USC AD Pat Haden will "retire at the end of June," and the school did "not announce a timetable for hiring" his replacement, according to Rich Hammond of the ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER. USC President Max Nikias in a publicly released letter said that he would work with Boston-based exec search firm Brill Neumann on a process that will be "national in scope, with all proceedings held in the strictest confidence." Haden since coming on board in August '10 "often publicly declared that he didn't intend to hold the job for long, and mounting health concerns often led to questions about when Haden might retire." Before USC-Notre Dame this past October, Haden "apparently felt light-headed and went down to one knee on the sideline." He "visited a hospital and was allowed to fly home," but two weeks later, he gave up his spot on the CFP selection committee and reduced his travel. Hammond noted Haden is likely to "leave a complicated legacy at USC." His supporters will "point to his steadying hands and the fact that he took over two months after the football program was devastated by NCAA sanctions related to alleged violations committed" by former RB Reggie Bush and his family members. Haden also fundraised more than $400M for the athletic department and "oversaw the construction of new football, swimming and sand volleyball facilities" (ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER, 2/6). In L.A., Scott Wolf noted some inside the USC athletic department "were surprised Haden's successor was not named at the time of his resignation, which could signal a desire to hire from outside" (L.A. DAILY NEWS, 2/6).
WHAT'S HIS LEGACY? In L.A., Klein & Fenno noted Haden's five-plus years "leading the department were marked by improved facilities and fundraising, but also tumult on and off the field." Haden is "believed to be" the highest-paid AD, "making at least" $2.5M. He will "remain at USC" through June '17 in a different role -- guiding the $270M renovation of L.A. Memorial Coliseum. But Haden has "come under increased scrutiny -- and criticism -- during the past six months," particularly for his handling of the firing of football coach Steve Sarkisian (L.A. TIMES, 2/6). CAMPUS INSIDERS' Pete Fiutak added Haden's legacy will "come down to one big college football coaching hire." For all he did, Haden is the guy who "canned Lane Kiffin after calling him off the bus, and will always be remembered for the hiring and clumsy firing" of Sarkisian. Haden's final big act was to "make the bold move of elevating a relative no name" to head coach in Clay Helton. Fiutak: "The first thing a new athletic director is going to want to do is find his own head football coach -- if Helton doesn’t take USC back to Pac-12 and national championship heights" (CAMPUSINSIDERS.com, 2/5). ESPN.com's Ted Miller wrote Haden's hiring of men's basketball coach Andy Enfield "away from Florida Gulf Coast three years ago raised more than a few eyebrows." But if Enfield "continues his upward trend," that is a "star on Haden's legacy." But Haden's legacy "has yet to be written," and it "could end up positively glowing." Miller: "What if Clay Helton turns out to be the perfect fit for USC?" (ESPN.com, 2/5).
ALWAYS A TROJAN MAN: WEARESC.com's Steve Bisheff wrote Haden "made the right decision." It "was time, and Haden knew it." Time to "put his health and his family first and his beloved university second." Haden through it all was there, "navigating his way through the stormy waters of NCAA sanctions." Even his fiercest critics "can’t deny that, above all, Haden was always a glittering representative of the university." Bisheff: "Whether he was speaking at a solemn educational function or sitting around joking with writers, he was always comfortable in his own skin." But in the past year, "you could see that the job's overwhelming stress was taking its toll on him" (WEARESC.com, 2/5).
NEW FACE? In L.A., David Wharton wrote under the header, "USC Could Go 'Outside The Family' For Pat Haden's Successor As Athletic Director." After decades of "sticking to the familiar -- and with at least two potential candidates currently part of the athletic department staff -- will USC hold to tradition or follow a more recent trend?" Former UNLV, Arizona and Washington State AD Jim Livengood said, "There used to be a tendency among schools to hire someone who had been an assistant for a long time, and that worked well. The AD game has become so national. It's very different" (L.A. TIMES, 2/6). Also in L.A., Tom Hoffarth asked if USC is "just going to go through the optics of hiring another search firm, surveying the list of the usual alumni who might be willing to take one for the team, then having that moment of clarity where someone in-house ... best 'fits the profile,'" like USC Senior Associate AD & COO Steve Lopes (L.A. DAILY NEWS, 2/6).
