The school will introduce Doug Woolard as Lee Roy Selmon's successor this morning.
By PETE YOUNG
Published May 12, 2004
THE NEW GUY NAME: Doug Woolard. AGE: 54. PREVIOUS JOBS: Saint Louis athletic director, Washington State associate AD.
TAMPA - The athletic director search at South Florida boiled down to two candidates with contrasting attributes. Doug Woolard was the calm, experienced hand, Jon Oliver the energetic, enthusiastic newcomer.
The Bulls will enter the Big East with the veteran.
USF president Judy Genshaft will announce Woolard as the successor to Lee Roy Selmon at 11:30 a.m. today.
Woolard, 54, has spent the past 10 years as the athletic director at Saint Louis.
He emerged as USF's athletic department leader following a national search.
Oliver, 40, announced Tuesday he would stay at Virginia as senior associate AD shortly after USF announced today's news conference.
"I appreciate the opportunity to talk with representatives of (USF) about their (AD) position," Oliver said in a statement on Virginia's Web site. "The position is very attractive, but I have determined it's best for me and my family to remain at the University of Virginia."
Among Woolard's credentials are his leadership during Saint Louis' transition from the Great Midwest to Conference USA, his experience with multiple NCAA committees and cabinets and the Billikens' sterling academic record. Saint Louis student-athletes have led C-USA in cumulative grade-point average every year of the league's existence (eight).
Woolard's primary drawback is his lack of recent experience with a football program, since Saint Louis doesn't have one. But he emphasized his involvement with football during his six years at Washington State (1988-94), the last five as an associate AD.
Woolard was the last of four finalists named by USF's one-man search firm, Chuck Neinas. The USF athletic director search committee winnowed the list to two Thursday, selecting Oliver and Woolard over former Air Force AD Randy Spetman and Michigan State associate AD Mark Hollis.
USF begins play in the Big East in fall 2005, so Woolard's immediate task is guiding the transition during the school's final year in C-USA. The Bulls are a charter member of C-USA and joined for football in 2003.
Woolard is a graduate of Southern Illinois and was a high school athletic director for 10 years before joining Washington State.
Selmon, who was named AD in 2001, resigned in February citing a private health matter. He accepted a newly created fundraising position for athletics. His AD salary was $165,400, but USF vice president for advancement Michael Rierson said the new athletic director would earn a "Big East competitive" salary.
THE NEW GUY
