NCAA News Archive - 2007
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By
The NCAA News
In a recent edition of Athletic Management magazine, a story about hiring ran with the following headline:
“Racing
Against Time — You’re down a coach and the season is starting — what do
you do? Abandon the traditional hiring process and start networking
fast.”
To
be fair, “abandoning the traditional hiring process” in the context of
this particular article was meant to demonstrate how athletics
directors (at high schools in this case) use technology to secure a
replacement as quickly as possible under trying circumstances.
But
some people believe athletics departments are increasingly “abandoning
the traditional hiring process” to the point at which it jeopardizes
the integrity of the search. Critics claim athletics often operates
under its own hiring guidelines rather than the university’s and is not
held accountable for the search committee composition or the diversity
of the candidate pool. It’s no surprise, they say, that college
football has few minority head coaches when searches are conducted in a
vacuum — often over a period of days rather than weeks.
More
college sports stakeholders are calling schools out on that aspect of
hiring, including the Black Coaches Association, which issues annual
report cards on how well institutions conduct their searches. The BCA
last year gave four schools an “F” on the hiring time frame, which
contributed to those institutions receiving a failing grade overall in
their football searches.
BCA
Executive Director Floyd Keith believes athletics — because of its
unique needs when filling high-profile positions — has become too
comfortable with its own hiring paradigm and should instead pay more
attention to guidelines established for other campus positions.
“Searches
in athletics aren’t being done like they should simply because of the
traditional notion that ‘we have to get this done immediately for
recruiting purposes — we need to have a waiver — it’s an emergency
hire,’” Keith said. “The pressures athletics departments face certainly
are real, but 10 to 14 days isn’t asking too much. History shows that
you can conduct an efficient and effective search in that amount of
time. It has been proven that if you allow more time, you’ll be more
inclusive in your search and end up with a more diverse pool. That much
we know.”
Recently,
an NCAA panel championing diversity and inclusion has recommended
legislation that would require athletics departments to follow campus
hiring policies. The Diversity Leadership Strategic Planning Committee
issued a report at the NCAA Convention in January calling for
institutions to indicate such compliance with campus hiring practices
during their athletics certification or self-study processes.
Some
people wonder why such regulation should be necessary. If athletics is
part of the campus, they say, why would it follow anything but
institutional hiring policies? The popular answer is because when
Big-Time State University’s football coach resigns in November,
Big-Time State’s AD needs to act fast to re-stabilize the position, not
only for the current student-athletes, but also for those being
recruited. The stakes are long, and time is short.
Charlotte
Westerhaus, NCAA vice president for diversity and inclusion, said in
most cases, institutions understand the pressures athletics departments
face and are willing to collaborate on an accelerated search. Anecdotal
evidence, though, indicates that some athletics departments operate on
their own. Some searches are conducted over a period of days rather
than weeks, which may compromise the goal of a diversified candidate
pool. Many athletics officials believe, however, that athletics
departments can have it both ways — a quick replacement scheme that
honors diversity and inclusion.
“The
bottom line is that athletics departments can accomplish their searches
in about seven days and still meet diversity and inclusion (or
affirmative action) requirements,” said Westerhaus, who chaired the
committee that proposed the hiring-policy legislation.
Westerhaus,
whose campus background includes having been the diversity officer at
the University of Iowa, said the objective is a two-way street:
Presidents, boards and the campus office for diversity and inclusion
must understand that athletics has unique needs, and athletics must
understand that it can’t just “abandon the traditional hiring process.”
The
primary presumptions about why searches aren’t inclusive, Westerhaus
said, are (1) athletics departments work independently and are not
aware of school hiring policies; (2) athletics departments are aware of
the campus hiring policy but do not trust the campus office of
diversity and inclusion to work with them; and (3) the office of
diversity and inclusion is not willing to respect the athletics
department’s unique needs.
“This
is no different than our stressing integration of athletics into the
campus for academics and budgeting purposes,” Westerhaus said. “There
must be communication between athletics and the campus when it comes to
hiring practices. And the campus’ office for diversity and inclusion
has to understand the athletics department’s unique needs and be
flexible.”
An ongoing process
If
that communication is in place and the working relationships have been
established, Westerhaus said there’s a practical approach athletics
directors can take to expedite an efficient search. She said ADs should
have an ongoing candidate pool for key positions that includes diverse
representation. That way, even in the case of a surprise resignation,
athletics directors have a head start on a replacement.
“Good
ADs have to know where the talent is at all times, even if they think
they have stability in the coaching ranks. It’s important to have the
search process be an ongoing endeavor, rather than start from scratch
whenever you have a resignation or vacancy,” Westerhaus said.
That’s
what Warde Manual does at University at Buffalo, the State University
of New York. One of the few ADs to have recently hired a black head
football coach, Manual said he tells his staff in all sports to
maintain a file of coaches they hear about or meet who would be a good
fit.
