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Posted on Fri, Apr. 15, 2005



USC picks new athletics director
TCU’s Hyman has ties to South Carolina
By JOSEPH PERSON and RON MORRIS
Staff Writers

Texas Christian athletics director Eric Hyman has reached an agreement to take the same position at the University of South Carolina. He is expected to be introduced Saturday before the Gamecocks’ Garnet and Black football game, a source confirmed for The State on Thursday.

Hyman is likely to arrive in Columbia from Fort Worth today. USC’s board of trustees is slated to meet Saturday morning to approve his contract.

Through a TCU spokesman, Hyman said late Thursday that because it was a “personnel matter” it would be inappropriate to comment.

USC spokesman Russ McKinney said USC president Andrew Sorensen had no comment on any topic related to the AD search. McKinney would neither confirm nor deny the choice of Hyman.

It won’t be his first job in South Carolina: He spent 11 years at Furman University as an assistant football coach and later as an administrator.

The North Carolina graduate has been at TCU since December 1997. He was named the national AD of the year for 2003-04 and has been a finalist for several high-profile AD jobs, including SEC schools Tennessee and Georgia. Hyman also was contacted about AD vacancies this year at Ohio State and Arizona State.

The 54-year-old was one of six known candidates to interview during the three-month search for a successor to Mike McGee, who plans to retire June 30. Sorensen, who conducted the search by himself, received applications from nearly 40 candidates.

USC conducted interviews with Hyman, Southern Conference commissioner Danny Morrison, LSU associate AD Dan Radakovich, and three internal candidates — Gamecocks baseball coach Ray Tanner and senior associate ADs Chris Massaro and Brad Edwards.

Dutch Baughman, the executive director of the Division I-A Athletic Directors’ Association and a former colleague of Hyman’s at Furman, publicly endorsed Hyman’s candidacy. Attempts Thursday night to reach Baughman were unsuccessful.

Former Furman and N.C. State football coach [deleted] Sheridan, who worked with Hyman at both schools, said USC “couldn’t get a finer guy than Eric.”

“He’s a straight shooter, has tremendous intelligence and wants things done the right way,” said Sheridan, who did not confirm Hyman’s selection at USC. “He’s a competitor, but he wants things done in the right way.”

Hyman was the Street & Smith’s SportsBusiness Journal’s choice as top national AD for 2003-04, when the Horned Frogs captured four Conference USA titles and finished second in nine other sports. The school has won 29 conference crowns under Hyman, who had previous AD stints at Miami of Ohio and Virginia Military Institute.

Before a 5-6 mark in 2004, TCU’s football team went to six consecutive bowls and won 10 or more games each year from 2000 to 2003. Last spring, TCU’s baseball team reached the NCAA Tournament for the third time.

Among Hyman’s hires are football coach Dennis Franchione (now at Texas A&M) and basketball coach Neil Dougherty, an ex-Gamecocks assistant.

Hyman, who attended high school in Alexandria, Va., has ties to South Carolina. He was hired at Furman as a graduate assistant coach under Art Baker in 1973 and remained as an assistant coach through 1981 under Sheridan. He then moved into athletic administration as an associate AD under Baughman in 1982, then under Sheridan, who took over as the Furman AD in 1983.

“I don’t think (USC) could make a better choice,” Sheridan said of Hyman.

“He knows the state. If it’s true, I think it’s a good match for both the university and for Eric. That’s the way things should be.”

Reach Person at (803) 771-8496 or [email protected] Morris at (803) 771-8432 or [email protected].






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© 2005 The State and wire service sources. All Rights Reserved.
http://www.thestate.com

it will be interesting to see how this affects them.

funny to see that the board's editing program deleted their mascot's (shortened gamecock) name in the first paragraph.

He's had his application in for every BCS AD job for several years now. Having to defend TCU's defection to the MWC was not an easy thing to do. Luckily for him, the idiodic reasons giving for joining the MWC were not held against him by his future employers.

Could be a bad omen for the SS FROG!!! The Titanic sank 93 years ago today!!! I think I hear the strains of ( Nearer My Frog to Thee) LOL

Those idiot Frogs have made a huge error in buying into that "long expensive travel conference".....This move to the WAC will haunt the toads for years.......Now TCU is losing their AD!!!!

They've got an old dingly looking football stadium and fell badly last year.

They used to have Fran and Billy Tubbs......now look at them!

I would say they are on the way to the bottom.

They have definintly hung themselves!!

When C-USA expands, we will welcome the froggies back along with UNT.

Could someone explain to me why TCU's AD leaving to go to a BCS schools tends to show that TCU made a mistake in going to the MWC? Some of you need to take LOGIC 101.

Does anybody remember whether Hyman was pushing the move to the MWC, or was it TCU's board of directors, etc. ? Seems pretty low to be leaving a school just after you've led them to make a MAJOR move.

I don't think that anyone is saying there is any direct correlation, rather that the conf. change is a decision that may ultimately hurt the football team ($ if nothing else). and that losing the 'architect' of their recent success might also be a sign of darker days at TCU.

I don't think that anyone is saying there is any direct correlation, rather that the conf. change is a decision that may ultimately hurt the football team ($ if nothing else). and that losing the 'architect' of their recent success might also be a sign of darker days at TCU.

this is all we have to crow about with TCU, them losing their AD? I dont think the guy is running from the MWC decision. I've debated with many of you about that move many times before. The bottom line is administrators come and go and so do any hard feelings that matter - fans don't. TCU will be welcomed back to CUSA or a regional facsimile any time they want because they bring something to the table. There is not much risk in their move to me. Its their money and they can always come back. Memphis, Southern Miss and company would make sure of that even if we tried to prevent it. We're defenseless until we start to compete and do our share for the conference, ie non conference wins, bowl games, NCAA bids etc. I know misery loves company, but SMU better catch up with the level TCU is playing at, instead of waiting for them to fall apart and fall to us. That could be a long wait.

Well Said Hoop Fan

DiamondM75 wrote:When C-USA expands, we will welcome the froggies back along with UNT.

Diamond, you're on to something.

Over the next few years, CUSA will add UNT, TCU, & Baylor.

Stay tuned...................

SWC2010 wrote:

DiamondM75 wrote:When C-USA expands, we will welcome the froggies back along with UNT.

Diamond, you're on to something.

Over the next few years, CUSA will add UNT, TCU, & Baylor.

Stay tuned...................

Don't Bogart that joint SWC2010...pass it around. Baylor ain't going anywhere. Too much cash involved in being in a BCS conference and the conference needs a doormat.