Warde Manuel press conference open thread

Thank you! Just came here to see if there was a link. 

BTN has it at 11:15

Good morning,

I am pleased to share with you that this morning Dr. Schlissel announced Warde Manuel as our next Donald R. Shepherd Director of Athletics. Warde will start on March 14.

Many of us know or may remember Warde. He is a three-time U-M alumnus, with a degree in general studies and a focus in psychology, Master’s in Social Work, and an MBA from our Ross School of Business. He was a U-M student-athlete in football under Bo Schembechler and also competed in track & field. He has also served our athletic department previously as a member of our administration. 

Warde comes to us most recently from the University of Connecticut, where he served as athletic director. I know that you will join me in welcoming him home to Ann Arbor.

The Michigan Athletics community is so fortunate to be celebrating its 150th year. So many have contributed to our tradition throughout the years, and it is humbling to consider the depth of those contributions. This is not only a moment to reflect, but it is a moment to think about the profound impact we can have on the future, and I am excited for Warde's place in that future.

As I wrote back in December when this process began, I am incredibly thankful to Dr. Schlissel for affording me the opportunity to join our athletic community. It has been a life experience that I will treasure. I look forward to supporting Warde through this transition.

I invite you to watch his introductory press conference live beginning at 11:15 a.m. by visiting: http://umich.edu/watch/.

Go Blue!

Jim Hackett

 

/drops mic 

Schlissel just said Warde is to officially begin his job on March 14th, so it looks like Hackett is going to have a couple months to smoothly make the transition.

reminds me of Steven Spielberg every time I see him!

Thanks Doc for confirming the pronunciation.

Harbaugh is there!

Hackett is such a class act and it's good to see Warde continuing that here. 

Classy shout out to UConn.

Why does Warde remind me of Suge Knight?

KILLING IT! we just turned the corner gentlemen, feels good. Go Blue!

I liked Manuel's remarks.  A lot.  I knew he was thoughtful; did not know he was charming.

"Hell yeah." or "Hail yeah"?

Nice exchange between Harbaugh and Manuel.

We are in really good hands. Couldn't be happier with our president, AD, football coach, or basketball coach. Here's to hoping for another excellent hire for hockey next year. Go Blue!

We need to hear a "Beat Ohio" from Prez Schlissel one of these days.

Holy shit he is so far away and different than Brandon.  If Brandon is one one end of the scale then Manuel is 4.37 light years away approaching Alpha Centari and soon even further, hoever we will never know how far because every time we see how far he is even further due to the length of time it takes for the light to reach our eyes.  In 400 Years they will write about it in the astronomy books and theorize about how far away he might be and what new civilizations he might have encountered and if life on other planets might exist. Thats how fucking far away from Brandon he is.

Dude is really impressive.

Welcome back Warde!

Manuel accepted the offer for same reason he committed to Bo 30 years ago this week: "there's no finer place than this Michigan of ours."

— Adam Schnepp (@aeschnepp) January 29, 2016

Manuel says he and Harbaugh have stayed in touch, and they have a bond through football that's hard to explain.

— Adam Schnepp (@aeschnepp) January 29, 2016

Also notes he couldn't tackle Harbaugh when Manuel was a freshman and Harbaugh a senior.

— Adam Schnepp (@aeschnepp) January 29, 2016

 

When President Schlissel first commented on the role athletics play in the mission of a university, I wasn't sure about how his tenure would play out.

He's so on point with his comments and he's been a big supporter of athletics once he became absorbed into all things Michigan. The university is obviously more than just athletics - it provides a window into the university, but the mission is still to educate and aid the state and its citizens with groundbreaking research and so forth. I'm glad he's more comfortable with the coexistence of the academic and athletic pieces of the university community.

I really like him.

Seems really down to earth. Love the hire.

that the UM AD job description for the test of time will be "Don't be or act like Dave Brandon" but Manuel just crushed that intro. He seems like a human being so that's a positive (I'm well aware of who he is but you get me). It's hard not to look too much like a politician or out of your element in situations like that but he was clearly accepting a dream job and it showed. He was a pro but also himself and I think students and fans will love the guy.

I'm thrilled with this hire. He has made great HC hires. 

Hopefully Hackett not officially being retired until March 14th means he'll be doing the courting of Mel Pearson. Or it could be a team effort. 

Absolutely impresses me in many ways.  Most importantly for me is is his humiliity!  That man looks and sounds confident every time I see him speak.  Yet he is humble enough, as his 'I am working into being a Michigan Man' statement implies, to know that he needs good people around him to help Michigan to continue to be the Leader and Best!  

a Toast to you 

        

 

Go Blue!

running an athletic department.  Aside from that though, he seems like a really good person.  Someone who will never intentionally do something to offend any of the department's constituent groups.  And if he did, he would own up to it and apologize.  That and being honest all the time is all you can ask.  Well, I guess helping all the teams win lots of games/matches/meets/regattas/tournaments would be nice too!