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By Tom Gaffney
Beacon Journal staff writer
POSTED: 06:48 p.m. EDT, Jun 11, 2009
Mack Rhoades hopes the University of Akron community remembers his accomplishments as director of athletics and not that his tenure was short.
Rhoades, 43, accepted a similar position at the University of Houston on Wednesday night and was introduced at a campus news conference on Thursday afternoon.
''It has been my absolute pleasure to serve . . . the past three-plus years,'' said Rhoades, who began at UA in January of 2006. ''Dr. Proenza [university President Luis Proenza] and the support from the university's board of trustees have made both the University of Akron and the department of athletics one of the top programs in the Mid-American Conference.
''Also, I would like to thank Akron's athletics staff, coaches and student-athletes. I am well aware I would not be in the position I am if it were not for those individuals. I feel Akron Athletics is in a better position now than three years ago and cannot wait to see the program continue to grow in the future.''
In his career in athletic administration, Rhoades has had to make tough decisions regarding others. This time, he made one regarding himself, his wife, Amy, and their three daughters.
''I was not actively nor passively looking to leave Akron. In fact, when first approached by the search firm hired to assist the University of Houston in this process, I expressed to them I was not interested,'' said Rhoades, who will start in Houston on Aug. 1. ''However, further persuasion and learning more about the university made me take a second look at the opportunity.
''This was a very tough decision and has weighed heavily upon me and my family over the past week. However, we ultimately felt this was the right decision for us. Being from the Southwest allows us to be closer to home and, more importantly, closer to family members of both Amy and me.''
Making improvements
Rhoades, who holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Arizona and a master's degree from Indiana University, came to UA after seven years at Texas-El Paso.
During the interview process in late 2005, Rhoades knew that the days were numbered for the venerable Rubber Bowl, which had played host to Zips football teams since 1940. He knew a new stadium was being planned and told the search committee that it would be his primary goal.
Soon after he was hired, he was true to his word, saying repeatedly in public that a new on-campus stadium that would ''change the culture'' of Zips football would become a reality.
He then worked closely with school officials to make it happen. The new InfoCision Stadium, which cost $61.5 million and has a capacity of almost 30,000, is on schedule to be finished for the Sept. 12 opener against Morgan State.
Besides the new stadium, Rhoades helped in making improvements on many other physical facilities.
Rhoades also has implemented academic programs for UA athletes that have placed an emphasis on classroom success, instituted a class attendance policy for athletes and strictly enforced a student-athlete Code of Conduct.
''Mack has helped to lay a fine foundation for Akron athletics, which is marked by a number of key accomplishments: a high level of academic success among our student-athletes, the construction of new facilities, including the much-anticipatedInfoCision Stadium, outstanding success in private fundraising, and first-rate hires in key coaching and other athletics staff positions,'' Proenza said.
''I am very grateful to Mack for his leadership and for his many contributions to the University of Akron and wish him and his family the very best.''
Rhoades had a reputation for working closely with coaches and doing what it took to help them be successful.
''He did a tremendous job of making all our programs better, especially ours,'' UA basketball coach Keith Dambrot said. ''He was a tireless worker here and a good person.
''You have mixed emotions because you are going to miss him, but you know he deserves everything he gets.''
Football coach J.D. Brookhart expressed a similar sentiment and had his own personal interpretation of ''tireless.''
''It is bittersweet, but you know this business is fluid,'' Brookhart said. ''We will miss him, what he has done for the facilities, in academics, in so many ways. But obviously he thinks it is a good opportunity.
''We will miss his work ethic. We had so many conversations at 9 or 10 o'clock at night when we were both leaving.''
Houston position
The Houston position became open on April 22, when Dave Maggard, 69, resigned after seven years on the job.
A national search was begun, with a deadline set of June 5 to have a list of candidates to consider. A headhunter firm, Parker Executive Search, recommended Rhoades to the university.
The university then put together a list of six candidates for interviews early this week. The other five were USC senior associate athletic director Brandon Martin, Oregon State associate athletic director Todd Stansbury, former NBA player and Houston Rockets executive Steve Patterson, Texas-El Paso associate athletic director Brian Wickstrom and UH deputy athletics director John Robinson Jr.
