Now that I have had enough time for reflection and feel that I can rationally approach the situation, these are my thoughts and an outline for a plan of action.
The Chancellor: Holden Thorp Must Go
Holden Thorp must go. The way that he has handled this situation has undermined any confidence I have in his leadership abilities. There are three big reasons that Thorp must go.
1 - Dividing the Fan Base.
The biggest crime in his actions is the fragmentation of the fan base. For simplicity sake, there are three factions among Tar Heel Nation: (1) Academia, (2) Basketball-Centric, and (3) UNC-Supporters. Academia is a small, yet vocal, minority that feels that UNC is deserving of Ivy League consideration for academics and that all other endeavors that are not related to research are superfluous. This is a very small minority that does not view UNC as the public institution that it is, the institution of the people, but views it as a small elite east coast school like that of the so many private liberal arts schools that barely register on national scale but cost upwards of $50,000 a year. They support Coach Davis's firing because athletics detracts from the primary mission statement of the University, academics, and this situation has harmed UNC's image of academic integrity. More on why that is ridiculous later.
A larger and more powerful subset is the Basketball-Centric Art Chansky crowd. This is a group that I will never understand. Their point-of-view is that basketball is the only thing that matters and do not want any other sport threatening its place of importance with the University. As a result, they are very resistant to football. The revenue that is generated by football eclipses basketball. Last year, the total revenue generated by the football team was almost equal to the revenue generated by the basketball team, even with a 8-5 team facing NCAA issues. Money equals power, right? Thus, as the stature of UNC football grows, the threat to UNC basketball grows for the Basketball-Centric crowd. It is a curious position. However, the segment of Tar Heel Nation is quietly patting itself on the back and proclaiming its for the best that Coach Davis was let go.
I support UNC and I support UNC in all sports. The UNC Supporters is the largest of the three. Athletic success is a tide that raises all ships, especially football. The revenue it has the potential to generate can subsidize the non-revenue generating sports that are now in danger. We want football success because of its importance as an American sport. Thorp's actions have been perceived as an assault on UNC's emphasis of football and that has really upset a large portion of the more passionate fan base. Thorp's actions have created a deep chasm between the Basketball-Centric Art Chansky crowd and those that love fall Saturdays in Chapel Hill.
Leadership fails when it divides those that should be bound by a common goal and love for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
2 - Thorp is Ultimately Responsible for Academics at UNC, not a football coach
From The Laurenburg Exchange's Cheap Seats:
Thorp’s dismissal of Davis to save UNC’s academic reputation is a farce at the greatest level.
The Chancellor, who squirmed his way through Thursday morning’s press conference preaching academic sustainability and honor, showed his true character, or lack thereof, yesterday with the reason behind Davis’ dismissal.
A man sent to save honor can not do so without having honor himself.
Instead of Thorp manning up and taking responsibility for the institution’s error in academic judgment, Davis was pushed onto the sword by men who once stood by his side, taking the downfall for Thorp’s lack of leadership and accountability on the academic side of the investigation
Davis was culpable for what his players did off the field. Accepting extra benefits, whether monetary or academic, should be punishable.
Whether or not he should have been fired is a different question which falls solely on Thorp, but the timing of the firing is an outright disgrace to the university’s fans and players, and if anyone should be held accountable for their actions, it should be Thorp for allowing the academic side of the university to fail its students.
Academic misconduct
Thorp cited that the continued attacks on the university’s academic reputation were the prevailing factors contributing to Davis’ dismissal, stemming from the conduct of players and former tutor Jennifer Wiley.
An investigation into Wiley’s relationship with players found that she gave players extra benefits after she joined UNC’s academic support team spearheaded by the university’s College of Arts and Sciences.
The Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the time of Wiley’s recommendation? Mr. Holden Thorp.
Fast forward to just a few months ago when it was found that former UNC defensive lineman Michael McAdoo plagiarized almost 70 percent of a paper that the university reviewed. McAdoo was found guilty by the honor court for improper citation, but was not dismissed. Thorp gave his support for McAdoo’s appeal to the NCAA after reviewing the paper, and again, Thorp and the academic department of the university goofed by not realizing that the majority of the paper was indeed copied.
The embarrassment of the McAdoo lawsuit and Thorp’s continued blunders were too much for his ego to endure, and Thorp continued to wipe egg after egg off his face while providing evidence that he was unfit to lead one of the university’s highest positions.
So for Thorp’s misfortunes, Davis will take the blame, despite the academic indiscretions that Thorp himself failed to recognize.
