Copeland to retire

[Charleston Pony]

this story is posted under the general comments but isn't this big enough news to be here on the football board, too?

I'd say the pressure is on Dr. Turner at this point. This is going to be an important position to fill. We need somebody that is driven to restore interest in SMU athletics. Too many generations of apathetic alumni is going to spell serious trouble down the road.

Here's the story from the DMN:


SMU AD Copeland to retire

11:53 AM CST on Thursday, February 2, 2006
By CALVIN WATKINS / The Dallas Morning News



SMU athletic director Jim Copeland will retire May 31, according to university sources.

Copeland was thinking of retirement for several months. Sources said he grew weary of the job over the past few years.

He will depart the Hilltop with one year remaining on his contract. He reached a financial settlement with the university that wasn’t disclosed.

Copeland, 60, was hired in 1995 after serving as the athletic director at Virginia. At SMU, Copeland has made several changes within the athletic department, from building a new football stadium, streamlining the admissions process and decreasing the athletic department deficit by eliminating coaching positions to cutting back on travel and recruiting budgets. He also helped SMU leave the Western Athletic Conference for regionally aligned Conference USA.

Copeland also helped rebuild the trust between the faculty and the athletic department that was damaged when the football team was placed on the NCAA death penalty following the 1986 season.

He also fired two men’s basketball coaches and two football coaches. Copeland also struggled with marketing SMU as Dallas’ team and received criticism for eliminating the highly successful men’s track and field program for financial and Title XI reasons.

Copeland was unavailable for comment. SMU president Gerald Turner was also unavailable for comment.

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[Pony_Fan]

Look 2 slots down CP