Bando Calrissian

December 4th, 2015 at 11:59 AM ^

Look. I like Jon Jansen as much as the next guy. But this is a guy five years out of the NFL whose only professional-world experience is working as a sideline reporter and radio host.

Hackett only had, what, over 30 years of experience in business, including a long run as a CEO?

Like it or not, Hackett was qualified to run an Athletic Department. Jansen is not.

Joined: 07/02/2008

MGoPoints: 68117

DonAZ

December 4th, 2015 at 1:04 PM ^

This is spot on.

I know some around here like to dismiss corporate experience as too ... corporate ... too Brandon-esque.  But the reality is corporate executive experience is exactly what an athletic director position is all about.  That's why Hackett did such a good job ... he had the prior experience maintaining orderly control over a great many moving parts. 

As Donny Osmond once sang, "One bad apple (Brandon) don't spoil the whole bunch, girl."

I hated Donny Osmond.  I had to compete with him for the attention of the girl behind me in 7th grade history class. 

Joined: 12/05/2011

MGoPoints: 16679

APBlue

December 4th, 2015 at 12:24 PM ^

Yeah, I like Jansen a lot too.  I also agree that we'd be better off with a candidate who has AD (or CEO level) experience.  

I think bringing Jansen into the AD as some sort of Assoc. AD would be a great idea, though.  Let him get his feet wet and see if this is something he really wants to do.  He may not have a complete picture of what the job really entails.  

An Associate AD position could help him in a lot of ways.  

Joined: 01/07/2011

MGoPoints: 22020

Eat Your Wheatlies

December 4th, 2015 at 11:59 AM ^

It definitely makes the most sense to hire someone with previous AD experience. I understand that everyone has to get a first shot somewhere, but the University of Michigan is not the place to give someone learning experience, alumni or not. The athletic department has been through too much turmoil in the last 15 years to take a risk like that.

Joined: 11/17/2010

MGoPoints: 7618

True Blue Grit

December 4th, 2015 at 11:38 AM ^

but he isn't qualified.  He needs to get some job in athletic administration, either here or elsewhere and get some experience for a while.  Running a big budget athletic department like U-M requires some experience and management seasoning.  It's not like the old days.  For the first time ever, Michigan needs to hire an AD with actual experience running a department.   It worked out well with Canham, but since then the results have been pretty spotty to say the least. 

Joined: 01/21/2011

MGoPoints: 32360

treetown

December 4th, 2015 at 1:38 PM ^

From John U Bacon's book "Endzone" ( no doubt well known to many here) it is worth noting that Don Canham was a successful track and field coach (1 - practical understanding of what his coaches go through) at the college level, a successful business man (2 - running a company that supplied teaching aides/devices - made him a millionaire) and he was at the dawn of the era of big money college athletics (3- when even thinking of branding the block M and doing promotions put him on the cutting edge).

Today the AD has to know what the coaches face (1), really understand the financial numbers and what they mean (2 - and then some) and get back to leading the edge (3 - his CTE idea is the one good thing out there) but really he should look to parlay his current media success into a PR position with the Athletic Department and then work his way over to more central management side. It wouldn't hurt to take some formal classes on how to handle HR and financial reports/negotiating and contracts.

Good for him that he has high aspirations - this is what Bo and others wanted to instill in their players. But he should know that as much as anyone that wanting to be AD is like many kids wanting to play for the Wolverines - they have that body of work behind them first.

Joined: 11/10/2010

MGoPoints: 6339

LSAClassOf2000

December 4th, 2015 at 11:51 AM ^

I always had a secret wish to be Reggie Jackson only because I wanted to be that rather unique baseball player that managed to rack up more strikeouts than hits in a career but somehow have it work out to a career batting average of 0.262. That way, I know it took everything I had to manage that. 

Joined: 01/07/2011

MGoPoints: 130608

Mmmm Hmmm

December 4th, 2015 at 11:41 AM ^

I hope he gets an interview--the experience will help him immensely in setting himself up to get a more appropriate position for his experience and a chance to sharpen his ideas. As much as his "advisory council" will help, nothing compares to the actual experience of preparing for and going through the process.

By the same token, I hope Michigan is not in a position where as of today he has the best resume of all applicants....



Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad

Joined: 09/12/2010

MGoPoints: 5144

BursleysFinest

December 4th, 2015 at 11:43 AM ^

Way too many qualified candidates (Warde Manuel, Jeff Long, Brad Bates) for him to even sniff that position now.   Wouldn't be mad if he took a position in the Department and groomed himself for the job for the next time it opens up. 

Joined: 08/24/2011

MGoPoints: 6408

James Burrill Angell

December 4th, 2015 at 11:48 AM ^

Jon Jansen is an awesome guy but he's a little delusional here.

He should just stick around and replace Dierdorf or Brandstatter on the radio broadcast team once one of them retires. He's pretty  good in the #3 spot during the radio broadcasts.

Joined: 08/12/2009

MGoPoints: 15946

ScruffyTheJanitor

December 4th, 2015 at 11:51 AM ^

would be a better choice, but Jansen would need experience. I would be MORE than happy if he were given an  Associate position, though. Would be nice to have a line of succession planned out, and he's young enough to be around for the next search. 

Joined: 02/03/2011

MGoPoints: 12197

ghostofhoke

December 4th, 2015 at 12:00 PM ^

Let's all put on our big boy pants here. Maybe if he were qualified. But that being said, let's see him start to move in the direction that would get him to that point at sometime in the future



Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad

Joined: 11/21/2014

MGoPoints: 8562

Billy Ray Valentine

December 4th, 2015 at 12:04 PM ^

Great captain. Great player. Great champion. Adequate media personality. But this is just shark jumping. I shudder to think of Coach Harbaugh's, Coach Hutchins', Coach Beilein's, etc. reaction to an amateur becoming their boss.

Joined: 02/04/2012

MGoPoints: 9218