New Cal AD Mike Williams was formally introduced on Friday, and "didn't waste time" addressing the football program's graduation rate and GPA, which have "improved over the past two years," according to Mike Vernon of the S.F. CHRONICLE. Cal football in '13 "posted the lowest graduation rates among the nation's major-conference universities." Williams, within the first minute of his speech, said, "Our goal is to ensure that our student athletes are able to take full advantage of the extraordinary educational experiences provided by Cal." Meanwhile, Williams said that the school is "ahead of projections" to pay off more than $400M "in debt associated with renovations to Memorial Stadium." Vernon noted Williams "had a long career in finance" before retiring in '09 as Barclays Global Investors Vice Chair/Capital Markets. Williams was "intended to be a temporary stabilizer for an unsteady athletic department" following the departure of former AD Sandy Barbour. As recently as June, Williams had said that he "didn't want the job on a full-time basis." That "started to change during the course of the Cal football season when Williams became a target" for former DT Austin Clark. Williams explained, "After every game, Austin would give me the biggest, sweatiest, bloodiest, nastiest hug. You just don’t get that anywhere else." Vernon noted Williams "has made a point of developing relationships with Cal’s coaches and student athletes" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 5/9).
