Sunday night Steve Lively sent out an email to the BC Football Alumni profiling Army AD Boo Corrigan and reporting a rumor he heard regarding Corrigan as a candidate for the BC job. I was copied, as was Brian. In the past few days that email has transferred to message boards saying Corrigan is our next AD. I think this is all premature. Corrigan may end up as the hire, but I don't believe BC has made a decision yet.
Leo Sullivan is still traveling and still seeking input and feedback from friends of the program and university. At this point I don't believe we have a set group of finalists. Father Leahy has also been very busy with the start of school. I don't believe he and Sullivan have gone from still screening candidates less than a week ago to making a final decision.
Lively was a vocal critic of Gene and is likely hearing a lot of gossip (just like many of us). I do think Gene's treatment of him and some of the football alumni did impact the forced resignation. However, I don't think Father Leahy nor Sullivan are going to tip their hand to him in return during this process.
Corrigan would be a solid, conservative replacement. If his candidacy does progress, I will dig deeper into his Pros and Cons. Until then, I think we just have to be patient.
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He has been with Army for 1 year, graduated from Notre Dame, and worked for Duke. If BC hires him then he will have ties to three of THE MOST hated programs in college sports.
I would prefer a Boston College graduate. I would be okay with someone whose kids or parents went to BC. If we cannot find an alumnus qualified that does not say ANYTHING good about us.
I really think the next person in the job needs to have some personal history with our University.
So Army is a hated program now? On what planet?
Also, the last thing we need right now is anyone else with ties to BC and the "we are what we are" mentality.
Furthermore, there are no qualified AD candidates with BC backgrounds right now
IF BC HIRES HIM them he will have ties to the three most hated programs in college sports:
ND- graduate
Duke - Employee
Boston College - IF BC HIRES HIM.
You think we're one of the most hated programs in college sports? Maybe among UConn, Rutgers and the rest of the Old Big East leftovers, but to the rest of the country we're a non-entity.
Corrigan might be ok, but I hope for better.
BC needs a person who understands, Jesuits and the Catholic Church; a person who understands what BC is all about and understands decision making in a Catholic organization; who understands that BC's reputation stands above all other considerations.
This is the first key qualification. (interestingly, Fordham is also in the midst of an AD search, and here is what Len Robbins of the NY Post had to say about qualifications: "Do you vow that you will always put first the values espoused by a Jesuit university and never put success in athletics above the reputation of a great university? (see this)
Second, the person needs to be a very credible manager/leader.
Third, the person need not be experienced in college AD departments or FBS football.
Fourth, we do not want a wannabe athlete reliving his glory days in the guise of being AD -- e.g., "Coach Flip"
Two models BC might consider are ND and Michigan.
ND picked Jack Swarbrick, an ND alum who was a practicing lawyer. He was never an AD and never worked in a sports organization prior to becoming ND's AD. He was a great choice for ND.
UM picked Dave Brandon, a UM alum and former UM football player (apparently a reserve). Prior to becoming the UM AD he was never an AD and never worked in a sports organization. He was the CEO of Domino's Pizza, and a very succesful manager. He was a great choice for UM.
The idea with these two is that each 1) understands the culture of their university; 2) is committed to the long-term interests of the university and 3) was, prior to being hired, an experienced and successful manager.
BC has a lot of succcessful alums. Some were BC athletes, most were not. Many have sports connections (Mara's, Rooney's) I hope BC is looking hard at its own alums.
That, of course, is not to say BC should limit itself to alums.
limiting the search to just BC people is, to me, a bit shortsighted. i do not think it would be hard for an "outsider" to meet with the Search Team or Fr. Leahy or whoever and understand what BC is all about after a few hours of discussion. whoever the best candidate is should be hired, whether or not they have BC on their resume. if given the choice between Candidate A (no BC) and Candidate B (a BC alum) and we know 5 years down the line A will do a better job than B, picking B just b/c its a BC person is silly.
corrigan's profile seems like he has done a good job engaging the alumni, raising funds, and building the brand (at ND, then at Duke and army) from a marketing standpoint. all of those things need to be addressed by BC so he could be a logical choice. today is the first i have heard of him but i do not really keep up on the AD scene.
so long as there is some sort of plan and vetting process i will be happy with the pick and look forward to some new vision on the Heights. GO BC
El Miz, you said "limiting the search to just BC people is, to me, a bit shortsighted"
who is urging that?
if you are referring to me, did you read my last line: "That, of course, is not to say BC should limit itself to alums."
also, you said a new AD could "understand what BC is all about after a few hours"?? nobody is going to get BC's culture from a single meeting. Huh??
I nominate Bill Polian, former GM of the Bills & Colts. He has a connection to BC in that he's a parent of a current BC student.
He has experience running big-time (a/k/a pro) football programs, taking them to the Super Bowl a combined 6 times and winning one. He's hired successful coaches, namely Marv Levy (hall of famer) and Tony Dungy.
Although I'm not aware of any fund raising experience, as GM, he's been responsible for overseeing the marketing of those organizations, TV/radio deals, sponsorships, and all contract negotiations. And he had to navigate the internal politics and pacify the huge egos of two difficult owners, Ralph Wilson & Robert Irsay.
I'm sure he can figure out in short order anything else BC believes is required to be successful. The only questions are, is he interested and can BC afford him? There is no one else I would rather have to hire our next football coach than Bill Polian. To me he's a perfect fit. It's a no-brainer.
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