that basketball practice facility. Take care of your bread-winning programs first! Football, Men's Basketball, and Men's Hockey should be on top always.
 


The U needs an AD who understands PR and Marketing. It looks like Maturi did a good job of cleaning up a lot of messes, but PR and Marketing suffered on his watch and the profile of UofM athletics in Minnesota is unbearably low. And the current administration doesn't even seem to identify this as a problem

Specifically, the U needs someone who is media-savvy and can restore the reputation and interest to historic levels. The television, radio, and future internet prescence of Minnesota Athletics must be greatly enhanced from current levels. The U's sphere of influence must be increased, and the brand needs to be reinvented, agressively promoted, and fiercely protected.

I have mentioned this before, but I think this guy would be an excellent candidate for the next Minnesota AD.
 


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