UPDATED: Radakovich leaves Tech for Clemson
In early August, when he learned that Clemson athletic director Terry Don Phillips planned to retire, Dan Radakovich believed he could be the right man to replace him. He went home and told his wife Marcie that “there could be an incredible opportunity just a couple hours down the road,” Radakovich recounted Monday.
Monday, the Radakoviches made that drive up I-85 to officially seize that opportunity. Radakovich resigned as Georgia Tech athletic director, a position he held for 6 1/2 years, to accept the same job at Clemson.
“It’s going to take a while for me to get used to seeing him in that purple and orange,” Tech president G.P. “Bud” Peterson said.
It was a surprise conclusion to a tenure marked by the completion of numerous athletic facilities, financial stabilization, incessant work and, hardly least, an NCAA investigation that resulted in probation.
“I’ve never witnessed anyone that worked harder and longer and more passionately to advance a program,” said Paul Griffin, Tech’s senior associate athletic director who will serve as acting athletic director until a replacement is hired.
Peterson had known about Radakovich’s interest since shortly after the Tech-Clemson football game Oct. 6, when Clemson president James Barker called to inform him that he wanted to talk with Radakovich, a gesture made out of courtesy rather than contractual necessity.
Radakovich called Peterson soon after to alert him of the interest. The process was already well underway, though. Radakovich had initiated it by calling Phillips.
“I said, ‘Terry, I would really like an opportunity to sit down and talk with the decision-makers for this job,’ and Terry Don was very helpful and instrumental in making that happen,” Radakovich said Monday.
It was not the first time Radakovich, 54, had considered leaving Tech. His name had been linked with AD jobs at Miami, Tennessee and Texas A&M.
“He’s kept me apprised of what he’s doing,” said Peterson in response to a question about past openings. “I don’t think I want to go there today.”
Clemson may have been different. Speaking at the introductory news conference wearing an orange tie and blazer, Radakovich spoke of his first visit to a Clemson football game, as an athletic administrator at Long Beach State in 1990.
“I distinctly remember the feeling, the atmosphere, the hospitality and the passion and, yes, the rock,” he said, referring to Howard’s Rock, the stone that players rub upon entering the stadium. “I remember thinking, ‘This is a place that I want to be.’”
He’ll reportedly be paid $725,000 annually on a five-year contract. At Tech, he was in the third year of a five-year agreement that averaged out to $640,000 per year.
Radakovich’s time at Tech makes a compelling case for his ambitiousness. In a weakened economy, he led construction projects for an indoor football practice facility, a softball stadium, a tennis complex, a basketball practice facility and the renovation of Alexander Memorial Coliseum, which will open Nov. 9 as McCamish Pavilion. The projects increased the athletic department’s debt load from $126 million at the time of his arrival from LSU to $226 million.
But the decision to build at a time when interest rates and construction costs were low appears now to have been a savvy move. Due to low-interest loans and Radakovich’s fundraising and development of revenue streams, the debt service is projected to rise to 18 percent of the fiscal year 2014 budget, but ultimately return to 14 percent, the amount it had been when he was hired.
“I really think one of his legacies here is he got the financial house in order and not only did he get it in order, but he’s left us with facilities that should keep us on par with our peers for the next 30 years,” associate athletic director and chief financial officer Frank Hardymon said.
He instituted the TECH Fund, which requires a donation to the department in order to purchase prime football and men’s basketball season tickets. The added costs irritated some alumni and fans, but they have helped the department balance its budgets. For the 2012 fiscal year, TECH Fund donations accounted for about $4 million of the $59 million in revenues.
To most fans, his most visible imprints were the hires of football coach Paul Johnson (after firing Chan Gailey) after the 2007 season and men’s basketball coach Brian Gregory (after firing Paul Hewitt) following the 2010-11 season. On message boards and Twitter Monday, the disappointment of Johnson’s team this season and Radakovich’s move to an ACC rival school seemed to color many fans’ opinion of Radakovich and his departure.
“Could he take Paul Johnson with him???? I used to like him but after this season … he needs to go,” one commenter wrote on the ajc.com Georgia Tech blog.
Undeniably Radakovich’s albatross will be the NCAA investigation into improper benefits to two football players. Had Radakovich led Tech’s participation differently, the penalty could have been a wrist slap. Instead, the NCAA found in 2011 that the school failed to cooperate in the investigation and failed to meet the conditions and obligations of membership, which resulted in four years of probation and the vacating of its 2009 ACC football championship.
