Dan Viola - SMU's Next AD???

[CalallenStang]

I actually almost posted about Viola when he stepped down, then decided against it. Why would he be a good choice? He started a program from scratch and brought the tennis team to be a national power, women's softball to 3 straight NCAA regional appearances, and numerous successes in Men's and Women's Basketball.

But he hasn't marketed the team well. That's the knock. And that's what SMU needs most.

[MrMustang1965]

But he hasn't marketed the team well. That's the knock. And that's what SMU needs most.

If he hires the right staff, they'll do the marketing correctly.

[McClown27]

[quote] PLEASE tell me you don't have some inside information that spawned that thought. President Turner said he wants a current "sitting" AD, and I would think a D2 candidate would be a very hard sell. [quote]

Hold on there!! Maggard was an AD at UC Berkeley and some other big program. Due to those experiences, I would guess he makes $550-650k.

But otherwise, get ready for someone with D2 credentials. Why? No A.D. from at a big school will come here, and why would a successful small school AD leave their program for SMU. They will wait for a BCS gig.

[dcpony]

To be clear, I want an AD with Dave Maggard's attitude, not necessarily Dave Maggard's resume, though I would not be opposed to it.

We'd be very lucky to get a guy with a resume like Maggard's

UH Director of Athletics - Dave Maggard

Dave Maggard

He's carried an Olympic flag and has received the Olympic Order. Now, as one of the most respected leaders in intercollegiate athletics, Dave Maggard is the standard bearer for the University of Houston Athletics program.

Maggard came to Houston in January 2002, after serving as a consultant for the Sacramento (Calif.) Sports Commission and UCDavis Medical Center for one and a half years. There he counseled both the Medical Center and the Sports Commission on issues in development and fund-raising, event planning and the evaluation of volunteer boards.

Maggard also brought a wealth of intercollegiate athletics experience, and insight as well as a history of integrity to Houston. He was the director of athletics at the University of Miami from 1991-93. In his first year, the Hurricane football team won a national championship in 1991 and was the nation’s second-ranked team in 1992.

Miami's baseball team also finished third in the College World Series. The women's basketball team also advanced to the 1992 NCAA's "Sweet 16" and won two Big East Conference championships. Two other teams, men's golf and women's tennis, captured Big East Championships in their first seasons as a league member.

Off the field, Maggard led the Hurricanes to unprecedented success when he established the school's first endowed scholarship fund in the fall of 1991, and created an additional $6 million surplus for 20 men's and women's athletic programs.

In addition, 22 Hurricane student-athletes were named to the Big East All-Academic team and three received District Academic All-America honors. Miami’s football team received honorable mention academic honors by the College Football Association (CFA) for a 70 percent or better graduation rate in 1991.

Maggard went to Miami after serving 19 years as athletics director at his alma mater, the University of California-Berkeley. Under his direction, California's program enjoyed success on several fronts. He created a vigorous Bear Backer fund-raising organization that established endowed scholarships in 13 sports and enabled facilities to be upgraded and maintained. He also established a comprehensive academic support and a faculty mentoring programs.

The Golden Bears also won 22 national championships in six different sports: water polo, rugby, swimming, tennis, crew and gymnastics. California's baseball team also finished third nationally during his tenure. He also was instrumental in the resurgence of California’s basketball and football teams that yielded the school’s best record and first NCAA Tournament appearance in 30 years.

Maggard also was instrumental in the resurgence of California's football and basketball programs that yielded the school’s best record and first NCAA Tournament appearance in 30 years.

He also served on more than 20 athletics governing bodies while he was at Miami and California. He was a chairman for the NCAA's Council of Eligibility Appeals, chairman of the NCAA's Committee on International Relations, and a member of the organization's NCAA Division I Basketball Committee, Committee to Review Amateurism Issues and Committee to Combat Gambling. Maggard chaired six different Pac-10 Conference Committees, including the long-term planning and bowl committees.

At Miami, Maggard was a member of the CFA's Board of Directors and was a member of the Big East Football's Executive and Bowl Committees.