Firing a football coach will help clean up the academic improprieties that so plague the university and devalue the UNC degree, right? The half dozen or so football players who were found guilty of academic violations are enough to bring down a historic university that has been handing out exceptional educations for over 200 years, right?3 - The Economic Impact at a Time of Financial Crisis.
A leader making the call for integrity when he possesses a broken moral compass can not, and should not, captain the ship.
Per Jonathon Jones for SI.com, Butch Davis' firing will deliver a major financial blow to UNC:
Kenan Stadium used to be unlike any other stadium in the country. Pine trees were literally inside the stadium. The Kenan Field House, built in the 1920s, still had that terra cotta roof in the east end zone. You could see the stands and part of the field if you stood at nearby Rams Plaza, with the videoboard obstructing just enough of view to force you to buy a ticket.I have addressed why this will drive an aggressive coaching search following the season. Butch's firing could become a major financial disaster for the University. Thorp improperly characterized the total cost at $2.7 million. It far exceeds that. The anger this decision has generated is seriously effecting fund raising for both athletics as well as academics. A chancellor's number one priority is fundraising and oversight. Thorp has seriously compromised his ability to raise funds with his handling of this situation and his oversight and leadership abilities are questionable at best. Holden Thorp is a lame duck at this point, whether he realizes it or not. He must go.
That all changed last year when North Carolina's booster club funded the $70 million project for a massive brick structure that added a student-athlete center for excellence and 3,000 swanky seats for some of the more fortunate UNC fans.
The House that Butch Built, people have called it. The Butch Mahal. Davis Towers. Call it what you want, but before Davis wrapped up his first season with the Tar Heels -- a 4-8 campaign in 2007 -- he had already made plans to build a major addition to scenic Kenan Stadium with his contract extension through the 2014 season.
The Blue Zone is now finished, and despite a flurry of NCAA violations that jeopardized the program's immediate future, fans were still buying seats to see Davis lead the Tar Heels to what they hoped would be national prominence. So when Chancellor Holden Thorp announced Wednesday that he had fired Davis after leading the program into a year-long scandal that ranged from improper agent benefits to academic cheating, he not only was left to foot Davis' $2.7 million contract buyout, but also the millions tied up in the Blue Zone that have yet to be paid.
Potential replacement? I don't know who a viable candidate for chancellor would be, but I do know I want someone that is more than an academic. I would like to see someone with a business background that understands that the University is ultimately a business and understands how to meet those needs. The Chancellor must be able to raise money and raise money and raise more money as well as be taken seriously by the faculty. I have one suggestion and I doubt it is something he has ever considered:
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| Doug Shackelford |
Associate Dean of MBA@UNC and
Meade H. Willis Distinguished Professor of Taxation
Shackelford is a Tar Heel and he has experience as a Dean. Further, he has experience dealing with the pettiness that comes for the various factions of acadamia, but understands how important athletics are to a university like North Carolina. Shackelford is a good public speaker and very personable, both of which are very important attributes the next chancellor should have that Thorp does not. Additionally, there is no doubting his bonafides. Shackelford "is a research associate in public economics at the National Bureau of Economic Research in Cambridge, Mass., and has published widely in accounting, economics and finance journals. He has held visiting faculty positions at Stanford University and Universiteit Maastricht in the Netherlands. . . . He received his PhD from the University of Michigan and his BS from UNC-Chapel Hill." Like I said, I don't know if he would even have any interest in the position, but he is the kind of candidate I would like to see move into the South Building.
The Athletic Director
First of all, Dick Baddour retired out of protest to Holden Thorp's actions. He is not being forced out, but he has too much love and respect for UNC to make the internal struggle public. He is not perfect, but he is a great Tar Heel and has represented the University very well in his many years of service. Thorp has done a great disservice to a man that has dedicated his life to UNC by trying to destroy what should have been Baddour's crowning achievement with Butch Davis and the Blue Zone.
As for a replacement, some of the names that have been mentioned are Mack Brown, Jim Delaney, Norwood Teague, Chris Hyman, Larry Gallo, ect. I am not interested in chasing my tail, so most of these names are non-starters. While feelers should be sent out, Mack Brown is still coaching. If he has another tough year at Texas, he could be more prone to an administrative move and I would be very, very excited to have him back in Chapel Hill. Jim Delaney is busy sacrificing college sports to the benefit of the Big 10. Norwood Teague would never get a chance because Roy Williams would not support the hire. Chris Hyman could be interesting, but he has bad mouthed UNC football in the past and that doesn't sit well with me. Larry Gallo would be an internal hire and I don't think that is the direction we need to go. There is no question that the next AD needs to come externally, but still be a Tar Heel. It is my hope that we go after Charles Waddell.
