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Dr. Jim to ACC commish

corbi296 said:
Sounds like people are jumping the gun. Do we even know if Phillips is going to accept? Where is the ACC commissioner based? As Lou mentioned, Phillips is very connected to Chicago with his family and kids. He may also see the troubles Warren is having at the Big Ten and realize that job may open up once again in the not too distant future.
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It's certainly possible we're jumping the gun, but when he interviews for a job like that, the expectation is that he's willing to take it if offered.

The other thing is what's left for Phillips to do here that could be done in short order? With campus budgets strained, and AD likely tightening its belt due to Covid uncertainty, any Ryan Field project is probably off the table for a while. Plus they probably want to see what post Covid attendance looks like before committing $200-300 million to the stadium.

So it makes all the sense in the world for Phillips to look around. This is basically the optimal time for him to leave all things considered with where the department is...
 
kaTNap said:
We haven't had tremendous success with coach or AD hires from Duke or Stanford. Three of our best football coaches came from Colorado and Miami(OH). Our best AD came from NIU.

I think Stanford's programs are struggling a bit now ... not where we want to go. Does the Duke AD have a job description beyond "keep Coach K happy"? (Kidding ...!)
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Maybe coach K would be interested, since he's a Chicago guy.
 
Think about how attractive this job is. Dr. Jim by all accounts was the 2nd highest paid AD in the country next to Swarbrick at ND. You have a patient fan base, alum, and administration who love athletics but keep it in perspective. You cna attract high character student athletes without compromising your integrity for win at all costs, you have huge budget to work with and get to live in a metropolitan suburban area without having to live in an outpost colleg etown like most Power 5 AD's have to.
 
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catstime16 said:
UPenn's Dr. Grace Calhoun (form Loyola A.D.) will lead pack if interested in NU....
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There was a real mixed bag of opinions on Grace, for a variety of reasons...she does have Big10 experience , coming to LU from U of Indiana,,,,...I would give a99% of all the credit for LU s return to prominance to its present AD, Steve Watson......If you have not followed,,,over the last 3 or maybe 4 years LU has been in the top 3 of the Graduating Athletes stat.
 
I have no particular point to make here...but good lord, the position of Athletic Director is a fascinating one, isn't it? Be able to hang with the other swinging dicks in the Big Ten, understand the marketing side, tv side, the head coaching side, and the student athlete/Northwestern thing - good luck finding someone who can hang in every one of those domains.

@zeek55 - tell me how important you think this position is if the Bears actually make a run at Fitz, who has now lost his favorite boss and has a stalwart DC on the way out. Maybe win the Big Ten on Saturday and then...?

I hadn't realized that Polisky was chief exec of Chicago Rush and the Wolves - definitely a guy who knows sports marketing 101 when it comes to the Chicagoland area and how to get butts in seats, but on paper at least does not have the pedigree to hang in the other areas.

As a guy with ties to Loyola, I can tell you that there aren't many Grace Calhoun fans around.
 
Everybody starts some where. Kevin White started at Loras College in Dubuque. NU has been great at getting young rising stars! Good Luck Dr. Jim. Thanks for all you have done.
 
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PURPLE Book Cat said:
God bless him. There are no more entitled, nor more collectively disappointed, stakeholders than those at Tennessee.
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While I agree with your sentiment, that's an awfully high bar... there are a lot highly entitled and consistently disappointed fan bases out there.

Auburn, USC, I could name a few other SEC schools too, and that's just staying within CFB (UCLA BB??)
 
Sheffielder said:
I have no particular point to make here...but good lord, the position of Athletic Director is a fascinating one, isn't it? Be able to hang with the other swinging dicks in the Big Ten, understand the marketing side, tv side, the head coaching side, and the student athlete/Northwestern thing - good luck finding someone who can hang in every one of those domains.

@zeek55 - tell me how important you think this position is if the Bears actually make a run at Fitz, who has now lost his favorite boss and has a stalwart DC on the way out. Maybe win the Big Ten on Saturday and then...?