Following his success at California and Miami, he was named the Managing Director of Sports for the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic games in 1993. Maggard managed over 600 paid staff and 8,500 volunteers throughout the 1996 Olympic games. He also oversaw site selection, acquisition and building of all venues and equipment for all sports competitions and training. In addition, Maggard organized 30 pre-Olympic Test events and prepared all technical and explanatory brochures and publications. He also served as the primary interface with the International Olympic Committee and Sports Federations on sports related matters.

After the 1996 Olympic games, Maggard served as the Vice President of Sports Administration for Turner Sports/Time Warner, Inc. and was the Executive Vice President for the Atlanta Thrashers hockey team until 2000.

A former Olympian himself, Maggard earned one letter in football and three letters in track and field at California-Berkeley. There, he set a school record in the shot put that stood for more than 19 years, and was the recipient of both the Brutus Hamilton Award for outstanding leadership in track and field and the Jake Gimbel Award as California’s senior athlete exhibiting the best attitude toward athletics. An endowed scholarship in football carries his name.

He earned his Bachelor's degree in physical education and social science in 1962, and worked at several Bay Area high schools as a teacher and coach while a member of the U.S. National Track Team and training in the shot put for a place on the 1968 Olympic Trials. At the Olympic Trials, he recorded the fifth-longest shot put mark in history to earn a spot on the USA Olympic Team. At the Olympic Games, he finished in fifth place despite competing while he was ill.

Later that year, he returned to his alma mater to serve as an assistant track and field coach and assumed the head coaching duties a year later. In 1972, he was named the school’s director of athletics at age 32, making him the youngest AD in the nation.

Born January 12, 1940, he grew up in San Francisco and Turlock, Calif.. Maggard and his wife, Carolyn, have three adult children: David, Darin and Dana.

Maggard was inducted into California-Berkeley's Hall of Fame in 1996. He also received the U.S. Sports Academy's Carl Maddox Sports Management Award and the International Olympic Committee's Olympic Order that year. He received the General Robert Reese Nyeland Athletic Director Lifetime Achievement Award in 1997.

Maggard serves on the NCAA Academic, Eligibility/Compliance Cabinet and is chair of the Committee on Agents and Amateurism.

[abezontar]

How did he end up at UH? It seems like a step down from everywhere else he has been.

[SMU Football Blog]

How did he end up at UH? It seems like a step down from everywhere else he has been.

Because he had been out of college athletics for over ten years and he got out of Miami when Miami was as bad (as far as NCAA rules infractions go) as it ever was. He probably wouldn't have lasted much longer and would have been the fall guy at Miami and lost his job.

[Stallion]

this AD is another guy-like Bennett-whose success is built at schools which rely on players with questionable academics who would not be admissible at SMU. I guess it really does pay to bend the rules.

[McClown27]

this AD is another guy-like Bennett-whose success is built at schools which rely on players with questionable academics who would not be admissible at SMU. I guess it really does pay to bend the rules.

UC Berkeley? He was there for like 20 years.

[dcpony]

How did he end up at UH? It seems like a step down from everywhere else he has been.

UVA to SMU was a step down for Copeland as well.

[SMUPhil]

Yeah, the 3-year tenure at Miami was a red flag to me too. Was this when Erickson was coach? or Jimmy Johnson? Miami was definitely at the bare minimum of academic selectivity, and still is I believe. Wasn't Frank Gore the last player to get a 6 on the Wonderlic test before VY?

[Lotus]

I didn't know Gore got a 6. The only one I heard about was Michael Bishop.

[SMU Football Blog]

I talked to some people about Viola. He quit A&M CC because the administration had no interest in football and he wanted to start a football team bad. While that would sound promising, the other comment I heard was "He is a really weird guy."

[MrMustang1965]

I talked to some people about Viola. He quit A&M CC because the administration had no interest in football and he wanted to start a football team bad. While that would sound promising, the other comment I heard was "He is a really weird guy."

Define 'really weird'.

[SMU Football Blog]

I was told by one person that they seriously doubted SMU would be interested in him because he was "really weird." The words "bad toupee" were used.