Barker said that he and the search committee were satisfied by Radakovich’s explanation on the matter.
“There were mistakes that were made that I can guarantee will not be made again,” Radakovich said.
Radakovich’s final day at Tech will be Nov. 15 and he will begin working at Clemson at the end of November. Peterson said that the school will interview search firms and assemble a search committee. He told department staff Monday that he expects the process to take two to three months.
“This is a great position,” Peterson said. “It has a lot of opportunity for somebody and we’re excited.”
Ken Sugiura, Georgia Tech blog
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443 comments Add your comment
Supersize that order, mutt
October 29th, 2012
1:06 pm
Everyone’s getting except for the man really at fault: Coach Paul Johnson. Please do the honorable thing and resign before Bud has no choice but to fire you. John Salley as AD? What the hell?!
okiemon
October 29th, 2012
1:06 pm
Penalty on OkieDawg for flagrant misuse of the comma.
1 4 GT
October 29th, 2012
1:07 pm
I said I wasn’t gonna post because of the name thief, but here goes. Thank God for “dawgs” like old dog. & USMC Dawg. While I know y’all aren’t the only Georgia fans with class & decency about you, you sure do seem to be most days. I, for one, truly appreciate guys like you two. THANKS for being you.
Technically Correct
October 29th, 2012
1:08 pm
Now, how long are we under contract with CPJ…?
Supersize that order, mutt
October 29th, 2012
1:08 pm
Getting FIRED I mean.
5150 UOAD
October 29th, 2012
1:10 pm
Louis Young
Blood makes u related but loyalty makes u family. Some ppl I’m related to flaw/fake as hell but that’s just how life is. I’m grateful to have loyal ppl in my life that I can call my fam. #S4R #3Clapz #BapD #Young&GettinIt #GT8
peanut gallery
October 29th, 2012
1:16 pm
Why does Clemson want this guy?
Full Metal Jacket
October 29th, 2012
1:20 pm
Thanks for building a lot of stuff, DRad. It would’ve been nice if we could’ve built a strong football program under your watch, but that’s not only your fault. I did think you could do much better than Clemson, even though I know they have beaucoup money and good facilities.
5150 UOAD
October 29th, 2012
1:20 pm
Who do the McCamish’s want to get the job?
JacketSteve
October 29th, 2012
1:22 pm
It’s not even a question of who is a better recruiter, Gailey or PJ. Here’s a list of Tech players recruited by Gailey currently playing in the NFL: Morgan Burnett, Tashard Choice, Jonathan Dwyer, Andrew Gardner, Calvin Johnson, Michael Johnson, Dawan Landry, Derrick Morgan, Bebe Thomas, and Vance Walker. Most of these guys are starting or have significant playing time. PJ won his first season with a lot of these players. Chan’s main problem, he never recuited a QB. He hitched his wagon to Reggie Ball and went down in flames with him.
Someone said it earlier, you’ll never have any depth trying to recruit with this option system. The defense doesn’t get to practice against a quality offense so that hurts them. They practice against a scout team because our offense doesn’t know how to run a regular offense. With a pro-style offense, you’ll be able to get a lot of 3-star kids who want a chance to prove they can make it to the next level and sprinkle in a few 4 and 5 stars. Coach up the 3-star players and you’ve got a chance to win consistently.
It will be tough for any coach at Tech to win consistently. I talked with Fridge one night when he was the OC under O’Leary at a signing day gathering in O’Keefe gym. He was very candid about how the football staff hated the administration because of how difficult they made it for them to recruit. Tech’s standards are way above the NCAA standards, and there were cases where a top recruit wanted to come to Tech and they had to let him go because the administration said no.
We need to ask Steve Spurrier how he was able to do it at Duke. He coached at Tech for a year in 1979 so he should be willing to help out. Or we should ask Brian Kelly at Notre Dame or Harbaugh how he did it at Stanford. What we really need is an AD who has the balls to stand up to the administration and make it possible to get some of these top recruits eligible at Tech. I’m all for getting Bill Curry in here. I went to Tech while he was the coach and went to class with players like Pat Swilling, Reg Rutland (changed his name in the NFL), John Davis, Ricardo Ingram, Ted Roof, etc.
PMC
October 29th, 2012
1:22 pm
Well good luck to him, I appreciate that he aimed high like all should at Tech.
