Article on Orsini/Smu athletics
Posted: Tue Sep 05, 2006 12:02 pmhttp://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent ... 65b07.html
New AD aims high at SMU
Orsini's vision includes more wins, more fans and more dollars
03:51 AM CDT on Tuesday, September 5, 2006
By CALVIN WATKINS / The Dallas Morning News
UNIVERSITY PARK – After less than three months on the job, new SMU athletic director Steve Orsini already has made numerous changes with more to come.
There are plans for an $800,000 video scoreboard for aging Moody Coliseum, a new 50-meter indoor swimming pool and a basketball practice facility. But above all, Orsini's priority is to make the financially struggling athletic department self-sufficient.
"It's a standard, a mind-set, a culture," Orsini said. "We want to have [it so] that everything we strive for, we do at the best level. We are a national university."
Orsini said his vision is to have a winning program in all sports, especially men's and women's basketball and football. President Gerald Turner and the board of trustees have given him a mandate to improve the athletic department.
Here are the key areas Orsini has targeted at the beginning of a new school year:
Raising expectations
At Orsini's introductory news conference, he challenged coaches to elevate the standards of their teams to be among the top 25 in the nation.
He told football coach Phil Bennett he expects a winning season. Bennett said fans should expect a bowl appearance in 2006.
Just last week, Orsini made key changes in his department because fundraising and marketing efforts didn't meet his standards. He fired senior associate athletic directors Ed Wisneski and Scott Secules, who oversaw those departments for almost 11 years.
The athletic department has operated with a deficit over the last decade, with the total reaching $3.5 million last year.
Orsini said that deficit must be erased.
"You may have the best-laid plan," Orsini said, "but if you don't have the right people in place to execute the plan, you're not going to complete the path."
Upgrading facilities
Poor facilities have put SMU behind its competitors in recruiting.
TCU and Baylor have built or are building basketball practice facilities. When Orsini hired men's basketball coach Matt Doherty this spring, he made a commitment to build one for the SMU campus. The school plans to break ground on the $12 million project this winter. Upgrades to Moody Coliseum could push the cost even higher.
Orsini also has plans to build a soccer stadium on the east side of campus. In addition, SMU has nearly completed a $3 million capital project at Dallas Athletic Club that will add a clubhouse, a short-game practice complex and indoor driving bays to be shared by the school's golf teams. A new tennis facility is also on Orsini's list.
Raising more money
Fundraising efforts have increased thanks to a special event for boosters this summer at the home of billionaire Gerald Ford, who donated $20 million for the football stadium that bears his name. David Miller raised his financial commitment to basketball with a $1.5 million donation.
Turner believes the Mustang Club, the fundraising arm of the athletic department, should raise $2 million a year. That goal wasn't met under Chris Walker, who resigned over the summer.
"We've got to generate more resources, more ticket sales, more fundraising," said Orsini, noting that SMU's alumni base in Dallas has been supportive.
Attendance
SMU sold 4,621 football season tickets in 2005, and sales are only slightly better this season. The school should sell at least 10,000 season tickets a year, Turner said.
SMU doesn't have much of a home-field advantage at any of its facilities. Average attendance was 1,249 for women's basketball and 3,068 for men's basketball last season. Average football attendance last season was 18,630, which ranked 92nd nationally.
Increased attendance helps recruiting. Orsini said he's talked to student groups about supporting their teams.
"You bring recruits here and they see certain places and if it's a half-empty stadium, it's not a very strong message," he said. "A full stadium with crazy students and alumni and the band and cheerleaders, you can get that going."
New AD aims high at SMU
Orsini's vision includes more wins, more fans and more dollars
03:51 AM CDT on Tuesday, September 5, 2006
By CALVIN WATKINS / The Dallas Morning News
UNIVERSITY PARK – After less than three months on the job, new SMU athletic director Steve Orsini already has made numerous changes with more to come.
There are plans for an $800,000 video scoreboard for aging Moody Coliseum, a new 50-meter indoor swimming pool and a basketball practice facility. But above all, Orsini's priority is to make the financially struggling athletic department self-sufficient.
"It's a standard, a mind-set, a culture," Orsini said. "We want to have [it so] that everything we strive for, we do at the best level. We are a national university."
Orsini said his vision is to have a winning program in all sports, especially men's and women's basketball and football. President Gerald Turner and the board of trustees have given him a mandate to improve the athletic department.
Here are the key areas Orsini has targeted at the beginning of a new school year:
Raising expectations
At Orsini's introductory news conference, he challenged coaches to elevate the standards of their teams to be among the top 25 in the nation.
He told football coach Phil Bennett he expects a winning season. Bennett said fans should expect a bowl appearance in 2006.
Just last week, Orsini made key changes in his department because fundraising and marketing efforts didn't meet his standards. He fired senior associate athletic directors Ed Wisneski and Scott Secules, who oversaw those departments for almost 11 years.
The athletic department has operated with a deficit over the last decade, with the total reaching $3.5 million last year.
Orsini said that deficit must be erased.
"You may have the best-laid plan," Orsini said, "but if you don't have the right people in place to execute the plan, you're not going to complete the path."
Upgrading facilities
Poor facilities have put SMU behind its competitors in recruiting.
TCU and Baylor have built or are building basketball practice facilities. When Orsini hired men's basketball coach Matt Doherty this spring, he made a commitment to build one for the SMU campus. The school plans to break ground on the $12 million project this winter. Upgrades to Moody Coliseum could push the cost even higher.
Orsini also has plans to build a soccer stadium on the east side of campus. In addition, SMU has nearly completed a $3 million capital project at Dallas Athletic Club that will add a clubhouse, a short-game practice complex and indoor driving bays to be shared by the school's golf teams. A new tennis facility is also on Orsini's list.
Raising more money
Fundraising efforts have increased thanks to a special event for boosters this summer at the home of billionaire Gerald Ford, who donated $20 million for the football stadium that bears his name. David Miller raised his financial commitment to basketball with a $1.5 million donation.
Turner believes the Mustang Club, the fundraising arm of the athletic department, should raise $2 million a year. That goal wasn't met under Chris Walker, who resigned over the summer.
"We've got to generate more resources, more ticket sales, more fundraising," said Orsini, noting that SMU's alumni base in Dallas has been supportive.
Attendance
SMU sold 4,621 football season tickets in 2005, and sales are only slightly better this season. The school should sell at least 10,000 season tickets a year, Turner said.
SMU doesn't have much of a home-field advantage at any of its facilities. Average attendance was 1,249 for women's basketball and 3,068 for men's basketball last season. Average football attendance last season was 18,630, which ranked 92nd nationally.
Increased attendance helps recruiting. Orsini said he's talked to student groups about supporting their teams.
"You bring recruits here and they see certain places and if it's a half-empty stadium, it's not a very strong message," he said. "A full stadium with crazy students and alumni and the band and cheerleaders, you can get that going."
