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  1. #1

    A. D. Speculation

    Here's the potential list according to DBR:

    Rick Chryst - MAC Commissioner
    Leo Hart - Chairman, U.S. personnel, Inc/Chairman of the Duke University Athletics Advisory Board
    Mike Cragg, currently head of the Legacy Fund
    Chris Kennedy, interim A.D.

    I have met Cragg and don't think he has the personality to be AD. Does anyone have any thoughts? There certainly was a lot of talk about the need to get rid of Joe, but not much discussion about a replacement. Any more candidates?

  2. #2
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    Don't think Mr. Kennedy will be in consideration. Not because he's not qualified, but he has no interest in it:

    "In an interview with The Herald-Sun on Friday, Kennedy indicated that he would not be a candidate to be the next full-time athletics director."
    Duke '96
    Cary, NC

  3. #3
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    http://www.mac-sports.com/ViewArticl...&ATCLID=323244

    Link to an article on Rick Chryst...very impressive background

    Seems like 4 good candidates; just my preference, but I like the idea of someone who has been working outside Duke for a while. That would favor Chryst and Leo Hart, and both do have Duke connections.

  4. #4
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    Duke ties and outside experience

    Quote Originally Posted by roywhite View Post
    http://www.mac-sports.com/ViewArticl...&ATCLID=323244

    Link to an article on Rick Chryst...very impressive background

    Seems like 4 good candidates; just my preference, but I like the idea of someone who has been working outside Duke for a while. That would favor Chryst and Leo Hart, and both do have Duke connections.
    I agree wholeheartedly with this. I think the ideal combination is someone who, as DBR says, gets Duke, but who has worked outside of it so has something to compare it to in the world of college athletics.

    I think that, no matter the organization, the danger of focusing primarily on internal candidates is the sometimes a viewpoint of "what is will always be" both good and bad can take hold.

    I think we have seen with Cutcliffe taking over the football program that sometimes a new perspective allows for changes that wouldn't have even been thought of if you progress along the same path.

  5. #5

    Outside of Duke?

    You don't have to work outside of Duke to understand what other universities do that makes them successful. Good administrators investigate peer groups and learn from them as well. I believe that makes Cragg a very viable option because I do believe the basketball area of Duke Athletics does that consistently. One thing I DO believe should be a criteria, however, is that the next AD should be 'in the business'. Leo Hart is a good man, businessman, and alum. I do not think he's spent much time figuring out what truly makes an athletic department run at an exemplary level. This list leaves me disappointed. What about successful ADs from across the country?

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by Inonehand View Post
    You don't have to work outside of Duke to understand what other universities do that makes them successful. Good administrators investigate peer groups and learn from them as well. I believe that makes Cragg a very viable option because I do believe the basketball area of Duke Athletics does that consistently. One thing I DO believe should be a criteria, however, is that the next AD should be 'in the business'. Leo Hart is a good man, businessman, and alum. I do not think he's spent much time figuring out what truly makes an athletic department run at an exemplary level. This list leaves me disappointed. What about successful ADs from across the country?
    I agree. All this talk of having a 'businessman" come run the athletic department concerns me. An AD needs to understand the world of athletics, not just business.

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by devilish View Post
    Here's the potential list according to DBR:

    Rick Chryst - MAC Commissioner
    Leo Hart - Chairman, U.S. personnel, Inc/Chairman of the Duke University Athletics Advisory Board Mike Cragg, currently head of the Legacy Fund
    Chris Kennedy, interim A.D.

    I have met Cragg and don't think he has the personality to be AD. Does anyone have any thoughts? There certainly was a lot of talk about the need to get rid of Joe, but not much discussion about a replacement. Any more candidates?
    Not sure why anyone would say Leo Hart is lacking in knowledge of the workings of a college athletics department, and specifically Duke. He has been very active in that regard, and seems very well qualified.

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by devilish View Post
    Here's the potential list according to DBR:

    Rick Chryst - MAC Commissioner
    Leo Hart - Chairman, U.S. personnel, Inc/Chairman of the Duke University Athletics Advisory Board
    Mike Cragg, currently head of the Legacy Fund
    Chris Kennedy, interim A.D.

    I have met Cragg and don't think he has the personality to be AD. Does anyone have any thoughts? There certainly was a lot of talk about the need to get rid of Joe, but not much discussion about a replacement. Any more candidates?
    For those "inside Duke' you left off Jacki Silar. Concerning Mike Cragg, I to have met him and I disagree.