“Once
you have your ongoing information about the pool of candidates, then
just follow the process that exists on campus,” he said. “That’s the
beauty of intercollegiate athletics — these policies and commitments to
diversity are well documented by the university, and all we need to do
is follow the process. That doesn’t mean we can’t do it in an
accelerated fashion. All you have to do is know the processes that
exist on campus and communicate with the president and other key
contacts about the decision you want to make.”
In
his case, Manual went from an-nouncing a coaching change to hiring
former Nebraska quarterback Turner Gill in about six weeks. Manual said
he spent the first week dealing with internal communication and making
sure his staff had everything in place, and then turned his attention
to the actual search. He said he was not pressured by internal or
external constituencies to accelerate the process, either. “The
president was well aware from day one where we were going,” Manual
said, “I laid out the process we would go through and he was very
comfortable with that. I also included our human resources staff from
the very beginning.”
Manual’s
patience paid off. Ironically, Gill didn’t make the first radar sweep
because the criteria called for candidates to be from the college
coaching ranks. Gill was an assistant with the Green Bay Packers at the
time. But a more inclusive search brought Gill into the fold.
“You
have to understand the landscape of candidates out there, especially
those diverse candidates who might be outside of your initial
thinking,” Manual said. “It’s for your own protection, because you’re
not always going to get your first choice — you have to be open to a
multitude of candidates who might fit the criteria.”
Columbia
University AD Dianne Murphy can relate to that. The football coach she
hired — Norries Wilson — didn’t come up until she started making calls.
Per BCA recommendations, Murphy called that organization and the NCAA,
which led to a number of candidates who had progressed through the NCAA
Men’s Coaches Academy, Wilson being among them.
“It
goes to show that just because you may have a list of names at your
desk that you shouldn’t consider other folks you learn about in other
ways,” Murphy said.
Murphy
said Columbia secured Wilson, also an African-American, in a matter of
two or three weeks. “We knew in early November that we were going to
make a change. That allowed us to create a plan and follow it. That
plan included diversity, and we already had conversations with people
on campus who supported what we were doing,” she said.
Manual
and Murphy both attributed their outcomes to their schools’ commitment
to diversity, and neither said their compliance with university hiring
practices compromised their search.
“In
the age of Internet and the amount of information available about
people, particularly in sports — and with the number of quality search
firms that can provide assistance — there’s no reason even an
accelerated search cannot be diversified,” Manual said.
Murphy
agreed, saying “If you’re committed to diversity, you can find diverse
applicants. I don’t buy the argument, particularly in the high-profile
sports, that there aren’t qualified diverse candidates. They’re out
there. You may have to work at it, but you can find them.”
The
BCA report card points out that the best way to find them is with a
patient and coordinated search. The BCA’s Keith said schools that
communicate with the BCA and the NCAA’s Minority Opportunities and
Interests Committee, take their time, diversify their search committee
and follow campus hiring policies will almost certainly attract a
diversified candidate pool. Following those steps also leads to
favorable grades, Keith said, even if the institution doesn’t hire a
black coach.
Manual
said some athletics directors are intimidated by an extended search
because they incorrectly equate patience with losing their top
candidate. On the other side of the coin, some critics incorrectly
equate an accelerated search with a non-diverse candidate pool. Manual
said neither necessarily is true.
“In
as little as three to four weeks, you can accelerate the process while
including a diverse pool of candidates for a given position. The
information is there and the process is there — people just have to
follow it in a more accelerated timeline,” he said.
Manual
said most campus presidents, boards and HR professionals understand
that hiring for high-profile positions in athletics needs to be
accelerated. “What often is missing in the process, though,” he said,
“is their focus on holding athletics accountable for following the same
process the rest of the campus does. Ultimately the AD and president
are accountable for ensuring that the processes that exist on campus
are being followed.”
Now, more and more watchdogs, including the NCAA and the BCA, are making sure that happens.