Preliminary interviews were conducted by university president Renu Khator and search committee co-chairman Carl Carlucci and Ken Bailey. Two finalists — Rhoades and Martin — were selected for a second round of interviews Wednesday before the full 11-person search committee.
Late Wednesday, Rhoades was informed the job was his.
''First and foremost, I wanted someone who is passionate about the University of Houston and about UH athletics,'' Khator said at the news conference introducing Rhoades. ''We are building a Tier-One university and we will build a Tier-One athletic program.
''Academics are the cornerstone of our athletics programs. We are training student-athletes and that will remain our focus. Mack Rhoades understands that is what I expect.''
Houston is a member of Conference USA that also includes the likes of Memphis, SMU, Tulane, Tulsa, Rice and UTEP.
Sources said that Houston, which was in the now-defunct Southwest Conference, wants to get into a BCS conference, and that Rhoades is expected to be the point man in the drive to change.
No salary was announced for Rhoades. He was making about $225,000 at UA. Maggard was making $415,000, which was the highest base salary for a non-BCS athletic director.
Rhoades also was a finalist at Rutgers University in February for the same job, but did not get it.
Mack Rhoades hopes the University of Akron community remembers his accomplishments as director of athletics and not that his tenure was short.
Rhoades, 43, accepted a similar position at the University of Houston on Wednesday night and was introduced at a campus news conference on Thursday afternoon.
''It has been my absolute pleasure to serve . . . the past three-plus years,'' said Rhoades, who began at UA in January of 2006. ''Dr. Proenza [university President Luis Proenza] and the support from the university's board of trustees have made both the University of Akron and the department of athletics one of the top programs in the Mid-American Conference.
''Also, I would like to thank Akron's athletics staff, coaches and student-athletes. I am well aware I would not be in the position I am if it were not for those individuals. I feel Akron Athletics is in a better position now than three years ago and cannot wait to see the program continue to grow in the future.''
In his career in athletic administration, Rhoades has had to make tough decisions regarding others. This time, he made one regarding himself, his wife, Amy, and their three daughters.
''I was not actively nor passively looking to leave Akron. In fact, when first approached by the search firm hired to assist the University of Houston in this process, I expressed to them I was not interested,'' said Rhoades, who will start in Houston on Aug. 1. ''However, further persuasion and learning more about the university made me take a second look at the opportunity.
''This was a very tough decision and has weighed heavily upon me and my family over the past week. However, we ultimately felt this was the right decision for us. Being from the Southwest allows us to be closer to home and, more importantly, closer to family members of both Amy and me.''
Making improvements
Rhoades, who holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Arizona and a master's degree from Indiana University, came to UA after seven years at Texas-El Paso.
During the interview process in late 2005, Rhoades knew that the days were numbered for the venerable Rubber Bowl, which had played host to Zips football teams since 1940. He knew a new stadium was being planned and told the search committee that it would be his primary goal.
Soon after he was hired, he was true to his word, saying repeatedly in public that a new on-campus stadium that would ''change the culture'' of Zips football would become a reality.
He then worked closely with school officials to make it happen. The new InfoCision Stadium, which cost $61.5 million and has a capacity of almost 30,000, is on schedule to be finished for the Sept. 12 opener against Morgan State.
Besides the new stadium, Rhoades helped in making improvements on many other physical facilities.
Rhoades also has implemented academic programs for UA athletes that have placed an emphasis on classroom success, instituted a class attendance policy for athletes and strictly enforced a student-athlete Code of Conduct.
''Mack has helped to lay a fine foundation for Akron athletics, which is marked by a number of key accomplishments: a high level of academic success among our student-athletes, the construction of new facilities, including the much-anticipatedInfoCision Stadium, outstanding success in private fundraising, and first-rate hires in key coaching and other athletics staff positions,'' Proenza said.
''I am very grateful to Mack for his leadership and for his many contributions to the University of Akron and wish him and his family the very best.''
Rhoades had a reputation for working closely with coaches and doing what it took to help them be successful.
