The Next Michigan AD and Jack Swarbrick
A consistent rumor on numerous ND message boards is that Jack Swarbrick might already be the next president of the NCAA. Swarbrick was a finalist for the position in 2002. Jack never moved from where he still keeps his home in Indianapolis and commutes to Southbend. Swarbrick is a Stanford grad and has no ties before becoming AD to ND. If the rumor is true and Swarbrick is the next President of the NCAA then ND should be furious that Jack was not content to be AD but even worse conducted a job search to replace Weis in the interim.
As for Michigan I want the AD to be part of Michigan and have connection. I want the Michigan AD to consider this his dream job and greatest aspiration. I guess I want another Bill Martin with a 10 year run without the love for sailing.
December 10th, 2009 at 2:22 PM ^
Swarbrick was an ND undergrad. He went to Stanford Law. He is a super-fan, and a very smart guy. I think they have a good AD actually. But I agree with your desires for our AD. I never liked Martin's Olympic Committee participation.
December 10th, 2009 at 2:43 PM ^
Martin is an Olympic sports fan. Went to UM and a very smart guy. I wouldn't expect him to pass on an opportunity like the Committee. I was just happy that he continued on as AD. I can't see how that caused him to neglect his duties as AD.
December 10th, 2009 at 3:31 PM ^
Martin's USOC involvement may well have made him more cognizant of, and focused on, the value of olympic sports at UM, rather than just focusing on the revenue sports (namely football). As such, he's reminiscent of Canham.
UM's consistently strong showing in the Directors' Cup is a testament to his commitment.
December 10th, 2009 at 2:30 PM ^
for becoming president of the NCAA... that's a really prestigious position. And to be honest, I'd rather have Swarbrick as president of the NCAA who understands the concept of student athlete as AD of the Domers rather than some yokel in a school colors blazer from the SEC. The NCAA could do A LOT worse.
December 11th, 2009 at 12:18 AM ^
You had me at "yokel in school colors blazer from the SEC"
December 10th, 2009 at 2:35 PM ^
Jack never moved from where he still keeps his home in Indianapolis and commutes to Southbend (sic)
He spends 7 hours a day commuting to work and back home? Really? Man that's rough.
December 10th, 2009 at 3:42 PM ^
"his home in Indianapolis"
Really?
THATS rough.
December 10th, 2009 at 4:28 PM ^
I know plenty of people that keep an apartment in the city where they work. They spend two to four nights per week there, "commuting" from their home which is often further than the distance between South Bend and Indianapolis.
December 10th, 2009 at 4:39 PM ^
suggests that he actually lives in Kokomo, IN, which is quite a bit north of Indy. The commute from middle Indiana to South Bend is definitely a lot less insane.
December 10th, 2009 at 5:11 PM ^
Isn't Indianapolis technically in "middle Indiana" since it's in the exact center of the state?
December 10th, 2009 at 3:45 PM ^
I had another comment in here which should have been a reply to another comment, not to the initial thread.
So I'll offer something incredibly non-pithy like -- my vote is with de Carolis for the next AD.
December 10th, 2009 at 4:24 PM ^
The commute is two hours and fifteen minutes each way.
http://thequad.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/24/the-quad-qa-jack-swarbrick/
I also want the next Michigan AD to give RR until 2011.
December 10th, 2009 at 4:28 PM ^
You either take a freeway that sends you way east or west of the city, or take a 2-lane, 55 mph highway through farms for almost 3 hours. He has to have some sort of condo or apt in South Bend
December 10th, 2009 at 10:52 PM ^
Awful drive. The only way that makes sense is to take 31. And there's those stupid fucking traffic lights through Kokomo that makes it worse. No way he commutes every day.
December 10th, 2009 at 4:28 PM ^
I am not a fan of Bill Martin whatsoever. Haven't been too impressed with what he's done at our school, stadium renovations or not.
His shoving incident is also a small embarrasment
December 10th, 2009 at 4:55 PM ^
Martin has done a great job with the financials of the Athletic Department. Remember, he came to this job and drew no salary at first -- it was like a charity case after the mismanagement of Goss.
So it's not as if Michigan had a well-defined search for the AD. Martin just took the job and has been at it ever since. I question some of his coaching decisions (not RRod or even so much keeping Amaker that extra year; the handling of Guevara and her replacement destroyed the U-M women's hoops teams). And the shoving incidents -- twice! -- are an embarrassment.
While I'm not a huge Martin fan, I recognize that he's done some good for the U, and I think that good outweighs the bad. I just hope the next AD is strong in all aspects of the position -- leadership, financials, and athletics.
December 10th, 2009 at 6:33 PM ^
I'm pretty sure Bill only shoved Chunks the Hobo. No wait it was way worse.
December 10th, 2009 at 4:46 PM ^
Watching the way Swarbrick has conducted the coaching search thus far has definitely earned my respect for the guy. Especially after seeing how our search was managed.
If he can turn around the NCAA, which is truly just about the worst and most inconsistent regulatory organization in the history of mankind, let him do it.
December 10th, 2009 at 4:50 PM ^
Visit an ND message board. The consensus among ND fans seems to be that Swarbrick is a complete idiot who went into this process totally unprepared.
December 10th, 2009 at 6:20 PM ^
Really? Well it couldn't be further from the truth
December 10th, 2009 at 5:05 PM ^
Jack Swarbrick handled all legal aspects of the Indianapolis sports organization I work for the last 25 years. He is shrewd, eloquent, brilliant, and he 'gets' the bigger picture of both Olympic sports and college athletics. I can guarantee that the guy who landed the Super Bowl, numerous NCAA Final Fours, and the NCAA itself to Indianapolis did not go into their coaching search unprepared. Only reason the search won't be successful is that the available talent pool is a tad shallow this year. It would be better for Michigan if he were to leave ND for the NCAA, because if he stays, ND will ultimately have programs that excel both academically and on the field.
December 10th, 2009 at 6:10 PM ^
Does Swarbrick want a playoff?
December 11th, 2009 at 12:36 AM ^
Bob DeCarolis, Jeff Long, or even Fritz Seyfirth (although, there has to be something more to his departure from UM than meets the eye).
Although neither of these 3 possess the business acumen of Don Canham, they all served under his leadership.
That said, I'm not so sure Mary Sue Coleman gives a rat's rabid ass about the next AD's passion for all things Michigan. It'll come down to the potential candidate's ability to run a Fortune 500-esque company.
December 14th, 2009 at 2:44 PM ^
"Fritz Seyfirth (although, there has to be something more to his departure from UM than meets the eye)"
There is. You're not going to see Fritz as AD. I'm quite surprised to see his name continually get dropped here, but the fact is there is mutual disinterest for Seyferth and the AD job.
December 14th, 2009 at 10:52 AM ^
Swarbrick is under consideration for NCAA President. Many a ND fan is quite upset that Jack conducted a coaching search with one foot out the door.
CBS SPORTS:
http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball/story/12644091/source-notre-da…