Dan Viola - SMU's Next AD???

[MrMustang1965]

End of an era: A&M-CC's Viola will step down
AD helped revive program, secure spot in Southland

By Lee Goddard Caller-Times
February 25, 2006

Dan Viola, the only athletic director Texas A&M-Corpus Christi has known since it revived athletics, submitted his resignation Friday afternoon in a meeting with university president Flavius Killebrew.

The resignation was effective March 15, but Killebrew said Viola would be granted immediate emergency leave so he can tend to personal matters. Associate athletic director Brian DeAngelis will take over as athletic director on an interim basis while the school searches for a replacement.

"I basically did it for personal reasons that I'd rather not get into," Viola said. "I am hoping to stay in athletics."

Viola stressed that he was not asked to resign. He also said he would be in the office Monday, and at Monday's men's basketball game. He wasn't sure, but he said, "I think I'll be here through March 15."

Killebrew said Viola was on emergency leave as of Friday afternoon.

There is no timetable in place for hiring a new athletic director. Killebrew said he wanted to assemble a committee comprised of high-level administrators, athletic staff members, coaches, athletes and university donors.

Killebrew added that he was not expecting the resignation when he got together with Viola for a 1 p.m. meeting, and emphasized it was not something in the making.

"We got together and had the discussion," Killebrew said. "Not necessarily (was I expecting it).

Obviously you have ongoing discussions with various employees, but it was something that actually did happen (Friday)."

After Killebrew received the resignation, athletic department employees were assembled less than an hour later where they were told Viola was resigning and DeAngelis was the interim athletic director.

DeAngelis, who will apply for the permanent position, said he found out about it at the same time as everyone else. When he left for the gathering he was the No. 2 man in the athletic department. When the meeting ended, he was - temporarily, at least - in charge.

"There was shock initially, but like I've said before, I'm here for the university to do a good job by it, as far as the athletic department, student-athletes and coaches," DeAngelis said. "Regardless of what happens, I'm here to do that.

"It's one of those things you always dream about happening, but you never know."

The university announced in 1995 that it was seeking a return to athletics after the program had been dormant since 1973. The first step in building a department was when Viola became the athletic director on May 19, 1997, before any teams took the field or to the court.

The stated goal for Viola always was for the independent program to gain conference affiliation. After years of working toward that goal, the Islanders were rewarded in September with an invitation to join the Southland Conference next season.

With the university poised to realize its goal, Viola said it was difficult to leave at this time.

"I believe so. I just made the decision," Viola said. "I just had to make it, and for personal reasons."

As the university is soon to be in the Southland, one of Killebrew's first phone calls was placed to Southland commissioner Tom Burnett.

"I wanted to give him a heads up. I didn't want the Southland to read about it in the newspaper," Killebrew said. "I thought it was appropriate to do that.

"I told them I would appreciate advice on how they would see these things done. It's advice; I get to make the decision."

http://www.caller.com/ccct/islanders/ar ... 15,00.html

[McClown27]

You are probably right. He fits the profile.

[indianmustang]

how about don nelson

[mrydel]

Its a shame Don Knotts died, we could have tried him.

[SMU Football Blog]

The man has a 'Stache.

[Corso]

What about John Montgomery, the ex-SMU official who's now at UNC in some capacity? (Assistant AD, I think). Supposed to be a fund-raising machine, and has some fondness for SMU. Is he even being approached? Someone wrote on here that he's thought of extremely highly in AD circles.

[SMU Football Blog]

I have no idea. I like the idea of John Montgomery; he's the kind of guy I would look at. Of course, there isn't anything that suggests SMU is even interested in this guy, either. I do find it interesting that this guy just quit out of nowhere.

I will pose this hypothetical: Let us say Turner is really unhappy with basketball and with Tubbs; both the record and the investigations are just too much to take. I don't know, but it is possible. Well, obviously, at this point, Copeland is not going to make any decision, because (i) he is on leave; and (ii) he is on his way out anyway. Well, that leaves Turner making the decision himself or the AD search goes into overdrive. Well, if the AD search was in overdrive, it might look something like this.

[PonyPride]

I don't know how that would work, if replacing a coaching during an AD search became necessary. I would think that the decision would be held until the new AD was in place, but if a decision had to be done immediately for some reason, wouldn't it be made by (acting AD) John Koerner? I think it's safe to assume he'd have some dialog with President Turner before making any decisions, but more than anything, I would expect that every possible step would be taken to hold off such decisions until the new head honcho is in place.

Just my guess.

[dcpony]

I don't want anybody from the Copeland regime. Tha apple doesn't fall far from the tree if you know what I mean. We need a new start.

I concur with SMUblog. I want a Dave Maggard clone. If he or she is not in that mold I'll be somewhat pissed.

[McClown27]

I concur with SMUblog. I want a Dave Maggard clone. If he or she is not in that mold I'll be somewhat pissed.

That's funny, I also want a Dave Meggett clone for our special teams.

[SMU Football Blog]

To be clear, I want an AD with Dave Maggard's attitude, not necessarily Dave Maggard's resume, though I would not be opposed to it.

[PonyFan]

.... That's funny, I also want a Dave Meggett clone for our special teams.

Jessie Henderson is similar in size and speed, although he seems to be more of a pure sprinter, whereas Meggett was more shifty and elusive.

[McClown27]

To be clear, I want an AD with Dave Maggard's attitude, not necessarily Dave Maggard's resume, though I would not be opposed to it.

I think it will be a D2 guy. They don't want to pay that kind of money for someone of Maggard's ilk.

[PonyFan]

PLEASE tell me you don't have some inside information that spawned that thought. President Turner said he wants a current "sitting" AD, and I would think a D2 candidate would be a very hard sell. The new AD obviously has to be able to enthuse Mustang Nation and sell the product, but the hire alone has to have a little sizzle. Even if it's not a "name" AD (and frankly, how many of us will recognize the name of another school's AD?), but to be able to say "the new AD comes to us from School X" will get people a lot more jazzed than if we're fed a story about how "the new AD comes to us from a vocational school in Idaho, where he "helped acquire the resources for what became the country's best logging team."

[abezontar]

Logging is pretty sweet, have you ever seen those female loggers....wooo nelly thems some fine ladies