''He did a tremendous job of making all our programs better, especially ours,'' UA basketball coach Keith Dambrot said. ''He was a tireless worker here and a good person.
''You have mixed emotions because you are going to miss him, but you know he deserves everything he gets.''
Football coach J.D. Brookhart expressed a similar sentiment and had his own personal interpretation of ''tireless.''
''It is bittersweet, but you know this business is fluid,'' Brookhart said. ''We will miss him, what he has done for the facilities, in academics, in so many ways. But obviously he thinks it is a good opportunity.
''We will miss his work ethic. We had so many conversations at 9 or 10 o'clock at night when we were both leaving.''
Houston position
The Houston position became open on April 22, when Dave Maggard, 69, resigned after seven years on the job.
A national search was begun, with a deadline set of June 5 to have a list of candidates to consider. A headhunter firm, Parker Executive Search, recommended Rhoades to the university.
The university then put together a list of six candidates for interviews early this week. The other five were USC senior associate athletic director Brandon Martin, Oregon State associate athletic director Todd Stansbury, former NBA player and Houston Rockets executive Steve Patterson, Texas-El Paso associate athletic director Brian Wickstrom and UH deputy athletics director John Robinson Jr.
Preliminary interviews were conducted by university president Renu Khator and search committee co-chairman Carl Carlucci and Ken Bailey. Two finalists — Rhoades and Martin — were selected for a second round of interviews Wednesday before the full 11-person search committee.
Late Wednesday, Rhoades was informed the job was his.
''First and foremost, I wanted someone who is passionate about the University of Houston and about UH athletics,'' Khator said at the news conference introducing Rhoades. ''We are building a Tier-One university and we will build a Tier-One athletic program.
''Academics are the cornerstone of our athletics programs. We are training student-athletes and that will remain our focus. Mack Rhoades understands that is what I expect.''
Houston is a member of Conference USA that also includes the likes of Memphis, SMU, Tulane, Tulsa, Rice and UTEP.
Sources said that Houston, which was in the now-defunct Southwest Conference, wants to get into a BCS conference, and that Rhoades is expected to be the point man in the drive to change.
No salary was announced for Rhoades. He was making about $225,000 at UA. Maggard was making $415,000, which was the highest base salary for a non-BCS athletic director.
Rhoades also was a finalist at Rutgers University in February for the same job, but did not get it.
Comments
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Lorain, oh
Posted 09:45 PM, 06/11/2009
man he went out of his way to say that he was asked to apply...interesting..it's going to be about double what he was making here, and closer to home, good for him.
San Diego, CA
Posted 10:38 PM, 06/11/2009
AT schools like Akron, when you get someone good (I assume he's pretty good) they're going to leave after a few years. Akron U just can't compete with the dollars bigger schools can offer, not to mention the usual upgrade in conference prestige.
Posted 05:35 AM, 06/12/2009
Good riddance. This guy had one foot in the door and one foot out the minute he took the Akron job.
Akron, Oh
Posted 12:06 PM, 06/12/2009
''First and foremost, I wanted someone who is passionate about the University of Houston and about UH athletics,'' Khator said at the news conference introducing Rhoades. ''We are building a Tier-One university and we will build a Tier-One athletic program."
Good sentiment from the UH president. And Mac cerrtainly did epitomize his commitment to The University of Akron in general as well as UA athletics. Many of our zip fans should adopt such a principal. Unfortunately, it seems most of them couldn't care less about the University of Akron. They just want their football and basketball in spite of everything else including the welfare of The University of Akron itself. Too many people in Akron are one dimensional in this manner. This needs to change.
Posted 12:42 PM, 06/12/2009
Mack was very good to the University of Akron and their athletics. We have come sooo far. I am sure everyone knows that Akron is a stepping stone, but at least people hear about the U of A. Go Zips!! And by the way when I picked out my seats for the new staduim they said they have sold 4,500 season tickets and the most they ever sold at the rubber bowl was 1,800.
Akron, Oh
Posted 01:31 PM, 06/12/2009
Good to hear that so many season tickets have been sold thus far, ZIPS FAN. I just picked out my seats last Tuesday. I assume you took the tour of the stadium first. I thought the inside of the stadium looked awsome!
