Kevin White Leaves Notre Dame To Serve As AD at Duke Univ.
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White Leaves Notre Dame
To Serve As AD At Duke |
Univ. of Notre Dame (ND) AD Kevin White Saturday was introduced as the new AD at Duke Univ., where he replaces Joe Alleva, who left for the same position at LSU in April, according to Luciana Chavez of the Raleigh NEWS & OBSERVER. White, who spent eight years at ND, also was named Duke VP, meaning he will report directly to Duke President Richard Brodhead. The hire “still must be approved by the Duke Board of Trustees.” White said that he will officially begin June 16. White met with Brodhead for more than 3 hours Wednesday and “accepted the job Friday.” At ND, White is “credited with strengthening Olympic sports and using sharp business sense and savvy about Division I athletics to modernize Notre Dame’s approach to salaries, contracts and facilities upgrades.” Duke “aims to enhance the athletic experience for varsity, intramural and casual athletes and includes plans to add some facilities (indoor football practice building) and improve others” (Raleigh NEWS & OBSERVER, 6/1).
NEW CHALLENGE: In Charlotte, Ken Tysiac wrote White didn’t offer specifics for the move "beyond his desire for a new challenge.” White: “[ND] is a great place and we had a whole bunch of years left on our contract there and were very comfortable and really loved the place. But you know what, another set of challenges and opportunities just made our blood run.” White was first contacted about the Duke job by former ACC Commissioner and former ND AD Gene Corrigan, a consultant hired by Duke in its AD search (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 6/1). White said of the move "just popped up at the right place and right time and a strong overture by an infectious group of administrators and president of the university at the top of that list” (ESPN.com, 5/31).
LEGACY AT NOTRE DAME: In South Bend, Eric Hansen wrote White brought "much-needed diversity to Notre Dame’s athletic department.” He “finessed his way through the meeting that protected ND’s precious standing in BCS-land, presided over clandestine probes into possibly joining a conference when the Big East began to wobble, championed ND’s national standing in women’s and Olympics sports and kept the NCAA out.” ACC Commissioner John Swofford: “This hire is not just a home run, but a grand slam for Duke.” However, Hansen wrote ND is “left to mop up the ambiguity that White understandably is unwilling to.” The move and its timing are “perplexing.” Meanwhile, ND Saturday named Deputy AD Missy Conboy Interim AD. Potential candidates for the job include SMU AD Steve Orsini, MAC Commissioner Rick Chryst, Xavier Univ. AD Mike Bobinski, Ohio State Univ. AD Gene Smith, Univ. of Tulsa AD Bubba Cunningham, Georgetown Univ. AD Bernard Muir and several internal candidates (SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE, 6/1).
TIMING OF THE MOVE: In Chicago, David Haugh wrote the timing of White's move “caught many people involved in intercollegiate athletics by surprise.” He “leaves one of the profession’s most high-profile positions for a job most would not consider better in terms of power, stature or reach.” But the “real surprise might have been White lasted this long after having his power essentially stripped during the transition from” former ND football coach Ty Willingham to Charlie Weis in '05. The “order to fire Willingham after three seasons came from the Notre Dame Board of Trustees and shook the usually unshakable AD, who favored retaining him.” White had “look[ed] into athletic director opening elsewhere, including Stanford last year and most recently LSU.” He also had been “rumored to be in line for an executive position with the Chicago 2016 Olympics project; he already serves on its steering committee” (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 6/1). Also in Chicago, Neil Hayes wrote White’s “legacy of raising money and improving facilities made him an attractive candidate at Duke” (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 6/1).
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