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The ND AD Chronicles: Steve Orsini Releases A Statement

Southern Methodist athletic director Steve Orsini is a logical contender for Notre Dame's vacant athletic director position. Orsini graduated from Notre Dame in 1978 and played football on the 1977 team.

In a statement sent to The Journal Gazette late Monday afternoon by SMU assistant athletic director Brad Sutton, Orsini said he hasn't been contacted by anyone from the university.

"I am fortunate to be employed by an excellent university that appreciates and supports our department's efforts to improve our athletic results while maintaining the academic successes of our student athletes," Orsini said in the statement. "However, since Notre Dame is my alma mater, I understand that these questions will be asked. I am flattered that the media would bring my name up for consideration, but I have not been contacted by anyone from Notre Dame.

"I want to reiterate that SMU is an outstanding institution with tremendous potential and wonderful support from its administration. Dallas is a vibrant community and it is a tremendous place both professionally and personally for me and my family."

Orsini worked as an accountant in New York, had his first job in athletics at Notre Dame and has been the athletic director at both SMU and Central Florida. Before that, he was the senior associate athletic director at Georgia Tech and an associate athletic director at Navy.

He also has football experience, working with the Dallas Cowboys for a decade in the team's administration.

It's also worth mentioning Orsini's wife, Amy, is from South Bend.

http://www.journalgazette.net/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080602/BLOGS02/202247975

Steve has a history of fast exists at the peak of his employment.

Everyone wondered why he left UCF when things appeared to be perfect.

I'll be happier when ND finds their own AD.

Sorry, but that sounds like a request for an interview. Hope I am wrong, but no where in that statement did he say "I am not interested."

You're exactly right, PK. Perhaps that paper left out the final line of his "statement" — "if any of the Fathers who run that place can remember me, I really, really, really want to work there. My wife grew up there, and it's about to get stupidly hot in Dallas again. Offer me an interview, and I'll be there before the sun goes down."

Damn, he didn't even suggest that he wants to stay in Dallas — he just said SMU's a great school. Great. We know that. Harvard's a great school, too, but Steve-O doesn't want to move to Cambridge, either.

Why are we seeing this quote in an Indiana paper before the Dallas Morning ... oh, never mind.

With all due respect, I would hardly call orsinis time here a high point. Both revenue sports have performed awfully. Yes, we've had some great coaching hires but let's see those provide fruit before calling the orsini era a success. And quite frankly, if 2 million plus was available for a coach we probably would have had someone other than Bennett here a while back.

By the way, if orsini gets consideration from nd, that man will be out of here faster than a crackhead smokes a rock.

Interesting that the above statement was released by Brad Sutton, SMU Sports Information Director. If Steve O leaves, maybe Brad wants to go with him to South Bend.

I seem to recall one of our higher-profile personalities recently say (before coming to SMU), "SMU hasn't contacted me. They're not gonna contact me." Or something to that effect.

Looks like Ft Wayne's newspaper sent an email to Brad Sutton and he replied. Maybe blog can shoot his own email over there. Or PonyPride.

OK this is the most troubling development in this story and I am now VERY concerned. This was basically a statement to ND that he's interested if they come calling. I'd say the odds of us retaining him now are 50-50. The ball is entirely in Notre Dame's court.

There is not much to say. If ND wants Steve-O, odds are Steve-O wants ND and he will go. I don't think anybody is going to fault a guy for leaving for his alma mater, a more prestigious position and possibly more money. As I mentioned in some other thread, there is no guarantee ND is going to want him. They might, but it isn't certain.

The nature of the college game is to move up and move on when the opportunity comes. U of H just learned that the hard way. If Orsini moves on, I wish him the very best. He will have left SMU in a better situation than when he arrived.

I'm to the point in athletics in general -- college or pro -- that it is best not to be married to any one administrator/coach because the trend is they are normally here for 5 years or less before moving somewhere else. This has become such a transient industry.

Really not going to worry about this. I thought Orsini was here three years max. All I ever asked is that whoever came here would set this up and make this a better job so it would attract better people. The way it is going, we're getting there.

I wonder how June Jones will feel after he made a life-altering decision to leave his beloved Hawaii to take this job primarily b/c of Steve Orsini only to see him leave before he plays his first game. One thing is crucial. If Steve decides to go we have to go out and get a top-notch replacement. This program can't endure another Copeland.

So far Orsini can only boast about the promise to come. Otherwise his resume in revenue sports is:
FB 06 6-6 to 07 1-11
BB 06-07 14-17 to 07-08 10-20

Not the stuff to write home (ND) about.