What would YOU do if you were AD?

[BRStang]

About Bennett? About attracting fans? About winning next year? About revenue? About reputation?

[mr. pony]

Extend the Houston ship channel up to Dallas and go after Jimmy Johnson.

[abezontar]

Keep Bennett for another year, sell beer and mixed drinks in the stadium, hire the unversity of Miami's team, the last two will take care of themselves

[smupony94]

Did anyone else get the email from Copeland explaining his interview in the DMN? Love the attempt at backtracking.

[SMU Football Blog]

Hypothetically, let’s assume rather than being AD, I am interviewing for the AD position. Let us further assume that I have a job I like, don’t love, and for some reason find the SMU job semi/quasi-appealing. Let’s assume I don’t screw up the interview like I do most interviews and they ask me what I would want to do as AD.

First, SMU requires additional "core" courses for admission than are not required by the NCAA. I would insist that we eliminate this practice.

Second, apparently SMU averages test scores when a recruit makes a bad score or grade and retakes the course or test, when the NCAA only requires that a minimum qualifying score be accepted. I would insist that we eliminate this practice as well.

Third, I leave recruiting to the recruiters. If they feel a student is worth extending a scholarship to, then I won’t second-guess that decision. If an athlete would not qualify until late, but would qualify, then I won’t stand in the way of that student being admitted.

Fourth, I do everything in my power to encourage/cajole/ force the school to accept the transfer hours of most junior college and transfer students so that they qualify academically for scholarships under NCAA rules. If that requires adding courses or degree plans, I will do what I can to make this happen.

Fifth, I would insist that the budget for coach’s salaries be equal to the average of all coaches’ salaries for Division I schools in Texas. This includes assistants. Not the highest. Not the lowest. The average.

Sixth, I would insist that as part of the next major fundraising campaign, that there is a commitment to raise money for athletic facility improvements.

Yes, Stallion, I plagiarized you to some degree.

[RGV Pony]

I'd create two new positions. Don't know what the specific titles would be, but one would have as its prerequisite substantial experience fundraising for a major political campaign. The position would be the same...fill the SMU warchest. The position would also be required to serve as liaison to former players, who would be encouraged and expected to be on the sideline for gameday. Maybe Kathy Bates and Ms. Campisi roaming behind the bench too, along with Paige Davis. Fly 'em in. Make this thing big time.

The other position would involve merchandising, PR, fan experience and promotion. Preferably someone who has worked side by side with Mark Cuban or Jim Lites. Among other things, take the SMU bandwagon to Dallas. Brand the thing. Freebies to elementary kids. Get along and buddy up with Raytheon, Staubach, Ebby Halliday, Dr. Pepper, DISD, DCCCD, American Airlines, Southwest Airlines, etc. Love Field workers have SMU jerseys on for game day, etc. Banners along Mockingbird "Mustang Nation" or some such. This person would implement the aforementioned fill the stadium sweepstakes, wherein 10k prizes are given away after the game every home game.

If I was appointed to a job like AD at SMU, it would be b/c of a wonderful track record doing similar things. As such, as a stipulation of accepting the post I would require the university to view it as a faculty position, with tenure track and full tenure within a reasonable timeframe. I'd make it known to the rest of the faculty that we were equals, like it or not. A place in the faculty senate. And, barring something really, really stupid on my part, I'm not going anywhere. And guess what? The department will probably research publish more than those that [deleted]. Why? Because now that I'm at it, another position would be created, hiring an excellent grant/proposal writer, who would coordinate the department's efforts to make SMU athletes the most researched, and the department the most published department around. We'll bring the Cooper people down the street on board for this. All of this would be done in an effort to make the department self-supporting, and to get the faculty to come aboard as equals.

I'd also require the resources to have 150 member band, minimum. Too many people don't get that big time athletics means big band. Big sound is good, but quantity is required too.

All coaches would have definitive goals so that their roles are quantitatively defined and evaluated; no more "we'll evaluate at the end of the season," or "we'll see what direction the program is going."

All of the above would be within place within six weeks.

[BUS]

FYI, Bob Sharp was hired by the SMU Athletic department only a few months ago.
I know that the position he took is very close to the first job description that you wrote about. Bob is an SMU Alum and will be in contact with the Ex-atheletes and famous alumni.

Question, when was the last time the A-department had an SMU Ex on staff? Wilenski I believe. And BTW, he did a fantastic job and loved/loves SMU.

Many changes need to be made. But lets also understand that there have been some changes over the last 3-4 year too.

[SMU Football Blog]

Many changes need to be made. But lets also understand that there have been some changes over the last 3-4 year too.

This administration has does an absolutely [deleted] job of telling us what changes over the last 3-4 have been made. And that is part of the problem.

[HixsontoLeVias]

hookers, whores at all games, no cahrge...free beer, in fact, mixed drinks coming out of the drinking fountains...Hooters girls as cheerleaders, nude...at halftime, a REAL death match between mascots...instead of one little tiny "Peruna", I would launch out about 75 wild Mustangs after every play.....guys, this thread topic is REALLY stale, really stale. Long Live Coach B.

[MustangSally]

I'd also require the resources to have 150 member band, minimum. Too many people don't get that big time athletics means big band. Big sound is good, but quantity is required too.

Now we're talking. Even better idea: take the resources for 150 and split it up amongst 100 "Ladies and Gentlemen, 96 guys and their Rolexes!"

Good ideas, especially the "branding" position. How the heck did Russ Potts do what he did WHILE running the athletic dept, that whole Mustang Mania thing definitely sounds like a job in itself.

[EastStang]

I'd go to Russ Potts and offer him a job as special marketing consultant and tell him that he'll get a 1 dollar- for each person increase in our average attendance (butts in seats). Add 5,000 per game times five games that's $25,000. He'd probably love a challenge like that. Russ only got 2% of the vote for Governor of Virginia, so he probably will have time after the legislature stops meeting in March.

[HixsontoLeVias]

Are you serious, EastStang? Russ Potts, who just ran for gov. of VA, would come to SMU, short term, for the chance to earn $20-30,000, if he could increase butts in seats? Really, you think this is a good idea? Russ Potts, gov. candidate in VA....pass the bong!! Long Live common sense.