I’m sure they will find an excellent AD.
Tech1986
October 29th, 2012
1:24 pm
A couple of points on the debt of AA Department. It was Dave Braine and George O’leary who wanted to expand the the stadium to 55k back in 1999-2000. I sat in a meeting with a bunch of Dodd and Curry former players, Braine and O’leary as they made the pitch to the “old guard” to expand the stadium. I was at Tech when we reduced the south endzone since that end only filled up when we played the SEC teams. Braine was the idoit who gave Paul Hewitt the Lifetime rollover contract after getting to the Championship game in 2004, he was rumored to be heading to another school, (typical hot coach get’s big pay raise). Rad came in 2006 from LSU and changed the fund raising from the AT Fund to the Tech Fund to get more dollars. Alot AT givers stopped giving and bought tickets in the non-Tech fund seats and gave their money to the various “Schools” on campus. Hurt big time. We have had several big time donors step up and pay $$$$ for the new facilities, but we are not getting as much in the AT Fund. DRad made the mistake of giving Johnson the extension after 2008 season, as again rumors where that Auburn was looking at him (again rumors not truth, but still) So he gave him an extension, we are stuck with. All the non-revenue sports are generally top notch, BB will improve and football, I’ve seen worse under Curry and Ross, so we are what we are. I have met DRad and found him to be knowledgeable and straight forward, and truthfully, how many of you would have not told Johnson about the NCAA investigation over $312 in T-shirts? I would guess, we all would have said something about it. It is ironic that we cannot get a Sports Management program at Ga Tech, but UGA can get an engineering program. Homer Rice tried in the 80’s but he was shot down by the alumni and the BOR. And if all you guys want to buy out Johnson’s contract, just forward your check to Bobby Dodd Way. As others have said, once a Jacket, always a Jacket. THWG!!! One more thing …. How ’bout them Dawgs? Pi$$ on them!!!!
Full Metal Jacket
October 29th, 2012
1:24 pm
Clemson? Clemson? The fact that DRad took a job at Clemson indicates how far his stock has fallen over the last few years. I remember rumors about his leaving for Michigan, several SEC schools, and even Notre Dame over the years. Don’t get me wrong, I am sure that Clemson is a much more lucrative and desireable AD post than Tech, but s it that much better to uproot one’s family and career to move there and start anew? I guess it was for DRad.
Full Metal Jacket
October 29th, 2012
1:26 pm
CPJ’s seat may not be hot, and maybe not even warm, but it just went up a few degrees when DRad left town.
Mark in ATL
October 29th, 2012
1:26 pm
That ship is sinking….he got off of it at the right time…..fan interest is awful…always going to be the second or third or fourth most popular team in the town even….go to a school that allows it’s athletics the opportunity to be successful…can’t be MIT Monday-Friday and Bama on Saturday.
drew
October 29th, 2012
1:28 pm
The Bobby Peterno of Ga. Tech….running with his tail between his legs…
Chuck T
October 29th, 2012
1:33 pm
Can the interim A D fire Johnson or do we have to wait for the new guy ??
Buzzed
October 29th, 2012
1:34 pm
So, you guys are now claiming a golf national championship under Rads reins (”Someone smart” @ 7:28 am)? What year? What planet?
Full Metal Jacket
October 29th, 2012
1:35 pm
I don’t put DRad anywhere near Petrino (Peterno(sic)….I mean really, check your spelling). AD’s take other jobs and as for timing, there is no good time for an AD to leave…..there is always some major and several minor sports going on. DRad did some good things, and made some mistakes too. I do not like it that he left while the FB team is still under probation for some indiscretions on his watch, but all this “leaving a sinking ship” rhetoric is really hyperbole.
Buzzed
October 29th, 2012
1:36 pm
1986: With you all the way to the end. Glad to know we’re always on your mind.
GT is a great school
October 29th, 2012
1:39 pm
GT is a fine school, as is UGA. So are Stanford and Notre Dame.
GT could ….. Could …. Could quickly become competitive IF …IF they hired N innovative ball coach like the W Va coach or the Ole Miss Coach or the guy at UNC or Miami.
This delima has faced GT over the last 45 years. Hire Coach that believes in wide open O and plays some quality D. Then, GT could soon enough be a 7-4 or 8-3 team in the ACC routinely.
CPJ is a ONE ACT CLOWN.