I hadn't realized that Polisky was chief exec of Chicago Rush and the Wolves - definitely a guy who knows sports marketing 101 when it comes to the Chicagoland area and how to get butts in seats, but on paper at least does not have the pedigree to hang in the other areas.

As a guy with ties to Loyola, I can tell you that there aren't many Grace Calhoun fans around.
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Wish I'd gotten to answer this sooner, but yeah it's hard to really describe the importance of the AD job here relative to others.

I really don't think Fitz ever has viewed his job as being tied to anybody else around NU. I know he "looked around" (basically his agent called around the NFL), but I just don't think he thinks he's reached a ceiling here. Fitz's tenure here really is independent of anybody else (AD/president/trustee).

Maybe if the Bears job opens up at a time when he feels like he's accomplished as much as he can here, then he'd consider it.

But I just don't see it; if you look at what he talks about he values (and yes I realize Fitz is as much a master of coachspeak as any coach in the country), I genuinely think he understands he can build a bigger legacy here than he can anywhere else (NFL or college).

As far as AD goes, it's tough. Some ADs really like to go to departments that are in need of a dramatic turnaround rather than one that's in cruise control. Those ADs want to go to a place where the football program is a disaster and where the facilities are pretty mediocre relative to the status of the school (i.e. a Power 5 school with $50m per year of TV money coming in).

Our AD really doesn't have to do much except figure out how to make the numbers work on a stadium rebuild. Phillips did everything else; he handled facility projects across the board, and as far as coaches go, it's really MBB where things are sort of up in the air.

And that's why it'll be interesting to see who we get. We don't really need a big name (like Tennessee did). We need somebody who can develop a good relationship with our main donors (who drive the ship anyhow) and keep things going.
 
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zeek55 said:
Wish I'd gotten to answer this sooner, but yeah it's hard to really describe the importance of the AD job here relative to others.

I really don't think Fitz ever has viewed his job as being tied to anybody else around NU. I know he "looked around" (basically his agent called around the NFL), but I just don't think he thinks he's reached a ceiling here. Fitz's tenure here really is independent of anybody else (AD/president/trustee).

Maybe if the Bears job opens up at a time when he feels like he's accomplished as much as he can here, then he'd consider it.

But I just don't see it; if you look at what he talks about he values (and yes I realize Fitz is as much a master of coachspeak as any coach in the country), I genuinely think he understands he can build a bigger legacy here than he can anywhere else (NFL or college).

As far as AD goes, it's tough. Some ADs really like to go to departments that are in need of a dramatic turnaround rather than one that's in cruise control. Those ADs want to go to a place where the football program is a disaster and where the facilities are pretty mediocre relative to the status of the school (i.e. a Power 5 school with $50m per year of TV money coming in).

Our AD really doesn't have to do much except figure out how to make the numbers work on a stadium rebuild. Phillips did everything else; he handled facility projects across the board, and as far as coaches go, it's really MBB where things are sort of up in the air.

And that's why it'll be interesting to see who we get. We don't really need a big name (like Tennessee did). We need somebody who can develop a good relationship with our main donors (who drive the ship anyhow) and keep things going.
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AS far as Fitz is concerned, next year will be the real test because I think it ia highly likely the Bears clean house after next season. If the Bears are truly the only NFL job he would consider leaving NU for, next year may be the true test for that theory.
 
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the funny thing about the bears job...it will ALWAYS be open every few years, even with a successful coach. and at northwestern, fitz will always be fitz. the same articles and tweets will be written about him year after year - integrity, does more with less, etc. etc. he will have more ups than downs, but he will be able to pick and choose his timeline with the bears if that's what he truly wants.

honestly, i think the two factors in play will be 1) does he like his new boss (whether we're talking about the AD a year from now or the president a few years later), and 2) how important is it to him to coach his son Jack, who is a giant monster already.
 
