Athletic director opening at TU attracts more than 200 applicants
BY BILL HAISTEN World Sports Writer
Saturday, March 02, 2013
3/02/13 at 7:01 AM
With Tuesday having been the deadline for applications, the University of Tulsa continues the process of identifying its next athletic director.
All applicants were asked to submit information first to Carr Sports Associates, a Gainesville, Fla.-based search firm. Based on the criteria expressed by TU when the job opening was posted on an NCAA website, Carr Sports will recommend "a few" candidates who will become involved in the interview process, said Don Tomkalski, a TU senior associate athletic director and the school's media-relations director.
There were more than 200 applicants, Tomkalski reported.
"The position was very well perceived around the country," he said.
Interviews, conducted by TU President Steadman Upham and members of a screening committee, are expected to begin soon.
TU's athletic director position has been vacant since Dec. 4, when Ross Parmley was fired for having misled Upham about alleged gambling on college football and NFL games. Parmley had been promoted to the job only 10 months earlier.
The TU job listing conveyed a preference for applicants who are proven athletic administrators. These requirements were among those listed on the job posting:
- Seven to 10 years of experience in intercollegiate athletic administration, showing progressive levels of responsibility.
- High level of experience and fluency with the rules and regulations governing NCAA Division I athletics, and a commitment to sustain the spirit and the letter of compliance standards.
NCAA update: For several weeks, it has been expected that the NCAA would reveal to TU the results of its investigation into Parmley's alleged gambling. Almost immediately after Parmley was fired, the NCAA launched an investigation.
On Thursday, a TU athletic department official spoke by telephone with an NCAA representative. While TU officials remain confident that there will be no sanctions, the NCAA's determination may not be known for two more weeks.
The NCAA prohibits student-athletes and athletic department staff members from "wagering on intercollegiate, amateur and professional sports in which the Association conducts championships."
Conference update: While TU officials continue to expect that the Golden Hurricane soon will receive an invitation to switch from Conference USA to a different league, that different league apparently won't be known as the Big East.
On Thursday, it was reported that the so-called "Catholic 7" - the seven Catholic universities leaving the Big East for basketball-related reasons - will keep the Big East name for their new conference.
For at least a few more months, the Big East will continue to be known as the Big East. After that, the 34-year-old conference will get a new name.
Six C-USA schools - Houston, Tulane, SMU, Memphis, East Carolina and Central Florida - already have accepted invitations to join the conference currently known as the Big East.
It was believed that the Big East membership invitation would not be extended to Tulsa until after the league had concluded its media-rights negotiations. Last week, the Big East and ESPN finalized an agreement. In a deal that includes seven basketball seasons (starting with the 2013-14 season) and six football seasons (starting with the 2014 season), the Big East receives $20 million a year.
TU officials continue to express confidence that the Big East will invite the Hurricane to switch from Conference USA. A recent USA Today article described TU as "a strong favorite" for Big East membership.
The USA Today report also included this: "If the Big East decides it wants a 12-team lineup, Tulsa makes sense on several fronts. Though it is the smallest school by enrollment in the Football Bowl Subdivision (3,200 undergraduates), it sits in a decent television market (59th in the Nielsen DMA rankings) and has been the most consistently successful football program in Conference USA since joining that league in 2005."
New turf: On April 8 - two days after the Hurricane football program's spring game - the H.A. Chapman Stadium's turf will be removed. Installed in 2008, the turf will be replaced by a $300,000 FieldTurf Revolution surface.
Every 5 yards, the current turf has alternating shades of green. The new turf is a solid green. The Maryland and Missouri programs recently switched to FieldTurf Revolution.
Original Print Headline: TU AD job attracts over 200 applicants
Bill Haisten 918-581-8397
bill.haisten@tulsaworld.com
