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Staying the course: Castiglione has made OU athletics a program to admire

University of Oklahoma President David Boren (left) lured OU athletic director Joe Castiglione to Norman from Missouri 11 years ago, and Castiglione has led OU's athletic resurgence. STEPHEN PINGRY/Tulsa World file

 
By DAVE SITTLER World Sports Columnist
Published: 6/18/2009  2:21 AM
Last Modified: 6/21/2009  5:40 AM
Go to Dave Sittler's Blog


JOE CASTIGLIONE was taken aback in May 1998 when a reporter walked into the Missouri athletic director's office and asked: "Do you have any clue what you're getting yourself into?"

A few days earlier, Castiglione had stunned Mizzou officials and fans when he accepted the AD's job at another Big 12 Conference school. Oklahoma had made him an offer he couldn't refuse.

I was sent to Columbia, Mo., that spring to do several stories on the 40-year-old Castiglione. The pointed question came from the experience of covering OU athletics extensively for 13 years.

It became a running joke a few years after Castiglione took charge of Sooner athletics. The self-deprecating Castiglione has often said the joke was on him, because it only took him a few days on the job to wonder what the heck he had gotten himself into.

Castiglione is the reason we could eventually laugh about that interview. His vision, work ethic and sincere passion for OU has turned what many considered a dire situation into one of the nation's model athletic departments.

That remarkable turnaround was validated again last month when Castiglione was named athletic director of the year at the Sports Business Awards in New York City. It is the latest in a lengthy list of honors he has amassed as people recognized his ability to quickly institute dynamic change and also ensure long-lasting success.

OU officials didn't exactly hoodwink Castiglione during the hiring process. While they didn't paint a rosy picture, they also didn't dip all the way to the bottom line while drawing up the situation he'd inherit.

Castiglione had visited Norman enough with Mizzou to know the Sooners were falling far behind in the Big 12 and national arms race to build and renovate facilities. But you had to work there to fully understand the internal bickering going on between several factions, including coaches, lettermen and prominent alums.

And then there was the matter of $15 million. Castiglione thought the department was $7.9 million in debt, but soon realized it was nearly double that once he took a long look at the books.

Money was the reason Castiglione bolted Mizzou for OU. But it wasn't that his salary jumped from $112,270 with the Tigers to $250,000 with the Sooners.

Instead, Castiglione bought President David Boren's sales pitch that OU was determined to find the revenue necessary to compete at the highest level. It basically came down to Boren believing in Castiglione more than his bosses at Missouri.

"It is not my intention to criticize Missouri to make Oklahoma look better," Castiglione said during that 1998 interview. "But I sensed a much stronger commitment at OU. Commitment is just one word, but it means everything to me."

Castiglione had presented Missouri with a long-range plan called "A Championship Vision," which was designed for the Tigers to reach national excellence. While it received a lukewarm reception from MU officials, it enthralled Boren and the OU job was offered.

Interestingly, Castiglione's decision to take the job was similar to what he experienced a year later when he was attempting to hire OU's next football coach.

Castiglione knew he'd found his man in Florida defensive coordinator Bob Stoops. But Stoops delayed giving him an answer because he had agreed to also interview at Iowa. When officials from his alma mater slow-played him by telling Stoops they had another interview to complete, he walked out of the room, called his agent and said he was taking the Sooner job.

When OU offered Castiglione a five-year contract worth $1.25 million, he called Mizzou officials to see if they had a counter offer. When they didn't, Castiglione bolted from the school where he had invested the previous 17 years.

"I spent a great deal of time (talking) with President Boren," Castiglione said 11 years ago. "He's a visionary. And a lot of his vision is similar to mine in the basic fundamental aspects."

Their shared vision has produced remarkable results. Castiglione spearheaded a $125 million fundraising campaign that ended in 2003 and provided the impetus for numerous facility projects, including a $70 million renovation of Memorial Stadium and $17.2 million in improvements to the Lloyd Noble Center.

OU has won six national team championships and numerous Big 12 titles in several sports. The budget has increased from $24 million to $73.6 million, that $15 million debt was paid off and OU is one of the few athletic departments that balances its budget without subsidy from the university or state aid.

Awards aren't the only way Castiglione's work has been recognized. Tennessee, Ohio State, Michigan and Notre Dame are among the schools that have attempted to hire him away from OU. Insiders confirm that Notre Dame was long the dream job for this devoted Catholic, who grew up in Florida.

So why has he stayed? Well, his $700,000-a-year salary helps. But a loyal Castiglione is living up to what he promised in the 1998 interview when he talked about "commitment" being more than just word.

"I will be strong enough to stay the course (at OU)," Castiglione said back then. "And I will do everything within my power to get it done the right way."

He may not have known what he was getting into at OU, but Castiglione found a way to get the Sooners to a place that once was only a vision.