Sheffielder said:
the funny thing about the bears job...it will ALWAYS be open every few years, even with a successful coach. and at northwestern, fitz will always be fitz. the same articles and tweets will be written about him year after year - integrity, does more with less, etc. etc. he will have more ups than downs, but he will be able to pick and choose his timeline with the bears if that's what he truly wants.

honestly, i think the two factors in play will be 1) does he like his new boss (whether we're talking about the AD a year from now or the president a few years later), and 2) how important is it to him to coach his son Jack, who is a giant monster already.
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Re 1), Fitz is the 800# gorilla. He is more powerful than the AD, so it matter not whether he "likes" her or him or not, it really is irrelevant. Fitz will always have the prospect of jumping to the NFL if he doesn't get his way, so he has all the power in the relationship.
 
Fitzphile said:
Re 1), Fitz is the 800# gorilla. He is more powerful than the AD, so it matter not whether he "likes" her or him or not, it really is irrelevant. Fitz will always have the prospect of jumping to the NFL if he doesn't get his way, so he has all the power in the relationship.
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While I agree with you to an extent, Fitz has lived a charmed life with Phillips and Morty. As close to a "perfect" AD as could exist on earth and a president who genuinely adores college athletics...while Fitz wields as much power as and P5 coach could on a campus, the introduction of an AD who challenges his ways and/or a president whose affection for college football doesn't quite approach the Morty level could be the kind of thing that makes someone rethink their professional situation after 15+ years on the job. While Fitz will always have an NFL team knocking, it's not like he wants to move the family to Atlanta or Las Vegas...and if we know that, then so do his bosses.
 
Sheffielder said:
While I agree with you to an extent, Fitz has lived a charmed life with Phillips and Morty. As close to a "perfect" AD as could exist on earth and a president who genuinely adores college athletics...while Fitz wields as much power as and P5 coach could on a campus, the introduction of an AD who challenges his ways and/or a president whose affection for college football doesn't quite approach the Morty level could be the kind of thing that makes someone rethink their professional situation after 15+ years on the job. While Fitz will always have an NFL team knocking, it's not like he wants to move the family to Atlanta or Las Vegas...and if we know that, then so do his bosses.
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Good point about Morty. Fitz and Bob Strotz wouldn't have coexisted.
 
Sheffielder said:
While I agree with you to an extent, Fitz has lived a charmed life with Phillips and Morty. As close to a "perfect" AD as could exist on earth and a president who genuinely adores college athletics...while Fitz wields as much power as and P5 coach could on a campus, the introduction of an AD who challenges his ways and/or a president whose affection for college football doesn't quite approach the Morty level could be the kind of thing that makes someone rethink their professional situation after 15+ years on the job. While Fitz will always have an NFL team knocking, it's not like he wants to move the family to Atlanta or Las Vegas...and if we know that, then so do his bosses.
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As important as AD/Prez undoubtedly are, I have to point out that the strongest power at any university is the donor base and which group of donors are in power as trustees.

And our current donors in power as trustees of the university are incredibly pro-athletics. And that plays into Phillips/Morty using sports as the front door of the University in some sense.

I can't even imagine major donors in the 70s/80s being willing to support athletics like the group that rose to prominence in the 90s/00s.

Northwestern's AD spot is a pretty plum job in the sense that you have access to Big Ten revenue, the wealthiest donor base in the Big Ten per capita, and of course Fitz secure as football coach, and already $400+ million in facilities built.

And the donors are already looking at where they can leave their final big mark on athletics when the stadium gets redone. Which is why it wouldn't be a shock if the price there hit $300-400 million. The donors have the money and are willing to splurge on the last major athletics project for the foreseeable future.
 
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zeek55 said:
And the donors are already looking at where they can leave their final big mark on athletics when the stadium gets redone. Which is why it wouldn't be a shock if the price there hit $300-400 million. The donors have the money and are willing to splurge on the last major athletics project for the foreseeable future.
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Too bad I didn't win that billion dollar Mega Millions! That new stadium would have had my name ALL OVER IT. 🤣
 
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