This is a guy who knows what kind of leader Coyle is:
A Boise State coach gives insight into Mark Coyle
Boise State men's tennis coach Greg Patton is a man of metaphors, and as befits his last name, his vision of the Bronco athletic department comes straight from the battlefield.
The football team is the aircraft carrier. The men's basketball team is the battleship. And the rest of the sports are jets and destroyers, valuable members of the armada in their own right, but ultimately dependent on the big boats for survival.
Patton credits incoming Syracuse athletic director Mark Coyle with providing enough attention for the whole fleet to survive at Boise State. "Football was starting to sink a little, and he had to fix that," Patton said. "Our (men's) basketball coach loves him. They've improved that program a lot. I think taking care of those two were his marching orders. The revenue schools are going one way and we're fighting for our lives. … It's the job of the rest of us to protect the aircraft carrier and the battleship, even if we do have some pretty good pilots. But I never felt we weren't important. That's the sign of a good leader."
In Patton's case, the perfect example comes from a lunch Coyle shared with him and a reluctant tennis booster. Patton, Coyle and women's coach Beck Roghaar all spent an afternoon lunching with a local attorney with no interest in the game.
The man's wife was a fan, prompting the meeting, but Patton's initial impression was that the man was largely disinterested. By the time they were done with the meal, however, Coyle had the four men laughing like old friends, and the tennis budget was boosted by a generous check.
"I don't even think he was really into Boise State," Patton said.
It's the type of hands-on approach that Coyle is known for in Idaho, where he's been photographed shoveling snow before football games, takes an active role in scheduling for football and men's basketball, and is seen as often at non-revenue events as he is at Boise State's football and basketball games.
Boise State declined to make any other coaches available, referring to a statement from the school, but Patton said Coyle's approach made the prioritization of the marquee sports at Boise State palatable to an array of veteran non-revenue head coaches.
His involvement in every sport created a feeling of community within the athletic department instead of competition. When Patton had a high-priority recruit visiting campus — "one that I really need," he says — he'd call over to Coyle's office and tell him he was going to visit. The athletic director always made time. "He'd sell them on the family atmosphere and the type of people we have around here," Patton said.
Syracuse football player Sam Rodgers said two of the reasons Coyle made a good impression during his interview were his record with Boise State's football team and his devotion to student-athlete welfare.
Patton agreed Rodgers' impression of Coyle was accurate. The Boise State athletic director frequently handles even minor disciplinary issues, like citations for underage possession of alcohol, by meeting with athletes himself. "He'd meet with them, talk with them, let them know they were representing the school and the community," Patton said. "It wasn't like getting called to the principal's office. More like a counselor."
The Syracuse athletic department that Coyle walks into has plenty of its own issues. The football program is struggling with a head coach on the hot seat. The basketball team is dealing with potentially damaging NCAA sanctions and a critical decision after Jim Boeheim retires in three years. The athletic department has had public relations disasters ranging from a failed attempt to restore its No. 44 jersey to misspelling the name of Roosevelt Bouie on a ceremonial gift on a night that his jersey was raised to the Carrier Dome rafters.
Still, Patton said, it can't be more chaotic than the situation Coyle walked into at Boise State in December of 2011. With conference re-alignment swirling there was no natural place for Boise State. The Broncos briefly appeared headed for a merged MWC/Conference USA, and then to the American Athletic Conference before ultimately remaining where they were.
Coyle took charge in the midst of the game of musical chairs, replacing former athletic director Gene Bleymiaer after an NCAA investigation involving several sports."He was putting out fires everywhere," Patton said. "Everyone had just started to get comfortable. The community was just starting to know him. He had a subtle influence."
Bleymaier was "an institution" at Boise State, Patton said, and one of the four most powerful men in the state after spending 30 years as an athletic director. Coyle, in his first athletic director job, faced skepticism from coaches accustomed to the rule and reputation of one man. First Coyle listened to them. Then he worked for them. And eventually, according to Patton, he won them over.
At first glance, Coyle's resume seems an ideal fit for the Orange. Naturally, though, some will remain skeptical. Patton, for one, believes they won't remain that way for long.
"He didn't try to fill his shoes," Patton said. "I think you'll really like him. He's a really good man. He's a man of values and ethics. He's a mover and a shaker. And he's a doer. He gets the hammer and he bangs the nail."
http://www.syracuse.com/orangesport...ark_coyle_syracuse_new_athletic_director.html