Coaching changes, 2006-07
Division I Football Bowl Subdivision
School -- 2006 coach -- 2007 coach
Air Force -- Fisher DeBerry -- Troy Calhoun (Houston Texans assistant)
Alabama -- Mike Shula -- Nick Saban (Miami Dolphins)
UAB -- Watson Brown -- Neil Callaway (Georgia assistant)
Arizona St. -- Dirk Koetter -- Dennis Erickson (Idaho)
Army -- Bobby Ross -- Stan Brock (Army assistant)
Boston College -- Tom O’Brien -- Jeff Jagodzinski (Green Bay Packers assistant)
Central Michigan -- Brian Kelly -- Butch Jones (West Virginia assistant)
Cincinnati -- Mark Dantonio -- Brian Kelly (Central Michigan)
Florida Int’l -- Don Strock -- Mario Cristobal [Miami (Fla.) assistant]
Idaho -- Dennis Erickson -- Robb Akey (Washington St. assistant)
Iowa St. -- Dan McCarney -- Gene Chizik (Texas assistant)
Louisiana Tech -- Jack Bicknell -- Derek Dooley (Miami Dolphins assistant)
Louisville -- Bobby Petrino -- Steve Kragthorpe (Tulsa)
Miami (Fla.) -- Larry Coker -- Randy Shannon* [Miami (Fla.) assistant]
Michigan St. -- John Smith -- Mark Dantonio (Cincinnati)
Minnesota -- Glen Mason -- Tim Brewster (Denver Broncos assistant)
North Carolina -- John Bunting -- Butch Davis (broadcasting)
North Carolina St. -- Chuck Amato -- Tom O’Brien (Boston College)
North Texas -- Darrell Dickey -- Todd Dodge (high school)
Rice -- Todd Graham -- David Bailiff (Texas State)
Stanford -- Walt Harris -- Jim Harbaugh (San Diego)
Tulane -- Chris Scelfo -- Bob Toledo (New Mexico assistant)
Tulsa -- Steve Kragthorpe -- Todd Graham (Rice)
Division I men’s basketball
School 2006-07 coach 2007-08 coach (background)
Air Force -- Jeff Bzdelik -- Jeff Reynolds (Air Force assistant)
Arkansas -- Stan Heath* -- John Pelphrey (South Ala.)
Binghamton -- Al Walker -- Kevin Broadus* (Georgetown assistant)
Bowling Green -- Dan Dakich -- Louis Orr* (formerly Seton Hall)
Butler -- Todd Lickliter -- Brad Stevens (Butler assistant)
UC Riverside -- David Spencer -- TBD
Chicago St. -- Kevin Jones* -- TBD
Colorado -- Ricardo Patton* -- Jeff Bzdelik (Air Force)
Colorado St. -- Dale Layer -- Tim Miles (North Dakota St.)
Denver -- Terry Carroll -- Joe Scott (Princeton)
Drake -- Tom Davis -- Keno Davis (Drake assistant)
Evansville -- Steve Merfeld -- Marty Simmons (SIU-Edwardsville)
Georgia St. -- Michael Perry* -- Rod Barnes* (formerly Mississippi)
Harvard -- Frank Sullivan -- Tommy Amaker* (Michigan)
Hawaii -- Riley Wallace -- Bob Nash* (Hawaii assistant)
Ill.-Chicago -- Jimmy Collins* -- Mark Coomes (Ill.-Chicago interim assistant)
Illinois St. -- Porter Moser -- Tim Jankovich (Kansas assistant)
Indiana St. -- Royce Waltman -- Kevin McKenna (Creighton assistant)
Iona -- Jeff Ruland -- Kevin Willard (Louisville assistant)
Iowa -- Steve Alford -- Todd Lickliter (Butler)
Kansas St. -- Bob Huggins -- Frank Martin (Kansas St. assistant)
Kentucky -- Tubby Smith* -- Billy Gillispie (Texas A&M)
Liberty -- Randy Dunton -- Ritchie McKay* (New Mexico)
Long Beach St. -- Larry Reynolds -- Dan Monson (formerly Minnesota)
Louisiana Tech -- Keith Richard -- Kerry Rupp (UAB assistant)
UMKC -- Rich Zvosec -- Matt Brown (West Virginia assistant)
Marshall -- Ron Jirsa -- Donnie Jones (Florida assistant)
Michigan -- Tommy Amaker* -- John Beilein (West Virginia)
Minnesota -- Jim Molinari -- Tubby Smith* (Kentucky)
New Mexico -- Ritchie McKay* -- Steve Alford (Iowa)
Northern Ill. -- Rob Judson -- Ricardo Patton* (Colorado)
Princeton -- Joe Scott -- TBD
Quinnipiac -- Joe DeSantis -- Tom Moore (Connecticut assistant)
Radford -- Byron Samuels* -- Brad Greenberg (Va. Tech assistant)
Robert Morris -- Mark Schmidt -- TBD
St. Bonaventure -- Anthony Solomon* -- Mark Schmidt (Robert Morris)
San Diego -- Brad Holland -- Bill Grier (Gonzaga assistant)
Santa Clara -- Dick Davey -- Kerry Keating (UCLA assistant)
South Carolina St. -- Jamal Brown* -- Ray Martin* (South Carolina St. interim assistant)
South Ala. -- John Pelphrey -- TBD
South Fla. -- Robert McCullum* -- Stan Heath* (Arkansas)
Southern Utah -- Bill Evans -- Roger Reid (formerly Brigham Young)
Texas A&M -- Billy Gillispie -- Mark Turgeon (Wichita St.)
Utah -- Ray Glacoletti -- Jim Boylen (Michigan St. assistant)
West Virginia -- John Beilein -- Bob Huggins (Kansas St.)
Wichita St. -- Mark Turgeon -- Gregg Marshall (Winthrop)
Winthrop -- Gregg Marshall -- Randy Peele (Winthrop assistant)
Wyoming -- Steve McClain -- Heath Schroyer (Fresno St. assistant)
*African-American
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