OT: Somewhere Bill Martin is smiling - Texas assembles an interesting search committee to find replacement for Mack Brown
I didnt see this posted yet but have you seen the backgrounds of the eight person committee assembled by Texas to conduct their coaching search? To say their backgrounds are somewhat outside of athletics in general and football specifically would be an understatement:
- 1. Steve Hicks, vice chair of the Board of Regents, one of the board’s athletics liaisons, and owner and executive chairman of Capstar Partners LLC, a private investment firm.
- 2. Robert Stillwell, member of the Board of Regents, one of the board’s athletics liaisons, retired partner at Baker Botts LLP and an original director of Mesa Petroleum Co.
- 3. Michael Clement, accounting professor, McCombs School of Business at UT Austin, and faculty representative to the Men’s and Women’s Athletics Councils.
- 4. Ricardo Hinojosa, United States federal judge for the Southern District of Texas, former member of the university’s Commission of 125.
- 5. Charles Matthews, former vice president and general counsel of Exxon Mobil, current president of the Texas Exes.
- 6. Robert Rowling, former member of the Board of Regents and owner and chairman of TRT Holdings Inc.
- 7. Charles Tate, chairman of Capital Royalty, former member of the executive committee of the university’s Commission of 125.
- 8. Pamela Willeford, former U.S. ambassador to Switzerland and Liechtenstein and former chair of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.
The article does mention an executive search firm will also assist in the process but I truly have to wonder what meaningful input this group is going to be able to offer. But hey, maybe Switzerland & Lichtenstein have better football programs than I gave them credit for.
December 19th, 2013 at 9:24 AM ^
I guess a lot goes into finding a Texas football coach, or perhaps this is a stall tactic before they have to tell fans that their first 5 choices aren't interested.
They should just hire Eric Taylor.
December 19th, 2013 at 11:19 AM ^
and split coach taylor's family up again? no no no, we can't have that. i think we all learned our lesson from that stint at TMU.
December 19th, 2013 at 12:08 PM ^
right. Tami was all bitter and Julie was a wreck. Yeah, perhaps he should pass.
December 19th, 2013 at 9:25 AM ^
Since I live in Liechtenstein I might be able to help out ;-)
December 19th, 2013 at 12:50 PM ^
December 19th, 2013 at 6:13 PM ^
What an awesome alumni base we have! mgoblog reaches every corner of the earth.
(and space... I know)
December 20th, 2013 at 9:27 AM ^
I work in Vaduz. But I call it four out of fakes of you ever being here, since you consider it a nice little town :-) I'm in Luzern from time to time since my sister-in-law lives there.
December 23rd, 2013 at 4:35 AM ^
Well we only stopped for a drink at a wine bar on our way back from Innsbruck so we didn't see much, but it was nice from what I saw. And I'm not sure why calling it a town is weird...aren't there only a few thousand people there?
Do you make fake teeth there? I've heard that's the number 1 industry in Lichtenstein.
December 19th, 2013 at 9:25 AM ^
1. Investment background
2. Oil
3. Accountant
4. Judge
5. Oil
6. Investment background
7. Investment background
8. Ambassador (??)
So, taking a good look at that list...I see one major theme. Ever wonder why Texas is so high on all those lists that involve money? Nice to see what their priorities are.
December 19th, 2013 at 9:30 AM ^
I don't know that one in particular, but ambassadors tend to be either career diplomats or big campaign donors. So, there's a good chance the money is there too.
December 19th, 2013 at 9:34 AM ^
That was my thought too. This group looked like it was selected to represent big money donors, not anybody who knew anything about football.
I seriously wonder how many of the eight even LIKE football......
December 19th, 2013 at 9:37 AM ^
some of these folks to help out, too...
December 19th, 2013 at 9:55 AM ^
I don't think they're mutually exclusive.
As far as the Amabdassador, her Wiki says her family is close family friends with the Bush clan and her husband is an MD.
December 19th, 2013 at 12:18 PM ^
...was the only eyewitness to Dick Cheney's hunting accident. I thought the name was vaguely familiar.
I hope I can make that comment without the thread getting diverted somewhere it shouldn't go--the point is that she is indeed connected to an important UT constituency. If the purpose of the committee is to vet the reactions of important boosters and donors and supporters to prospective coaches in advance of any news leaks, she's a reasonable choice.
December 19th, 2013 at 9:31 PM ^
Correct on the sources of ambassadors. The campaign donor types are often the ones to get cushy, Western posts as well so a line up of Switzerland and Lichtenstein seems less career diplomat and more rich person.
The career guys get A) the shitty places (can you see $1M donor going to Yemen?) or B) the places of serious geopolitical importance
December 19th, 2013 at 1:10 PM ^
December 19th, 2013 at 11:03 PM ^
December 19th, 2013 at 9:26 AM ^
December 19th, 2013 at 9:28 AM ^
/get that judge in there
December 19th, 2013 at 9:27 AM ^
Step 1: Who are the five best coaches in the country?
Step 2: How much money does number one, Nick Saban, want?
Step 3: ??????
