I have questions about this. As a frame of reference I graduated in 2008. Back then, between Eichhorst and Hocutt, volunteer opportunities for sports administration majors were few and far between. My question is, how many BOT members really have a say in football and do ones that don't like the sport have to vote on approval of contracts etc.? Does a firing just happen with the athletic director? can a big booster i.e. Dimare, go over James' head?
Allow me to add a bit to what OCCC posted (and, for the record, Beta Blake is "BuildING Champions" which, in theory, could go on forever, he never actually has to FINISH building champions)...
There are some Trustees who are naturally more connected to sports than others (take a look at the list, you'll recognize some names). While UM has between 80 and 100 Trustees, it's not a situation where most/all of them are regularly involved in hire/fire decisions or "big picture/direction of the athletic department" debates.
However, when issues come before the BoT, any of them can participate. It is my understanding that when Butch's name came up as a potential hire recently, it was largely "Emeritus" Trustees (who were "regular" Trustees in 2000-2001) who harbored resentment over Butch's contract negotiations and whatnot.
The real key to all of this (which RightSaidFred will never acknowledge) is that the BoT must-Must-MUST hire an AD who has vision and who can execute. It's not really the BoT's "job" to run the Athletic Department, nor are they very good at it, regardless of their "ultimate responsibility" role in university governance.
Paul Dee was VERY powerful at UM, but he used his power judiciously. Fortunately for Dee, before being named AD, he was the university's General Counsel, so there was A LOT of trust between the BoT and Dee. That is why you will have some nervous nellie Trustees if they ever encounter a candidate who asks for a lot of power (but has no track record at UM). I've heard Hocuntt felt like he wasn't granted the same power that Dee had. The Shermanator was a disaster. And Beta Blake has BACKED INTO the power, since he had a UM employment track record, but NOT because he had earned it with great moves of his own.
This is why I believe that a UM alum such as Gino or Alonzo would be a good fit (and why newbie Jankovich rubbed the BoT and Foote the wrong way). It's hard for the BoT to be mad AT A UM ALUM for trying to make UM better. There's a lot more distrust when a recently hired "outsider" AD tries to do a lot of weird stuff, and Dave Maggot was a PERFECT example.
Here, I'll give you the name of a guy who would be a PERFECT hire - Irwin Raij. I don't think he'd ever take the job, but at least he has a house nearby. Another guy who could do the job IF HE WANTED IT is Richt.
I'd love to see UM hire some great external candidate, but I'm not sure that the BoT has created the environment that would make the UM AD job incredibly attractive. So we have to either change the oversight structure and/or get very, very lucky if/when we replace Beta Blake.
