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Intercollegiate Forum

White Pages: College Sports' First Family Talks About Life In The Athletic Industry

Taking the stage to the soundtrack of the classic television show “All In The Family,” Duke AD Kevin White was joined by two of his sons, both of whom are involved in college athletics -- UCF AD Danny and Missouri Exec Associate AD/External Relations Brian -- to share stories at the '16 Learfield Intercollegiate Athletics Forum about growing up in a family deeply involved in college sports. Kevin White shook his head in amusement at the concept of the panel, saying, “It is ridiculous that you would even invite us.” The father of five also mentioned his son, Mike, who is coach of the Florida men's basketball team and his two daughters, who are involved in education but not sports. Kevin's Duke team on Tuesday beat Florida 84-74 at MSG as part of the Jimmy V Classic. “It was painful, I have to be honest,” Kevin said, when asked about playing against his son. “It was a challenge. I hated the game when we agreed to do it, I don’t know why we agreed to do it, and we’ll never do it again.”

GROWING UP: Both Danny and Brian said a job in sports was something they focused on early in life. “It was what we knew,” Brian said. “We grew up around games and sporting events. It was what we are passionate about.” Danny laughed and said, “I’m not sure we’re smart enough to do something else. It’s a unique enterprise, and there was a comfort level. We’ve been around it our whole lives.” Kevin White said neither he nor his wife, Jane, pushed the kids into sports. “I suggested they find something else to do, I encouraged them to look in other locations,” he said. Noting that Jane was also involved in athletics, Kevin said, “While all the women in our family could do anything, when it comes to the men in the family, when you put it all together, this is all we know how to do.” When talking about what they remember about growing up with their dad, one thing that both the White boys mentioned was his extensive schedule. “He worked a lot,” Danny said. “He was pretty driven and tough about what we should be doing, in whatever endeavor we were doing, from school to cleaning the garage. … College athletics, the hours are intense. It’s a lifestyle. You’re going to be working a lot.” Kevin noted that the family was fully engaged around college sports. “We brought our kids to everything,” Kevin said. “When NACDA had their meeting in Marco Island, Florida, those were our family vacations. And there were games, practices, travel. ... It was the family business early on.”

CHANGES IN THE JOB: When asked how the AD job has changed during his years in the business, Kevin White was clear. “In 2016, I don’t even recognize the job I had a decade or two ago,” he said. “It’s terribly different. The two things that are most critical to the leaders of intercollegiate athletics is leadership and politics -- I recently referred to them as the peanut butter and jelly of being an athletic director. You can’t delegate being the leader and you need to get deeply involved in the political forces and managing all the groups. I don’t remember all the political forces in play like they are today.  It’s all consuming. People who don’t manage that very well don’t last very long.” He went on to add, “The position has become very eclectic. It isn’t a vocation, it’s an avocation. It’s a way of life. ... It sure as hell beats working for a living. But at the end of the day, it’s a very eclectic enterprise. ... The expectations of (ADs) continue to soar. At a number of places, the expectations are really, really difficult to realize, and people want to accomplish things quickly. That’s just unrealistic.”

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