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by roywhite View Post
    Not sure why anyone would say Leo Hart is lacking in knowledge of the workings of a college athletics department, and specifically Duke. He has been very active in that regard, and seems very well qualified.
    Are we talking aobut this Leo Hart...

    Wes Chesson was a high school senior in 1966 and the star quarterback at Edenton (N.C.) High School. Recruited by Duke, Chesson asked the coaching staff if they were recruiting other quarterbacks in his class. Duke coach Tom Harp believed that the best high school athletes played quarterback and he told Chesson that he was recruiting several but most would be moved to other positions.

    Anybody in particular? "Well, there's one kid from Kinston, a lanky guy named Leo Hart. We'll probably move him to wide receiver." "Good," replied Chesson. "I'll need someone to throw to."

    Chesson and Hart ended up at Duke. They did become one of the most potent pass-catch tandems in ACC history, but not the way Chesson envisioned. It was he who was switched to wide receiver, while Hart revolutionized the ACC at quarterback.

    Looking Back... Duke's Leo Hart Revolutionized the ACC at Quarterback By Jim Sumner
    ...or is there another?

  10. #10

    In the business

    IMO, being an advisor somewhere does not provide you with the expertise to run the ship. There are tons of companies with BoD that provide good advice but are in no way capable of running the companies they advise. It is a lot easier job to visit, say your two cents, then leave the work to others.
    As for Jacki Silar, she is very well-respected in the athletics world and is a wonderful person. I hope she gets some consideration.
    If Ron Wellman isn't at least given a call...well, somebody should call him.

  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by Inonehand View Post
    IMO, being an advisor somewhere does not provide you with the expertise to run the ship. There are tons of companies with BoD that provide good advice but are in no way capable of running the companies they advise. It is a lot easier job to visit, say your two cents, then leave the work to others.
    As for Jacki Silar, she is very well-respected in the athletics world and is a wonderful person. I hope she gets some consideration.
    If Ron Wellman isn't at least given a call...well, somebody should call him.
    My "inside Duke' list is Jacki Silar and Mike Cragg.

  12. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bluedawg View Post
    Are we talking aobut this Leo Hart...

    Quote:
    Wes Chesson was a high school senior in 1966 and the star quarterback at Edenton (N.C.) High School. Recruited by Duke, Chesson asked the coaching staff if they were recruiting other quarterbacks in his class. Duke coach Tom Harp believed that the best high school athletes played quarterback and he told Chesson that he was recruiting several but most would be moved to other positions.

    Anybody in particular? "Well, there's one kid from Kinston, a lanky guy named Leo Hart. We'll probably move him to wide receiver." "Good," replied Chesson. "I'll need someone to throw to."

    Chesson and Hart ended up at Duke. They did become one of the most potent pass-catch tandems in ACC history, but not the way Chesson envisioned. It was he who was switched to wide receiver, while Hart revolutionized the ACC at quarterback.

    Looking Back... Duke's Leo Hart Revolutionized the ACC at Quarterback By Jim Sumner


    ...or is there another?
    Surely you're joking, but if not, that is the one.

  13. #13
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    Steamboat Springs, CO

    One of Two Paths

    I will be interested in seeing whether Duke restricts its search to those who have come up the athletic department ladder (at Duke or elsewhere) over the past 10-20 years.

    There is an alternative. The college education world also has a ladder for university administration. Folks enter that ladder often from a pure academic appointment (usually early in a career) but sometimes with a specific educational administration background. Many of the presidents in large state universities have trekked this path.

    There is no way Duke would consider someone for Univ. President who came up through educational administration. Duke would look for someone with a strong academic background (publications and recognized expertise) who would earn the respect of the faculty. Administrative capability is important, of course, and therefore Duke turned to true academics like Keohane, Knight, and Brodhead, who had been in top positions in universities.

    The comparable approach in the AD search would look for someone who had some background in athletic administration but had made his or her mark in another leadership position. To me, leadership, creativity, public representation (fund-raising), and administrative capability are way, way, way more important than the arcana of NCAA rules and regs and the details of scheduling games and negotiating contracts. That expertise will be found on the staff and among the coaches.

    We need someone who will be a leader in the mold of Cameron or Butters (different molds, really).

    sagegrouse

  14. #14
    Quote Originally Posted by sagegrouse View Post
    I will be interested in seeing whether Duke restricts its search to those who have come up the athletic department ladder (at Duke or elsewhere) over the past 10-20 years.

    There is an alternative. The college education world also has a ladder for university administration. Folks enter that ladder often from a pure academic appointment (usually early in a career) but sometimes with a specific educational administration background. Many of the presidents in large state universities have trekked this path.