Cunningham receives regional athletic director honor

Bubba Cunningham has been named the central region’s athletic director of the year in the 2008-09 Football Bowl Subdivision.

Cunningham will be recognized during the 44th National Association of Collegiate Director of Athletics Convention on June 20.

“Bubba Cunningham’s leadership has resulted in unparalleled achievement for TU sports, and I’m pleased he is being recognized by his peers,” TU President Steadman Upham said in a statement. “our studentathletes achieve top honors in the classroom, our teams win championships, and our community supports the Golden Hurricane as fans and donors.

“Bubba’s commitment to excellence is reflected in all aspects of our program.

During his tenure, Cunningham has guided Tulsa through its infancy of membership in Conference USA. Tulsa has won a league-best 25 Conference USA Championships (16 tournaments, six regular-season and three West Division crowns) in the past four seasons.

On the fundraising side, Cunningham spearheaded a $60 million athletics initiative, which included a $20 million renovation to Skelly Field at H.A. Chapman Stadium as well as a goal of $20 million for an athletics scholarship endowment and $20 million for a coach’s salary endowment.

— From Staff reports
By DAVE SITTLER World Sports Columnist

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COMMENTS 
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26 comments have been made for this team so far. Tell us what you think below!
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Some reader comments for this story were copied from "Sittler: OU's Castiglione deserving of honor," which was published on 6/17/2009.
Report Comment
Arbythree, Tulsa (6/17/2009 12:07:48 PM)
Proud of you Joe!!

BOOMER SOONER!!!!!!!
Report Comment
pat, Kiefer (6/17/2009 12:19:50 PM)
BOOMER SOONER!!!!!!!
Report Comment
Greenjacket, (6/18/2009 5:59:22 AM)
I would hope that ND is not too eager to woo this guy away from OU...a graduation rate of just 42% for the football program while the Big 12 average is over 60% and ND is over 90% suggests misplaced priorities.
Report Comment
Graybeard, Tulsa (6/18/2009 6:25:15 AM)
Notre Dame would be fortunate to have Joe as AD. He's been absolutely stellar in the position obviously.
I wish every football squad could graduate 100% of their seniors...they truly are student athletes....but it isn't realistic to expect everyone will graduate for a number of reasons. Sooners should have a better %, but one can't lay the blame on Castiglione. THANKS JOE and GO BIG RED!
Report Comment
Greenjacket, (6/18/2009 6:33:05 AM)
Interesting logic! Apparently at OU only 42% are "student-athletes".
Report Comment
lovethemsooners, Fayetteville (6/18/2009 7:06:02 AM)
Why would he want to go to Notre Dame....they're so yesterday. Not only that, imagine the pressure he'd be under. Like Stoops, he has it good right where he's at....and he's raking in plenty of accolades as we can see. Maybe if he was 20 years younger with something left still to prove, but he's on the back end of his career and has absolutely nothing left to prove. As a lifelong Sooner, I'm very appreciative of the job he's done in restoring our athletic program to where it belongs.
Report Comment
texasbill, (6/18/2009 7:25:19 AM)
greenjacket

remember the good ole' days? When Notre Dame's game winning percentage was more than 42% ?

Also remember when they actually had somebody go to the pro's?

I truly believe that Oklahoma cares about its football players and their education.

It's just that you are not looking at the big picture.

You are one like one of those crazy political radio pundants.

You can take something good and twist it around to sound bad.

BOOOOMER SOOOONER !!!
Go Cowboys!!!
Go Hurricanes!!!

Go Notre Dame...!!??
Report Comment
ken7, (6/18/2009 8:32:57 AM)
It's a known fact I do not like OU at all. BUT I have to tip my hat to Castiglione, he's done a hell of a job.
Report Comment
Greenjacket, (6/18/2009 8:53:37 AM)
I'm going to assume "pundit" is spelled differently in Oklahoma...just as the evaluation of a quality educational institution is viewed differently...honoring an individual who values touchdowns more than achieving a degree speaks to the lack of integrity of the man and the school.
Report Comment
CrippledShark, Sand Springs (6/18/2009 9:20:48 AM)
Greenjacket,
The primary reason the rate is 42% (which I question that number) is so many players at OU leave early for the NFL. Or they at least attempt to enter professional sports.

ND is in big turmoil right now and every part of their football and athletic program is on shaky ground. OU however, is doing just fine when it comes to academics and sports.

If you hate OU and love the Golden Dome that is okay but realize that on the football field - we would kick Notre Dame's butt up and down the field all day long.

After all this is an article about how Joe built the athletics department and not about Rhodes Scholars. Oh wait a minute - we have more Rhodes Scholars per capita too.