UGA class of 71$73
Reggie's Balls
October 29th, 2012
1:41 pm
YEAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!! THIS MADE MY DAY. GOOD RIDDANCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Have fun with that Clemson……..
Full Metal Jacket
October 29th, 2012
1:42 pm
Thanks to DRad, our facilities seem to be up to date now, so maybe we can hire more of a “sports” guy rather than just a “marketing” guy next time. What’s ol’ Homer up to these days? I know that Bill Curry and Bobby Cremins don’t want the headaches at this point, and they may not be qualified anyhow. But i would still rather go with a seasoned veteran than the hottest new thing, like we did for DRad. The new guy, whether hired this year or next, will definitely need to put the FB coaching staff on notice…..it’s past time to prove your worth and also to check your ego and do the PR work that CPJ seems to disdain. If you don’t want to represent your university/employer with some degree of positive energy and effort, Coach Johnson, then you really aren’t a Head Coach, now are you? You’re acting like an OC. Change your attitude, or change your title.
Dawgone Dan
October 29th, 2012
1:43 pm
Does GATEch still play football anyway? What is all the fuzz about? I thought they stopped playing years ago. I guess I should pay attention to teams outside the Top 25 from time to time. Sick ‘em!
daslicksta
October 29th, 2012
1:43 pm
Run like a scared kid and I hope you can drive a tractor, lol…GO DAWGS!!!!
Flak Jacket
October 29th, 2012
1:45 pm
I could not believe it when TECH hired CPJ in the beginning,but his offense did great against weaker competition.He has had no defense or special teams since his arrival on the flats and this WILL continue if he is allowed to come back next year.He has lost every bowl game and i believe every overtime contest because of his offense.He has not been able to throw the ball on people because he never had the QB that could handle it.I don`t dislike him personally but this is business.I hope TECH will learn how not to jump the gun on dishing out contract extensions to some of these coaches until they fully prove themselves.He had just been pounded by LSU.I hope the money problems work out but it looks like this is going to sting.
Reggie's Balls
October 29th, 2012
1:45 pm
HEY CLEMSON- Hope he doesn’t have to make any hiring decisions for coaches for any of your sports. He’s pathetic………
Dawgone Dan
October 29th, 2012
1:46 pm
Funny how the bees are all up on sending DRad away when what they really want is CPJ to go instead but they can’t get rid of him. It’s a common case of misplaced anger and animosity. When the dust settles, you’re still one decent AD short and CPJ will still be drawing a huge paycheck.
M
October 29th, 2012
1:50 pm
I’m not a Tech fan, but I’ve been saying this for the last two years: the triple option caught everyone off-guard the first year or two, but the last two or three years opposing coaches have adjusted and it doesn’t fool anyone. Miami is still rebuilding and the balance of power in the ACC rests with Clemson and Florida St. (which is why I’m not surprised Radokovich took a job at Clemson). Tech fans should look at it this way, you had 1 1/2 “glory” years in football under Radokovich and you got a couple new buildings out of the deal.
Coach Johnson should move back down to AA where he can dominate with the triple option and not worry about having to adjust his coaching style.
P00P Magee
October 29th, 2012
1:51 pm
LOL at this board. You people are as dumb as a box of hair. Rads ia a good decent man who got as much out of the anemic and pathetic Tech fanbase as anyone could. He’s moving on to greener pastures. And even though Coach Paul may be a big Johnson, he can still beat georgia.
Tommy
October 29th, 2012
1:52 pm
He needs to put a purple and orange tie on his way to Clemson. Good Bye.
Radakovich's exit won't affect Paul Johnson (for now) | Jeff Schultz
October 29th, 2012
1:53 pm
[...] thousands of empty seats at football games and needed to search between couch cushions for funding, for the same job at Clemson, where he won’t have to worry about [...]
Reggie's Balls
October 29th, 2012
1:53 pm
Dawgone Dan-
You could just go down the list of prior National Champions to find Tech also. You would come to them way before you come to UGA….. The most mediocre we have done nothing in the last 32 years but think we are relevant on the national scene joke of a program who will again not win the the SEC or go to a BCS bowl but are assured to have to bail players out of the Clarke county jail…..