    There is no way Duke would consider someone for Univ. President who came up through educational administration. Duke would look for someone with a strong academic background (publications and recognized expertise) who would earn the respect of the faculty. Administrative capability is important, of course, and therefore Duke turned to true academics like Keohane, Knight, and Brodhead, who had been in top positions in universities.

    The comparable approach in the AD search would look for someone who had some background in athletic administration but had made his or her mark in another leadership position. To me, leadership, creativity, public representation (fund-raising), and administrative capability are way, way, way more important than the arcana of NCAA rules and regs and the details of scheduling games and negotiating contracts. That expertise will be found on the staff and among the coaches.

    We need someone who will be a leader in the mold of Cameron or Butters (different molds, really).

    sagegrouse
    Sage advice from the grouse. I knew Leo Hart in the 70's and watched him grow. IMO he is an outstanding candidate, if he is, in fact, interested. His business experience, continuing involvement with Duke Athletics and his character speak well for him to be selected.

  15. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by 77devil View Post
    Surely you're joking, but if not, that is the one.
    I was...i found that and Jim is such a good writer i couldn't help but sharing that portion of it.

    i encourage every one to read all of it...its very well done.

  16. #16
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    With Leo's experience, he could teach the athletic department to operate on a "shoestring."

  17. #17
    Quote Originally Posted by roywhite View Post
    With Leo's experience, he could teach the athletic department to operate on a "shoestring."
    I wondered how long it would take someone to fashion a humorous play on "shoestring" or "shoelaces" once the mention of Hart-to-Chesson was made. Nicely done, roy. (And yes, I was sitting in the student section at Wade Stadium when they ran that play.)

    I haven't studied all the candidates yet. But I'll say this much: If Duke decides it needs a Hart, I'll certainly vote for Leo over Dave.

  18. #18
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    Cragg has been sucessful at every job he's had while at Duke. He's young, energetic and loves the programs. He'd work his butt off. He's also well known to K.

    I was in the stands for the Hart-Wes shoestring play going, "what ... huh," having had my head turned I then went into what happened mode. Oh the attention span of a child.

  19. #19
    Quote Originally Posted by Stray Gator View Post
    I wondered how long it would take someone to fashion a humorous play on "shoestring" or "shoelaces" once the mention of Hart-to-Chesson was made. Nicely done, roy. (And yes, I was sitting in the student section at Wade Stadium when they ran that play.)
    For any other, er, younger Duke fans like me who didn't know what the shoestring play was, this is from the article that Bluedawg linked:

    Duke went 3-6-1 in 1969, ending the season with a 17-13 win over North Carolina. Hart figured in the game's key play, arguably the most famous play in ACC history. Ironically, he didn't even touch the ball. It was 7-7 late in the third quarter. Hart carried the ball on an option and was tackled close to the sideline. As the teams lined up for the next play, Hart bent down to tie a shoe. With the UNC defense huddled up, Duke end Marcel Courtillet picked up the ball and tossed it to Chesson, who ran down the sidelines 53-yards for the touchdown.

    Duke did rehearse the "shoe-string" play in practice that week. Chesson says, "(Coach) Harp noticed that Carolina turned their backs when they were huddling on defense. So we thought we could exploit it. But we never thought it would work that well. Easiest touchdown I ever had."

    A lot of things had to go right. The officials were alerted before the game. Hart had to make sure he didn't go out of bounds, stopping the clock. Duke had to have seven players on the line of scrimmage, they had to be set, the line had to be aligned properly. Hart says, "The signal was Marcel saying `Leo, are you okay?' We knew we could only try it once. I've had a lot of fun with it over the years."

  20. #20
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    Quote Originally Posted by Indoor66 View Post
    Sage advice from the grouse. I knew Leo Hart in the 70's and watched him grow. IMO he is an outstanding candidate, if he is, in fact, interested. His business experience, continuing involvement with Duke Athletics and his character speak well for him to be selected.
    Also as nice a guy as you'd hope to meet, someone who has always routinely attempted to make everyone feel part of the Duke family. A major BMOC in his undergraduate days who never demonstrated any hint of an entitlement attitude. I'd be pleased to see him get it.

    As far as people with a long track record as AD -- just to throw a name out randomly, I've been very impressed with the job Rick Dixon has done at Tulane under the trying circumstances of Katrina. But, even though Tulane aspires to Duke's academic tier, Dixon's coaches have been able to get a lot of their athletes into school through the division of continuing studies, which has much lower admission standards than the regular university. Can't imagine such a deal ever going on at Duke.

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