Colorado AD Rick George in his first nine months on the job has "managed to get school administrators, CU system administrators and the CU Board of Regents to cut through the red tape, bureaucracy and politics that has stood in the way" of the athletic department making progress in the past, according to Kyle Ringo of the Boulder DAILY CAMERA. Perhaps the "best example of this is the regents originally requiring George raise one-third of the total cost" of CU's $143M athletic facilities project before construction began, but then "adjusting that to keep the project on schedule." George has "raised more money for the CU athletic department" since he began than "anyone has raised before in a single year." He "crushed the previous record for fundraising in a single year" of about $15M. Sources said that he has raised at least $35M, and he "still has three months" before his Aug. 12 anniversary of his first day at CU. School administrators and regents in the past "likely would have delayed the start of the project." Ringo wrote, "While I wish George and the regents would have been more upfront with how they decided to move forward, it's an undeniable mark of progress that the board was able to recognize an opportunity to help athletics by not standing in its way." There is "still a long way to go before Colorado can officially consider itself caught up to some of its rivals" in the Pac-12 when it "comes to the facilities and amenities." But the school is "off to a good start" (Boulder DAILY CAMERA, 5/19).