Michigan looking at Dartmouth AD Harry Sheehy per ESPN

Submitted by Izzoiswashedup on

Title says it all.

justingoblue

November 3rd, 2014 at 8:34 PM ^

but the guy has an impressive resume, even if he might not be what Michigan needs. He oversees a lot more at Dartmouth than an AD does at Michigan, but on the other hand doesn't have the experience in big money and high visibility that the Michigan job probably requires.

http://www.dartmouthsports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=11600&ATCLID=…

evenyoubrutus

November 3rd, 2014 at 8:32 PM ^

They have to be trolling us. This is the one time we are screaming for someone with a Michigan connection and they are going after people who don't know what the winged helmet is.

mgoBrad

November 3rd, 2014 at 8:40 PM ^

I could care less whether the guy knows what the winged hemet it is. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to survey the students, student-athletes, alumni, and fans to see what their priorities are, and act accordingly. A connection with Michigan may give a candidate a bit of a head start, but I'm pretty sure an Ivy League guy could sort things out in pretty short order. Would he be my preferred candidate? No, but it'd be hard to worse than what we just dealt with for almost 5 years.

umchicago

November 3rd, 2014 at 9:33 PM ^

there appear to be several qualified AD candidates with ties to UM.  you may as well get the best one of those.  knowing UM is a definite asset.

that said the UM football coaching tree is almost non-existent.  so if not a harbaugh, get the best guy available regardless of UM ties.  no more hokes.

MGoBender

November 4th, 2014 at 11:30 AM ^

How do we know this Dartmouth guys isn't in the conversation?  What does it hurt to consider him and talk to him?

It would be egregious to dismiss any potential candidate without doing your research and considering all options. 

Baloo

November 3rd, 2014 at 8:46 PM ^

I don't know why people work themselves into such a frenzy over the AD position.  There are plenty of people who could do a satisfactory job.  It's really not that difficult.

Simps

November 3rd, 2014 at 8:50 PM ^

Yes, but who can bring home the Harbaugh? I'd prefer if it were someone who seems to be connected to him, such as Bates. Also the OU AD seemed like a better resume. It scares me that they may go the direction of someone who may not emphasize athletics as much as they have been.

justingoblue

November 3rd, 2014 at 8:54 PM ^

I don't think Sheehy looks like someone trying to deemphasize athletics, but I do think an enormous step up in budget and spotlight could be an issue. I don't know if anyone/everyone who might be Michigan's AD could hire Harbaugh but someone who has made million dollar hires seems like an advantage over someone who hasn't, all else being equal.

Brodie

November 4th, 2014 at 10:06 AM ^

again

do you really believe

in your heart of hearts

that Bates is the ONLY athletic administrator in this country under whom Harbaugh would work? The only one with the foresight to say "hey, that Jim Harbaugh might be someone worth offering all the money to"?

ATHLETIC DIRECTORS ARE NOT COACHES. You don't need to hire Ser FancyMcBCSResume to land a good one, they basically do the same damn job at every school, it's not at all more difficult at one or the other. Schools hire guys from tiny athletic departments all the time, guys make lateral and backwards moves all the time. It's a different ballgame to a coaching search.

Rodriguesqe

November 3rd, 2014 at 8:51 PM ^

I have a distinct feeling we might not have a great understanding of what an AD does. Maybe the board should have calmed down a little before getting Brandon fired? 



[ducks rotten vegetables]

Brodie

November 4th, 2014 at 10:11 AM ^

this board, and people in general, have no idea what an AD does. This is obvious. That's why the names everyone here are clinging to are the first ones mentioned, why people are abandoning longheld "get the best man for the job" stances for "BATES IT HAS TO BE BATES IT CAN ONLY BE BATES BATES BATES BATESSSSS", because they've been led to believe that Bates and only Bates can deliver Jim Harbaugh.

The truth is that Bates is not really a better man for the job than anyone else being thrown out there, Manuel certainly isn't. The best men for the job likely remain Long and Byrne, but it seems like the University wants someone with a more academic background. Now, this gives Bates something of a leg up since his experience has largely been at high end schools and he spent decades at Vandy.

Mr. Yost

November 3rd, 2014 at 8:51 PM ^

It's all academic focused ADs. They want Michigan to be an Ivy. This scares the shit out of me.

Say what you want about Brandon, he was huge into pouring money into facilities and the athletics department itself. He was just a shitty person who went about raising money in a shitty way.

Louisville and Florida have the type ADs that we want Foley and Jurich are awesome. Muschamp sucks and I question the Petrino hire, but I'm more focused on how they run their athletics department, how their constituents view the athletics department, the student athlete experience, facility improvements, success throughout multiple programs. All of this is important to me. Along with high level academics.

That said, one of my best friends works at Dartmouth...I'll ask some questions.

SalvatoreQuattro

November 3rd, 2014 at 8:55 PM ^

Michigan isn't going to turn into an Ivy. It can't happen. Not with hundreds of millions of dollars invested into infrastructure. It literally cannot happen. Michigan can't afford to do that. 

 

Schlissel may think along those terms, but he will soon be educated that that route is a not an option. Do remember that regents and donors are significant influences.Mark Schlissel is not Ceasar. He can't just do as he pleases.

Mr. Yost

November 3rd, 2014 at 9:09 PM ^

...that didn't relate to anything I said.

I never said anything you just posted wasn't true.

I was speaking to the focus of the AD and the athletics department he/she runs.

You have to pay coaches...academics focus says "well teachers make 'x' so we are not going to pay a football coach 'y" ...even though they have nothing to do with each others.

Academics focus doesn't much the same emphasis on facilities...our competition is focusing on facilities.

I don't want to be an SEC school. I want to be a well rounded athletics department that is excellent in every area.

People don't call Louisville one of the best athletics departments in the country becuase they're good at football and/or basketball. That plays a part in everything they do down there.

SalvatoreQuattro

November 3rd, 2014 at 9:18 PM ^

I would think he would understand that. UM's AD is a self-funding department at a public insitution that gives out scholarships. Dartmouth's AD is none of these. I would assume that a man with multiple degrees would be intelligent enough to know that Michigan's athletic department is very much different than Dartmouth's and would adjust accordingly.

Mr. Yost

November 3rd, 2014 at 9:42 PM ^

That's not an assumption.

I think UM needs a dominant, well-rounded, athletics department that has a focus on student-athlete success in the classroom and on the playing surface. I think we need to support all of our sports, not just revenue generating sport. I think we need to be focused on the student-athlete experience and well being. I think we need to fundraise like crazy and continue to upgrade and build new facilities. I want us to live up to "leaders and the best" in everything.

Call it Michigan Arrogance if you want, but that's what I want. I used UF and Louisville as examples because ask anyone who knows anything about those athletics departments and they'll tell you those places are doing things the right way from every angle. Students love the AD, student-athletes, fans, donors, the community, the alumni...they have a vision and a focus and they're kicking ass - but it's an athletics focus. It's not an academics focus.

I don't care if we're playing $5 million a year for a football coach if that's what the market value is and that's what it takes to win and run a program we're all proud of...an academics focused AD isn't going to shell out that kind of money. He/she isn't going to be as focused on facilities or branding/visibility, or the fan experience.

Bando Calrissian

November 3rd, 2014 at 8:55 PM ^

You say this as if there's something wrong with the university embracing the fact that it's a university with an athletics program, and not an athletics program with a university.

I'd love to see Michigan embrace the Stanford or Northwestern model and actually have a little integrity with the process of college athletics, than try to emulate the SEC and go all-in on the financial arms race that leads to things like violations and shady bullshit. 

Stanford can win that way. We can, too.