A lot happening today, trying to reach out to as many people as possible.
When the Oregon State job opened on May 11, I made a post wondering if Todd Stansbury would be in the mix. I initially thought the previous AD was simply stepping down, later it appeared the president forced him out as he was not renewing the contract. That made me think Beaver Nation had a plan to go outside the box and may not be interested in Stansbury, who was Bob De Carolis' right-hand man for nearly a decade in Corvallis.
As we know now, that was not the case.
From what I've gathered, Stansbury had been targeted as the top candidate since the beginning. When he gave the impromptu "sprint" speech at the Downtown Huddle on June 3, many now agree that Stansbury knew there was a good chance it would be a "last hurrah" of sorts as UCF's AD. His interview in Corvallis, which took place this past Tuesday, had already been scheduled.
So looking back, it all makes sense. As I posted previously, Stansbury is usually seen in the back of the room and seldom heard. He has never appeared comfortable as a public speaker and has seemed to be content staying in the shadows, whether it's giving leeway to GOL on all football matters, Dave Hansen with scheduling, Zack Lassiter with facilities and so on.
If there was a face of the athletic department, it's been Hansen and Lassiter, not Stansbury. That's not intended to be a knock, just a comment on visibility. At least to the fanbase, Stansbury was not visible as the leader of UCF's athletic department. A presence on social media isn't a requirement for the job, but would have helped. As such, I always got the sense Stansbury was a stranger to most UCF fans.
I hate using the term, but Oregon State was a "dream job" for Stansbury. It's a lot less pressure. Oregon State's future is secure. They may always be in the shadow of Oregon, but they're Power Five. They still get a lot of money from Nike and TV contracts. UCF's future is less certain.
The No. 1 responsibility for a UCF AD, whether people want to admit it or not, is to do whatever they can to make UCF as attractive as possible for an eventual Power Five move. As an AD, that's ensuring your revenue sports are successful. Hiring and firing coaches come with that territory. It's scheduling non-conference games that not only set up your program for success, but allow opportunities to make national headlines. It's networking with other ADs. TCU's decade of success is the biggest reason they're in the Big 12 (not to mention the need to backfill with another Texas school after A&M left), but TCU AD Chris Del Conte's well-documented "wooing" of Texas AD DeLoss Dodds is attributed to being the impetus that put the wheels in motion.
Even if there may be a glimmer of hope/opportunity potentially with the Big 12, nothing is a sure thing. Without a big TV contract to help pay the bills, UCF will continue to deal with money issues.
Beyond that, Oregon State is "going home" for Stansbury. Todd and his wife Karen spent nearly a decade there and left a lot of friends behind. He was well compensated here, but will likely see a raise at OSU. And he doesn't have to stress out about things he can't control.
What will be Todd Stansbury's legacy?
He helped restructure an athletic department that was in shambles, surrounding himself with good people who know how to manage the right way. To throw out a couple names, Zack Lassiter and Andy Seeley.
Facilities wise, it's the Leadership Center more than the East Side Club. The Leadership Center was his pet project from day one, a carryover of what he started as Associate AD at Oregon State. (I'm wondering now who will take the reins there.)
Via his leadership projects, including "Knights Without Borders," he forged close relationships with many student-athletes.
And yes, "Todd's Tiki's Bar" aka the East Side Club.
Will post later tonight with some potential names. Yes, GOL is that list.
When the Oregon State job opened on May 11, I made a post wondering if Todd Stansbury would be in the mix. I initially thought the previous AD was simply stepping down, later it appeared the president forced him out as he was not renewing the contract. That made me think Beaver Nation had a plan to go outside the box and may not be interested in Stansbury, who was Bob De Carolis' right-hand man for nearly a decade in Corvallis.
As we know now, that was not the case.
From what I've gathered, Stansbury had been targeted as the top candidate since the beginning. When he gave the impromptu "sprint" speech at the Downtown Huddle on June 3, many now agree that Stansbury knew there was a good chance it would be a "last hurrah" of sorts as UCF's AD. His interview in Corvallis, which took place this past Tuesday, had already been scheduled.
So looking back, it all makes sense. As I posted previously, Stansbury is usually seen in the back of the room and seldom heard. He has never appeared comfortable as a public speaker and has seemed to be content staying in the shadows, whether it's giving leeway to GOL on all football matters, Dave Hansen with scheduling, Zack Lassiter with facilities and so on.
If there was a face of the athletic department, it's been Hansen and Lassiter, not Stansbury. That's not intended to be a knock, just a comment on visibility. At least to the fanbase, Stansbury was not visible as the leader of UCF's athletic department. A presence on social media isn't a requirement for the job, but would have helped. As such, I always got the sense Stansbury was a stranger to most UCF fans.
I hate using the term, but Oregon State was a "dream job" for Stansbury. It's a lot less pressure. Oregon State's future is secure. They may always be in the shadow of Oregon, but they're Power Five. They still get a lot of money from Nike and TV contracts. UCF's future is less certain.
The No. 1 responsibility for a UCF AD, whether people want to admit it or not, is to do whatever they can to make UCF as attractive as possible for an eventual Power Five move. As an AD, that's ensuring your revenue sports are successful. Hiring and firing coaches come with that territory. It's scheduling non-conference games that not only set up your program for success, but allow opportunities to make national headlines. It's networking with other ADs. TCU's decade of success is the biggest reason they're in the Big 12 (not to mention the need to backfill with another Texas school after A&M left), but TCU AD Chris Del Conte's well-documented "wooing" of Texas AD DeLoss Dodds is attributed to being the impetus that put the wheels in motion.
Even if there may be a glimmer of hope/opportunity potentially with the Big 12, nothing is a sure thing. Without a big TV contract to help pay the bills, UCF will continue to deal with money issues.
Beyond that, Oregon State is "going home" for Stansbury. Todd and his wife Karen spent nearly a decade there and left a lot of friends behind. He was well compensated here, but will likely see a raise at OSU. And he doesn't have to stress out about things he can't control.
What will be Todd Stansbury's legacy?
He helped restructure an athletic department that was in shambles, surrounding himself with good people who know how to manage the right way. To throw out a couple names, Zack Lassiter and Andy Seeley.
Facilities wise, it's the Leadership Center more than the East Side Club. The Leadership Center was his pet project from day one, a carryover of what he started as Associate AD at Oregon State. (I'm wondering now who will take the reins there.)
Via his leadership projects, including "Knights Without Borders," he forged close relationships with many student-athletes.
And yes, "Todd's Tiki's Bar" aka the East Side Club.
Will post later tonight with some potential names. Yes, GOL is that list.