CS
Report Comment
BoomerBacker, (6/18/2009 9:33:38 AM)
GJ,

Stop with the holier than thou act, though it is appropriate for a ND supporter, I suppose. Taking shots at Joe C, while holding up ND as doing it right is hilarious, given the fact they tried to hire him. The grad rate is certainly somewhat reflective of the talent level, as has been stated.

Oh, and thanks for giving one of us poor Okies a spelling lesson. When losing an argument, resort to petty cheap shots. I'd expect nothing less from a frustrated supporter of a dying program.
Report Comment
STulsaJWS, (6/18/2009 9:37:13 AM)
Did David Boren lose some weight or what happened??? he looks different....
Report Comment
LeftieTulsan, Tulsa (6/18/2009 10:23:28 AM)
Greenjacket,

I'm going to assume that reading comprehension isn't one of your strengths. If it were, you would realize that the person that incorrectly spelled pundit is from Texas.
Report Comment
Greenjacket, (6/18/2009 10:37:55 AM)
The University of Florida graduation rate is 68%..."will you kick their butt up and down the field" oh wait...you've tried that!
I have zero connection to ND including being a fan...what I am trying (with obviously litte impact)to show is that an athletic program ought to value the educational aspect of an athlete. That does not seem to be of any interest to the man being honored and that other institutions field solid athletic programs and graduate their athletes at a far higher clip than OU.
Report Comment
BoomerBacker, (6/18/2009 10:46:37 AM)
Actually, what you are trying to do is take a snapshot kodak moment and pan it off as a panoramic. Graduation rates are calculated over very small pieces of time and wildly fluctuate, which has been the major criticism of them. You're trying to kill an elephant with a pea shooter.

Graduation rates can be reflective of a small number of graduates over a given period of time where things such as turning pro early or transferring (which should not be counted against the school) can have a major impact.

I still think you are an elitist or a fan of a school with low athletic expectations and probably a deep-seated hatred or envy of OU.
Report Comment
Deep In The Heart, (6/18/2009 11:06:38 AM)
I agree with the opionions that the graduation rates are extremely misleading. The better players do leave early. I wonderif they consider athletes that leave early, but continue to work on their degree. For example, Vince Young and Kevin Durant are both currently working on completing their degrees at Texas during their respective off-seasons.

I, however, disagree with bestowing honors and accolades on any AD whose school is on probation for cheating. What kind of message is that?
Report Comment
CrippledShark, Sand Springs (6/18/2009 11:06:54 AM)
Well put Boomer Backer
Report Comment
junkman, Tulsa (6/18/2009 11:55:08 AM)
What an asset to OU...Boomer Sooner....
Report Comment
Edgar, Norman, (6/18/2009 12:40:36 PM)
I'm more concerned about the td to int. rate.
Report Comment
Rizzle, (6/18/2009 1:24:02 PM)
Castiglione seems to have done a great job at OU with the sports program consistently being in the national spotlight for excellence.

He probably turned down the Notre Dame job because as some one focused as he is with the success of the AD, he probably didn't want to have to deal with maintaining the 90% graduation rate that some one quoted Notre Dame as having. Even when Holtz was coach at Notre Dame, there were difficulties with recruiting student-athletes up to Notre Dame's caliber. That may be something that's highly valued at Notre Dame, but winning is something that's even more highly valued in general in college football.
Report Comment
Ottley, (6/18/2009 2:56:11 PM)
Did anyone else notice in the picture that his mic is ORANGE! OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO...........SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS SSSS..........UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU COWBOYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Report Comment
ougab83, (6/18/2009 4:14:59 PM)
My only thing is how many tests have you (a) been to see to make sure your athletes are doing well and (b) do you pay money to watch? Zero would be the answer, so why bring up graduation rates? I would love to know,
Report Comment
Deep In The Heart, (6/18/2009 4:54:00 PM)
Leftie Tulsa - You are the one having trouble comprehending. The poster that mispelled pundit is named Texas Bill, but look at his Avatar. That is no Texas fan.
Report Comment
Steff M, Claremore (6/19/2009 12:41:55 AM)
I don't think Joe had a hand in the land run or controlling what other people do. He has good people in place who are obviously good at their jobs and has OU athletics in really good shape across the board. I thought that's what this article was about. Obviously, by reading some of these posts, it's an AD to envy, which is why they gave him the award.??? Boomer Sooner!
Report Comment
T Bone, (6/20/2009 1:41:33 PM)
UO's reputation doesn't merge with this article. UO has one of the worst sports reputations that started with the importation of players just after the end of World War II. Senator Kerr thought by having a winning football team, Oklahoma would lose its grapes of wrath image. It is my opinion that this doesn't hold true today and could even be a hinderance to a state with great people.
Report Comment
SUEA, MESQUITE (6/22/2009 5:01:31 PM)
Hey Deep in the Heart....I'll banter with ya...

Roses are red
Violets are blue
this years's baseball king
LSU
 

 
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