Step 4: Profit
December 19th, 2013 at 1:15 PM ^
Too many people involved complicates everything especailly when you have that many strong personalities in the room. Seems to me that if you include big donors in the coaching search sending the program in a direction they feel is best, it probably ensures that they will continue to be big donors. I imagine this group goes after the sexiest pick on the surface and not the most logical coaching choice that will actually win football games.
December 19th, 2013 at 9:30 AM ^
Looks like the people who will be paying the salary. Maybe they want a real "Texas Man" to be the next coach?
December 19th, 2013 at 10:04 AM ^
members on the committee it is a fair bet they all won't be off sailing at the same time.
December 19th, 2013 at 10:24 AM ^
Off yatching is more like it.
December 19th, 2013 at 12:51 PM ^
What these committees do is discuss names and recommend one, or more, to the AD to go after. They don't do the hiring themselves.
We had our own search committee in 2007. It recommended Miles.
December 19th, 2013 at 1:21 PM ^
I'm pretty sure Bill Martin could have thought that one up on his own, but having a committee recommend someone gives your selection credability when you present that decision through the University chain of command (i.e. president, govenor, univsersity board).
December 19th, 2013 at 9:43 AM ^
Hopefully this committee is just for show. God help Texas if this group is actually doing the hiring.
December 19th, 2013 at 10:29 AM ^
December 19th, 2013 at 1:33 PM ^
I think you're really on to something here. The Longhorn Network could get a ratings boost bonanza if they market this correctly, allow cameras into the meetings, and exploit the tensions and inherent factional spats that will arise. The only question...what would the show be titled?
A possibility:
"How I met your new Texas coach"
Or, if Gerg was on the committee:
"Leave it to Beaver"
December 19th, 2013 at 3:28 PM ^
Are You Smarter Than Our Search Committee? Red River Shore? America's Next Top-Paid But Underacheiving Coach?
December 19th, 2013 at 9:45 AM ^
I am wondering if this committe will form "Coaching Search Committee, LLC" and become a holding company for other coaching searches. That way, you can have a business listing such as "Coaching Search Committe d/b/a The Army Coaching Search", for example. They could then reorganize as "Amalgamated Coaching Searches International" and expand into the professional and even offshore professional leagues.
December 19th, 2013 at 10:06 AM ^
Amalgamated Coaching Merchant Executives
December 19th, 2013 at 9:58 AM ^
So you have 3 guys with some ties to the Texas AD. I mean none of these people got to their positions on life by being idiots. Suffice to say, I think they're smart enough to make a well informed decision.
December 19th, 2013 at 10:24 AM ^
Yeah. May as well throw together a search committee comprised of Nobel prize winning physicists. That would be even better!!
December 19th, 2013 at 10:26 AM ^
"I mean none of these people got to their positions in life by being idiots." You need to follow Texas politics more closely then.
December 19th, 2013 at 10:45 AM ^
Louie Gohmert.
Case closed.
December 19th, 2013 at 10:27 AM ^
There are probably over a million Chinese citizens who are as smart or smarter than the "elite 8" assembled by Texas. But I wouldnt want any of them conducting the search for my next head coach in football thank you very much.
I'd prefer having a team of dumb-asses who actually know something about say.....oh I dunno......football?
December 19th, 2013 at 10:45 AM ^
The candidates are the candidates. It's not as if these football geniuses are going to find a diamond in the rough who is an unheard of Xs and Os genius dwindling somewhere who never has had his name brought up. All of the guys mentioned for the job have a good football background. At that point it is more about evaluating if their coaching choice can meet the criteria of what Texas wants in their next football coach. Everyone clamors about how Dantonio wouldn't be a good fit because Texas needs a guy who is a politican and who can work with donors and whatnot, for example.
December 19th, 2013 at 1:37 PM ^
The amount of political BS that a head coach must have to put up with at a school like Texas would suck the life out of mere mortals. Texas is looking for an executive type that can delegate a game plan to his coordinators and smooze over the Texas faithful. Kind of out of left field, but I have a feeling that Texas will experience a stint of mediocrity following this coaching change. I wouldn't want this job.
December 19th, 2013 at 10:00 AM ^
December 19th, 2013 at 2:20 PM ^
Those are, in respective order, Rice and T Tech guys.
December 19th, 2013 at 4:04 PM ^
Who's the dumbass that included anyone OTHER than Walker, Texas Ranger?
Chuck Norris is making this decision whether Texas likes it or not.
December 19th, 2013 at 10:02 AM ^
Suggests that Ms Willeford is also from an oil background. While she has quite a varied resume, her family's foundation is Pico Drilling Company.
December 19th, 2013 at 10:10 AM ^
Steve Hicks is the brother of Tom Hicks, who has had interests in many sporting teams.
December 19th, 2013 at 10:15 AM ^
December 19th, 2013 at 10:17 AM ^
Has to be Lane Kiffin. Third time is a charm?
December 19th, 2013 at 10:23 AM ^
It is going to Mike friken Ditka!
December 19th, 2013 at 10:33 AM ^
Sound more like... "let's pander to 8 people who need a reason to give us more money."
December 19th, 2013 at 10:46 AM ^
I'd be very worried about the leadership and direction of that program.
December 19th, 2013 at 12:14 PM ^
Just may be Jason Garrett's next gig...