Charles Waddell joined the South Carolina staff as an associate athletics director in February 2006. Prior to his appointment, Waddell served as vice chancellor of advancement at Fayetteville State. Waddell, a former three-sport standout at North Carolina, boasts an impressive and wide-ranging résumé.
Charles Waddell
Waddell oversees the athletics department's policies and procedures, travel and the sports medicine program and coordinates special projects. Additionally, he serves as an administrator to women's basketball, track and field, and swimming and diving.
At Fayetteville State, he was responsible for all development- and fundraising-related matters and for the planning and organization of university relations and public affairs programs. He worked in close partnership with the chancellor and members of the Board of Trustees on all development efforts, including the cultivation of individual donors, foundations and corporate sponsors.
Waddell spent nearly 10 years of his professional career as the Director of Marketing and Sponsorships for Richardson Sports in Charlotte, where he was responsible for the advertising and corporate sponsorships for the Carolina Panthers Football Club. He helped generate over $100 million of revenue for the 1995 through the 2002 NFL seasons.
*****
Waddell served as an assistant commissioner for the Big Ten Conference from December 1990 to July 1994, where he created and supervised Big Ten Conference marketing and licensing programs. He also served as a representative to the Big Ten Conference compliance committee, minority advisory commission, sports medicine committee and the promotions & public relations committee. He served as the Conference liaison to athletics directors, head football coaches and track & field coaches.He is a former Tar Heel football and basketball player with an MBA from UNC. What is not to like? I know that there will be a push back from the Dean Dome if the new AD is too football focused, but Waddell has a background in both of the biggest revenue sports in college athletics. Coach Williams and Waddell's time in Chapel Hill almost overlap, so there is common ground. If Waddell is willing, we need to offer him.
Waddell is a 1975 graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a bachelor's degree in industrial relations. He is the last three-sport letterman at UNC, earning letters in football (1972-74), track (1973) and basketball (1973-74). He was an all-ACC football player and earned The All-America honors from The Sporting News in 1974. He also received The Patterson Medal in 1975, which is the highest athletic award at UNC. Waddell played professional football with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Seattle Seahawks and San Diego Chargers. He earned his Master's degree in business from UNC in 1984.
The Interim Coach: Everett Withers
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| Everett Withers |
To consider Withers a viable long term candidate, he is going to need to win a minimum of nine games, maybe ten. He is going to have to get it done on the field. No excuses. Close losses will be just that, losses. The talent is there. Put our guys in a position to succeed and execute. That is one.
Second, he is going to need to hold this team and staff together. Keep guys like Travis Hughes, Kario Holts, and Marquis Williams in Chapel Hill. That also goes for the staff. There is an excellent staff in place that understands how to teach the game and develop players. If we are going to stick with Withers for the long term, we need to maintain stability throughout the staff. If we are going to shake it up, might as well go after the marquee big hire and start at the top.
Finally, Withers is going to have to close a solid recruiting class. Of all the things I have listed, this is going to be the toughest. Without talent, you can't win football games. Period. He is going to have to show that he can get it done on the recruiting trail. This is uncharted territory. In the past, we had Butch Davis, Davis's track record for putting guys in the League, Butch's ability to identify talent, and BD's ability to sell the program. Butch Davis is a closer. He has proven that he is a closer. Up to this point, Withers was the point guy in recruiting, establishing and building relationships with the guys we want to bring in to represent UNC. Withers would set them up and Butch Davis would knock them down. Now, he is going to have to be the closer.
"If you can't learn how to close, you better start figuring out another career" because it ain't being a head coach. Some might say he deserves a break on the recruiting trail considering the adversity he is facing with Butch Davis's unexpected departure, but I don't think so. The damage has been done, but he is going to have to undue it if he is going to be the guy moving forward. I don't want to watch the the program decline as the talent level declines. Recruiting is the lifeblood of a program. The standard has been set. If Withers can't match it, we need to go ahead and bring in the next guy that can while there is still enough talent on the roster that we aren't looking at a major rebuilding project, i.e. the transition from Bunting to Butch. Mitigate the damage if you will.
For Withers, now is your chance. He deserves the opportunity, unfortunately it came under terrible circumstances, but get it done. Withers have the potential to be great, but potential ain't shit without results.
That said, he has my full support and I hope he is able to succeed in every area I covered. I love this team and I love this coach. I believe in both and am looking forward to the season. I hope you are too.
