Univ. of Texas President Gregory Fenves yesterday said while there was not one thing that led to Steve Patterson being ousted as men's AD, the "risks of not accepting his resignation at this time and trying to have him stay outweighed the benefits," according to Chip Brown of HORNS DIGEST. Fenves said, "We are concerned about our fans and how they view the overall program and Longhorn athletics." Interim AD Mike Perrin, a Houston-based lawyer and former UT football player who "is very connected and respected in UT circles, will be contracted through August 2016 at a salary of $750,000." Fenves said that he "is putting off any search for a new athletic director, adding a timetable for such a search 'is undetermined at this time'" (HORNSDIGEST.com, 9/15). In Austin, Davis & Bohls in a front-page piece report Fenves "spun the decision as a resignation" after spending the day with Rusty Hardin, Patterson's attorney. Fenves did not reveal terms of Patterson's buyout, but a source said UT will have to pay "less than contract." Including this year, Patterson had four years remaining on a "guaranteed deal worth at least $5.6 million." Fenves noted that the buyout "must be approved by the UT System Board of Regents" (AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN, 9/16).
GOOD COULDN'T OUTWEIGH THE BAD: In San Antonio, Mike Finger in a front-page piece notes Patterson made two hires in football coach Charlie Strong and men's basketball coach Shaka Smart "that were widely praised." The two new coaches "became the first black head coaches of a men’s program in UT history." He also "often spoke of expanding the reach of the Longhorns’ brand, scheduling a basketball game in Shanghai, China, this fall, and expressing a desire to have the Longhorns play football in Mexico City." However, Patterson "received near-constant criticism for the decisions he made closer to home," where he raised football ticket prices last year by an average of 6% after the team "slumped to a losing record." He also "instituted new charges for parking, and a donation-based points system for tickets that some fans said made their seats unaffordable." Athletic department employees said that his management style "lowered morale and prompted numerous departures" (SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS, 9/16). The STATESMAN's Davis & Bohls note Patterson "made waves early by trying to force through beer and wine sales" at football games, though then UT System Chancellor Francisco Cigarroa "would not sign off on the plan." Patterson also alienated employees with a "cool demeanor that was a direct opposite" of former AD DeLoss Dodds' "down-home ways." He also "forced out those he believed weren't getting the job done," including fundraiser David Onion and football SID John Bianco (AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN, 9/16). SPORTS ON EARTH's David Ubben noted Patterson spent "some of the last few months trying to convince the city of Austin that it should pay for Texas' new basketball arena" (SPORTSONEARTH.com, 9/15).
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Patterson had four years remaining on a
guaranteed deal worth at least $5.6M |
PATTERSON'S DOWNFALL: ESPN's Max Olson said UT "had to make a change because the perception of the university from its fans was being effected." Olson: "When you start changing ticket prices after a bad season, when you start losing season-ticket holders, when you prevent people from being able to sell their tickets and you make changes that directly affect the fans ... that’s going to cause a problem" (Longhorn Network, 9/15). USA TODAY's George Schroeder writes Patterson's reorganization and belt-tightening "ruffled feathers and caused morale to plummet within the athletic department." To be fair, a change of direction -- "fat-cutting and even a house-cleaning -- would have happened" on any new AD's watch. But his style -- "arrogant, imperious, impersonal, fill in your preferred negative adjective -- wasn't conducive to maintaining morale within the department." Instead, it "cratered." The internal cost-cutting "came off too much, too often like penny-pinching, or nickel-and-diming despite the huge budget." Likewise, he "seemed unaware or uncaring about external perceptions of the department and his choices" (USA TODAY, 9/16). In Austin, Ryan Autullo writes for all of his "triumphs, perhaps Patterson’s greatest failure was his inability to connect with fans, be it millionaire donors that felt neglected, or penny-pinching students who had grown weary of the negative cloud that had followed him" from Arizona State in '13 (AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN, 9/16). ESPN's Michael Wilbon said, "He didn’t talk to people, no people skills. And you have to talk to alums. These people write checks. Say hello” (“PTI,” ESPN, 9/15). ESPN's Ryan McGee said, "It is hard to come in with ... new ideas. You have to kind of pace yourself. And I think the biggest criticism that we’ve heard -- fair or unfair -- with Patterson at Texas was maybe too much too soon" ("Championship Drive," ESPN Radio, 9/15).
