“Stuff happens,” Donald Rumsfeld once said at a Pentagon press briefing. During the Mike Thomas reign of terror, lots of “stuff” has happened with University of Illinois athletics. It’s the kind of stuff that the most infamous U.S. Secretary of Defense (sorry Bob McNamara, Rummy has you beat now) was talking about in that media conference.
Yesterday, new and different “stuff” happened regarding UI sports. It’s been 84 days and counting that the Illini have been operating without an Athletic Director, but finally we have some sign of legitimate progress.
The list of seven candidates who were interviewed for the Illini A.D. position went public yesterday. A decision could be coming later this week or early next week. Of course, there’s still so many “unknown knowns” and “known unknowns” in this situation. Staying Rumsfeldian with this, there are a few “known knowns” as well though. Let’s take a preemptive opinion on potential Illini A.D. hires.
Home Run Hire: Rick George
Yes, he’s publicly said that he wants to stay at Colorado, but media in Champaign-Urbana insist that he’s still very much in play. Of course, he’s also the dream hire at this point and therefore not the most realistic scenario. You may look at the state of Colorado football and think “what would be so great about this hire?”
Well, George is the only viable candidate who has both Illini ties and Power Five Conference A.D. experience. If Illinois doesn’t land George, they likely won’t be hiring a guy who’s been a high-major Athletic Director already. We’ve heard all along that having Illini ties is a priority in this process, as it should be.
It’s good to see the University apparently keeping to that because Thomas had no ties to the Illini and you see what a quagmire that was. Thomas was brilliant with fund-raising, facility upgrades and corporate sponsorships. He was an absolute train wreck with everything else. Thomas was a credit default swap salesman making Big Ten coaching hires and that’s why the Illini revenue sports have now melted down like the U.S. economy once everyone called bullshit on collateralized debt obligations in 2008.
Yes, the next candidate must possess business acumen, but they better make another kind of investment (an emotional one) in making the two Illini sports that people care about actually relevant again.
Very Solid Contingency Plans: Craig Tiley, Sean Frazier
Tiley, CEO of Tennis Australia, and Illini Tennis Coach 1992-2005, is probably the perfect mix of those qualities. He’s likely the most intelligent and successful person on this list, and you know he’s interested. He flew from the Commonwealth of Australia to Indianapolis for an interview. He didn’t come back to the Midwest to play knifey-spoon-y.
Anybody who cares about the Illini should feel really good about a Tiley hire.
The Tiley portion of the Tribune was incorrect. So that part of the Trib report has now been discredited.
For the record, Craig Tiley has NOT interviewed for the Illinois AD job. The Tribune report yesterday was inaccurate in that regard.
— Mike Cation (@mikecation) February 3, 2016
Likewise with NIU A.D. Sean Frazier. You’ve seen what NIU football has developed into under his watch and it’s only going to get better at Huskie Stadium. Frazier got the venue approved for its much needed and long overdue upgrade/expansion.
Also, Frazier, more than any other A.D. in the state, understands the complicated beast that is Chicago in the realm of collegiate sport.
I would trust Frazier, more than anyone else on this list, to correctly market Chicago and hire coaches who could effectively recruit it. On the downside, well I understand why Illini fans are not interested in people with MAC connections right now. Thomas turned Illinois into a de facto lower tier of the Mid-American Conference school by hiring Tim Beckman and John Groce.
Back on the plus side, you know all those NIU fans have been taunting and laughing at the Illini this decade? Well, this move would effectively silence them for a very long time.
High Risk/High Reward Possibly: Josh Whitman, Thomas Michael
I’m not a huge fan of the next Illini A.D. being somebody who was at the school at the exact same time that I was (Whitman). As much as I write and Tweet like a crusty old curmudgeon who hates Millenials (“OMG! Snapchat is so on fleek!”), I’m actually just two years off the tail end of millenial classification myself. I have a hard time believing that somebody my exact age is ready to lead a Big Ten Athletic Department.
Mid-major schools, maybe, but not the Power 5. That takes more life experience, connections and solid relationships with important contacts than a typical 36-year-old possesses. I’m sure Whitman has a lot of solid attributes, but maybe the current Division III Washington University AD is better suited to be the guy after the next guy?
Ditto with Michael. He actually started for the Illini in the first basketball game that I ever attended way back in 1992. The current A.D. at Eastern Illinois is like Whitman, a good hire for those in the “P.J. Fleck should be the next football coach” camp. Maybe you value youth, passion and energy over wisdom and experience. Maybe hiring one of these two guys is the way to invest in the long term by “building.”
“It’s Not Ideal”: Central Michigan AD Dave Heeke, Florida Atlantic AD Patrick Chun, Maryland deputy AD Kelly Mehrtens
Yeah, hey, whatever, thanks for coming out. We have some lovely parting gifts for you. Take care all the best. Good night drive safely.
With this “elite 8” of Illini A.D. candidates, I’d go with a “Final Four” of #1 George vs #4 Whitman and #2 Tiley vs #3 Frazier, imho.
Do millenials still use that acronym?
Paul M. Banks owns, operates and sometimes writes The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with FOX Sports Engage Network. The website is also featured on News Now.
Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, currently contributes to the Chicago Tribune RedEye. He also appears regularly on numerous television and radio talk shows all across the country. Catch him Tuesdays on KOZN 1620 The Zone.
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