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Alabama Praised For Byrne Hire As Battle Concludes What He Calls "Great Adventure"

The Univ. of Alabama administration pursued new AD Greg Byrne "so vigorously that it twice accelerated the departure date" for outgoing AD Bill Battle, according to sources cited in a front-page piece by Cecil Hurt of the TUSCALOOSA NEWS. Battle will "continue to serve as the top administrator in the athletics department until March 1, with Byrne taking over on that date." Battle on Sunday said that he had informed UA President Stuart Bell last fall that he was "contemplating retirement." Battle also said that he had "given input to the search for his replacement, which was managed" by Turnkey Sports & Entertainment. The initial plan for Battle was for him to "serve out his four-year contract" that expires this June, but Alabama officials "requested an earlier departure date, eventually settling on March." Byrne, who had been Arizona AD since '10, was "identified as the top target, and was in Tuscaloosa over the past weekend in order to meet with UA officials," as well as football coach Nick Saban. Byrne's hire "received widespread praise on social media" (TUSCALOOSA NEWS, 1/17). In Birmingham, Kevin Scarbinsky wrote Byrne "could do for Alabama athletics what Saban's done for Alabama football" and build on the "excellent work done" by late AD Mal Moore and Battle. Byrne, 45, is "considered a rising star," and "known for his fundraising ability and his media savvy." His track record in personnel "isn't bad, either" (BIRMINGHAM NEWS, 1/17).

TIME FOR GRADUATION
: Battle appeared on "The Paul Finebaum Show" yesterday and said four years "was the original commitment" he made when he first took over the AD position from Moore in '13 before Moore's death. Battle said, "It's been a great adventure, and I hope it will continue. ... I was so honored and flattered that they would call me, but it has been a special time for me. I can’t say that it’s all been fun." Battle fought cancer during much of his tenure, but he said he currently is in "full remission" and his health was "not a part of the reason I stepped down." Battle: “The job is all day, every day, and I knew that going in. I was committed to doing it the best I could and that’s what I tried to do, which doesn’t leave much time to do other things. At 75-years-old, I decided that it was time for me (to step down).” He said the Alabama athletic department is “in good shape” and noted Byrne is "positioned to take us to bigger and better places.” Finebaum said, “There’s always some tinge of regret when you leave something you love, but you leave it in great shape” (“The Paul Finebaum Show,” SEC Network, 1/16).

THE TIDE IS HIGH: Fox Sports' Tim Brando tweeted, "SEC loyalists that wonder why Alabama is kicking their teams butts? Their willingness to hire the BEST. Greg Byrne is a fantastic hire!" ESPN's Darren Rovell wrote Byrne's hire is the "business version of KD going to the Warriors." ESPN's Jay Bilas: "Great choice by Alabama. ... Byrne is one of the best administrators in the business!" AP's Ralph Russo: "Byrne is exactly the kind of AD Texas should hire if it can't convince Oliver Luck to give up his NCAA gig."

STATEMENT HIRING
: CBSSPORTS.com's Dennis Dodd wrote by hiring Byrne, UA is "making a statement it wants to be the best at, well, everything." The school will "continue to soar under Byrne." Meanwhile, the job could include possibly the "most important college football hire of a generation," as Byrne "would be the guy who hires Saban's replacement" (CBSSPORTS.com, 1/16). In Alabama, Duane Rankin notes if Byrne "stays long enough, he’ll have to make arguably the most pressurized hire" in college football's history. When Saban eventually leaves, if Byrne is "still there, that’s when he’ll have to make perhaps a career-defining decision" (MONTGOMERY ADVERTISER, 1/17). In Texas, Robert Cessna wrote Byrne is "taking over one of the nation's most coveted AD jobs," and he will "probably be there for a couple decades, especially considering his work at Mississippi State and Arizona." He can "make quite a name for himself in Tuscaloosa" (Bryan-College Station EAGLE, 1/16).

NO HARD FEELINGS
: In Tucson, Greg Hansen writes it is "difficult to put a value" on Byrne's time at Arizona. He "became the most untraditional" AD in Pac-12 history, as he "didn’t sit in a bunker, count pennies and balance budgets." He "insisted on getting to know each of the school’s 500 student-athletes on a first-name basis, one by one." Arizona’s athletic department during his tenure "enjoyed more financial growth and outside attention than at any time in history" (ARIZONA DAILY STAR, 1/17). In Phoenix, Paola Boivin writes Byrne is "what universities should seek" in an AD. He is a "terrific fundraiser, a savvy communicator and a person who will stand up for his coach" (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 1/17). In Arizona, Bruce Pascoe writes by leaving, Byrne will "miss out on a booster-paid retention bonus that is currently worth" $2.18M. In what Arizona terms its "Longevity Fund," Byrne was "set to receive 100,000 shares that a booster set aside for him in Western Refining Logistics LP if he does not leave voluntarily before May 31, 2020" (ARIZONA DAILY STAR, 1/17). The Arizona Daily Star's Hansen tweeted, "Byrne such a workaholic he returned from 'Bama, went to UA women's basketball Sunday." Rams coach Chuck Cecil, who played football at Arizona: "@Greg_Byrne has done so much for @AZATHLETICS. Thank you for time, advice and friendship."

WHO'S NEXT? The ARIZONA DAILY STAR noted Arizona Senior Associate AD Erika Hanson Barnes yesterday was named the school's interim AD. She has "risen from the UA’s marketing department to the top" of the "food chain over the last 11-plus years." Barnes "worked in the UA’s marketing department starting" in '05 before "moving into fundraising" (TUCSON.com, 1/16). In Tampa, Joey Knight writes USF AD Mark Harlan "already is being mentioned as a potential replacement for Byrne." Harlan "earned a bachelor's degree in political science and a master's in education" from Arizona, and "met his wife there." He also "previously served as a fundraising administrator" for the school. He is currently "completing the third year of a five-year deal that pays him $500,000 annually with incentives" (TAMPA BAY TIMES, 1/17). 

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