The Univ. of Texas intorduced Chris Del Conte as the school's new AD and he "won his first news conference" as a "natural-born salesman should," according to Chuck Carlton of the DALLAS MORNING NEWS. Del Conte now "must complete the job of getting Texas back to winning games in its highest-profile sports." He will also have to raise $300-500M for a new basketball arena while "juggling the demands of a ginormous department, state university politics and demanding donors and alumni." Del Conte said, "The vision for the University of Texas has been set long ago. It's to win championships, to do it the right way, to be a beacon to follow. The standard of intercollegiate athletics has been set here." UT President Greg Fenves said, "He's just a genuine human being and that's who I like to have on my team" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 12/12). In Houston, Nick Moyle writes Del Conte "knows how to work a room." It is "one of the principal reasons Fenves lured him away" from TCU. After meeting with Del Conte last week in N.Y., Fenves "wanted to move quickly." Fenves said, "I wanted to get him here to Texas before he had too many other alluring offers" (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 12/12). In Austin, Brian Davis wrote Del Conte's hiring "solidifies" Fenves' reputation as "one of the most athletic-friendly" presidents in school history. Del Conte "expressed a wide range of emotions" during his press conference. Davis also writes hiring Del Conte as AD is the "equivalent to hiring Nick Saban or Urban Meyer" as football coach (AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN, 12/12).
GREAT FIT: In Austin, Cedric Golden writes, "You can’t blame Longhorn Nation for being abuzz about this hire." Del Conte is cut from the same cloth as former UT AD DeLoss Dodds -- "competitive to a fault, proud and opinionated with that that little dash of arrogance that leaves no doubt as to who is in charge." Del Conte is the "right man for this job" (AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN, 12/12). The AMERICAN-STATESMAN's Davis wonders if Del Conte can "mesh with" UT Women’s AD Chris Plonsky. Del Conte has "known Plonsky for years and called her a 'star'" yesterday. He is "already referring to her as 'C.P.,' Plonsky’s widely-used nickname." The women’s teams "shouldn’t expect too much change on a day-to-day basis." Davis notes UT was the "only school remaining nationally" that had men’s and women’s ADs (AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN, 12/12).
