Final athletic director candidates impress USF with their vision for the school's transition to the Big East.
By PETE YOUNG
Published May 7, 2004
TAMPA - Brian Lamb smiled at the parallel.
Lamb, and the rest of USF's athletic director search committee, had just finished officially recommending two candidates, Jon Oliver and Doug Woolard, to be the school's next AD.
Oliver, like Lamb, is a former college point guard, at Boise State. Woolard was a point guard for a season at Southern Illinois.
One thing is clear: whichever one USF president Judy Genshaft selects, he has experience running an offense.
"The point guard is the leader," said Lamb, who played for USF from 1994 to '98. "On and off the court."
USF's next AD also will have to be adept at the transition game. The 12-member committee said Oliver, the senior associate AD at Virginia, and Woolard, the Saint Louis AD, distinguished themselves from the other finalists - Michigan State associate AD Mark Hollis and former Air Force AD Randy Spetman - by their ability to guide the Bulls into the Big East. Woolard, Oliver, Hollis and Spetman had been recommended by Chuck Neinas, who was hired by USF in March to produce a list of finalists. The search committee praised all four but needed just a few minutes before paring it to two.
"(Woolard and Oliver) articulated their vision and their ability to execute the transition from Conference USA to the Big East," Lamb said. "Doug is a very polished and seasoned athletic director with a wealth of experience and knowledge. Jon displayed a lot of energy and a lot of vision."
Search committee chair Hinks Shimberg consulted with the various factions at USF that had met with each candidate, including the USF Foundation subcommittee, former AD Lee Roy Selmon, vice president Carl Carlucci, the Bulls Club, coaches and senior staff members. He said support clearly was for Woolard and Oliver.
"In Jon's case they all came out with the feeling there was a tremendous amount of energy," said Shimberg, chairman of the USF Foundation. "Doug Woolard is a proven commodity."
Committee members Lamb, Linda Simmons, John Borreca, John Romeo and John Ramil echoed Shimberg's evaluation, then the committee unanimously and equally recommended Oliver and Woolard. "Those two candidates have high commitments to good academic values," said Romeo, USF's faculty athletics representative."In my conversations with the faculty the support was for Jon Oliver and Doug Woolard." Oliver, 40, and Woolard, 54, present a classic contrast. In sports parlance they are the hot young prospect and imperturbable veteran. "We've provided the best of the up-and-coming and the best of the established commodities," Shimberg said.
Genshaft met with each candidate (Oliver came to USF on Monday, Woolard on Wednesday) and issued a statement Thursday, though she didn't set a timetable for her selection.
"I will talk individually with members of the committee and the athletic department to get their thoughts on each finalist," Genshaft said. "I will consult with faculty, staff and students to ensure we make the right choice for the entire university."
The other six members of the search committee are Renu Khator, David Dorton, Richard Gonzmart, Frank Morsani, Chris Sullivan and Michael Rierson.
"This was a hard call, it was so tight," said Rierson, USF vice president for advancement and interim AD. "Jon was full of energy, focus and enthusiasm for what USF could be. Doug demonstrated a sense of maturity, and he has conference and national experience. He was calm and thoughtful as well as a high-energy person."
Rierson said a salary has not been established for the new athletic director, but he can expect to be paid more than Selmon, whose base salary for 2003-04 was 165,400. "We expect to be Big East competitive," Rierson said.
Oliver, an associate AD at Washington State from 1995-2001, said his passion for the job comes naturally. "I firmly believe people in their work should try to find something they love doing," said Oliver, who has a law degree from Idaho. "Intercollegiate athletics is something I love to do."
Woolard's extensive experience includes being the C-USA representative on the NCAA academics/eligibility/compliance cabinet and chair of the subcommittee on amateurism and agents. He was associate athletic director at Washington State from 1988-94.
Genshaft's selection will replace Selmon, who resigned in February to take a newly-created fundraising position for USF athletics. Selmon replaced Paul Griffin in 2001 when he was recommended to Genshaft by the search firm Carr Sports Associates.
DOUG WOOLARD
AGE: 54
CURRENT POSITION: Athletic director, Saint Louis, 10 years.
RELATED EXPERIENCE: Associate athletic director, Washington State, 1988-94; athletic director, Carbondale (Ill.) Community High School, 1978-88.
EDUCATION: B.S. in education, Southern Illinois, 1973; graduate work in secondary education, Southern Illinois, 1985.