THE EGO HAS LANDED: In Austin, Kirk Bohls writes the school "known far and wide for its arrogance fired its athletic director for, well, being too arrogant." UT "did what it had to do and should have done over the summer" by pulling "the trigger on what became one of the most tumultuous, if short tenures in school history." In so many ways, Patterson "was the John Mackovic of ADs: Sophisticated, erudite, smart, organized but arrogant, uncaring, humorless." While Patterson "should be applauded for hiring the first two African-American men’s coaches in school history ... he just went out of his way to alienate everyone he came into contact with" (AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN, 9/16). In Dallas, Chuck Carlton writes Patterson in the end "was more arrogant than what even Texas could stand." He "gave the impression of being the smartest guy in the room, even if that wasn't the case." Every dollar "was precious and had to be squeezed from fans or athletic budgets." In a lot of ways, his tenure "resembled the horror stories that emerged from his time" running the Trail Blazers (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 9/16). In Houston, Jerome Solomon writes Patterson "should have been fired Monday" or "last week ... or six months ago." Patterson "was awful at the job," his credibility "was shaky and his people skills shoddy." Patterson, who "was a nickel-and-dime man in a million-dollar enterprise," tried to "treat the UT athletic department as a business, with him operating as the CEO." That "had failure written all over it" (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 9/16). ESPN.com's Jake Trotter wrote Patterson "drove a wedge between the school and the fan base" and had "few allies in his own athletics department." When someone has "become too arrogant for Texas, well, that’s no small feat" (ESPN.com, 9/15). In Austin, Cedric Golden writes Patterson "had an enormous PR problem, one too big for an improved standing at the bank to overcome" (AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN, 9/16). YAHOO SPORTS' Pat Forde wrote Patterson was a "bad fit and a notable failure at an athletic program that is too big to fail" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 9/15).
WHEN IN ROME...: USA TODAY's Nicole Auerbach writes with the recent dismissals of Patterson and Michigan AD Dave Brandon, school presidents "should think twice about hiring athletic directors with non-traditional college athletic backgrounds." They "certainly should make sure their hires, regardless of background, understand the unique nature of the college athletic business." College athletics "has become more and more about the money in recent years, but it's not ALL about the money" nor ever "will be when the customer base is motivated by deep feelings and longtime allegiances that are based on ideas and tradition that do not fit on a balance sheet." Neither Patterson nor Brandon "understood -- or adapted to -- the unique challenges of running a college athletic program." In a corporate setting, "you only have to answer to your board and shareholders, who are happy as long as there are profits." In a pro sports setting, "you only have to answer to your owner(s), and if you're making money, you're generally fine." Big-time college athletics "is a different beast; it's a balancing act." Athletic directors "must make good hires in ... revenue-driving sports to be successful, appease fans and fill seats." They also "must keep multiple constituencies happy -- most notably, the biggest donors and the head coaches" (USA TODAY, 9/16). Fox Sports Radio's Colin Cowherd said Patterson "forgot the general difference between NFL and college." Cowherd: "In the NFL, pro sports, bigger cities, winning solves everything." However, most college football and college basketball powers are in "small towns in rural areas, where the influence, money, and power is in one or two hands." Cowherd: "You go to Austin, and there’s like three guys, five guys you’ve got to suck up to. If you don’t, you’re done" ("The Herd," Fox Sports Radio, 9/15).
A BALANCING ACT: ESPN.com's Dana O'Neil wrote college athletics are a "big business, but they still can't be treated that way." Michigan State AD Mark Hollis: "A lot has changed about being an athletic director, but one thing hasn't and that's you have be able to check your ego at the door. You've got coaches who are paid a lot of money these days, a board of directors, faculty, a president, media, student-athletes, parents, and they all have a voice and they all have an extremely important voice. But you also have to understand the perspective they are coming from and then figure out how to take those [voices] and point them in the same direction" (ESPN.com, 9/14).