Laughing Pete
October 29th, 2012
1:53 pm
Go pound sand P00P. You don’t know Tech. You are a liar and a fraud. I don’t ever want to see you in these parts spreading your lies ever again!!!
pb
October 29th, 2012
1:54 pm
Is D Rad leaving a “sinking ship”, or does he just have a good opportunity, at a bad time for Tech ? Like some have said, if CPJ was not losing games, and seemingly losing control of the situation, would Radakovich be leaving? Don’t think so.
gadawg
October 29th, 2012
1:56 pm
Enter your comments here
James
October 29th, 2012
1:57 pm
“True Student Athletes” ToemeetsLeather, you do understand that GT had a scandal before the recent probation that was all about playing ineligible athletes, lots of them. Then move forward to a separate scandal in which GT had its title vacated for playing ineligible athlete against Clemson in the ACC championship Game. And yes, that athlete was probably the difference maker in that game that Clemson lost. When someone from GT or UNC uses that line these days, people aren’t stupid enough to buy it. GT is only slightly above UNC is completely tarnishing that myth.
How many student athletes had played when they were ineligible in the episode years before the one that cost the title? I remember GT saying it was simply a matter of the institution not fully understanding the rule. Good ole GT pleading ignorance, which is no defense.
GTata
October 29th, 2012
1:57 pm
Reggie B: I think DRad has made some pretty good coaching hires overall, though the CPJ thing isn’t working out too well.
gadawg
October 29th, 2012
1:57 pm
Dan the Man leaves Tech $170,000,000 in debt—-what a guy
Dawgone Dan
October 29th, 2012
1:58 pm
Sounds fitting that Reggie’s Balls would be honoring the Chosen One himself with his online monicker. Is it fourth down yet? You may know ancient history my friend, but you don’t know nothing from nowadays. When was the last time Tech won a bowl? Were the teens texting then or were they using two cans to call each other? Was Paul Johnson still relevant then? Wake up and smell the sewers, Tech should stick to lacrosse and tennis where they may have a chance to compete.
BB
October 29th, 2012
1:58 pm
Clemson gave Georgia Tech John Heisman…
and this is the way they are repaid???
P00P Magee
October 29th, 2012
2:01 pm
Laughing Pete – what’s the beef? You stalking me now? BTW, stop calling your wife. She doesn’t want to talk to you. She told me to tell you that you need to pay the gas bill though. Cheers.
Laughing Pete
October 29th, 2012
2:04 pm
P00P – I am not going to repeat myself: you keep my wife out of this! And tell her to go pound sand too. You are a fraud and a scamster and she’ll come crawling back to me soon enough. Too late honey. That door is shut. Also, tell her I already paid the gas and to stop nagging me.
USMC DAWG
October 29th, 2012
2:04 pm
PREDICTION:
Tech will BEAT Clempson in Football next year when Clempson comes to Grant Field, and all of you Jacket fans will relish a sweet victory over Drad.
GimmeAbreak
October 29th, 2012
2:05 pm
Darn! He and CPJ were a gift from Heaven. Maybe CPJ is only there in body (and omg Techies… does THAT look like an athletic body?)
I so wish D Rad and CPJ could get Reggie Bush back for another couple of years!
Expect the liberals at GT to blame UGA for its troubles as always. Just as your president, Obama Yo Mamma, still blames Bush! And I mean George, not Reggie for all you Tecchies who can’t apply logic…
Reggie's Balls
October 29th, 2012
2:06 pm
Dawgone Dan-
You got rolled by a mediocre USC team and will loose to the TIDE by 40 if you make it to the SEC championship. You are not and have not been relevant as the National power that all of your fans think you are. Buck Belue and Lindsay Scott have graduated, quit living off of that 1980 National Championship. Nobody outside the state gives a rip about UGA……
RWill
October 29th, 2012
2:06 pm
I posted recruiting rankings since 2002 to present back on page one or two. For you people that STILL have trouble wrapping your brains around this, here it goes:
Georgia Tech has higher academic standards than the schools located around them that they must compete with for athletes. Yes there is a large talent pool in the area. A talent pool that is open to most schools, but limited when it comes to GT. CPJ’s recruiting classes have been, at worst, on par with Chan Gailey’s. That’s including being under probation lately. That shuts down the “CPJ can’t recruit” argument.
Question: What type of offense does South Carolina, UGA, Alabama, Tennessee, etc run? You want GT to go to a more conventional offense, and compete against these schools for athletes? Only some of which would even be eligible at GT? How do you figure that would improve things? We tried it under Gailey, got worse results than with CPJ by far.
You want to look longingly back at the George O’Leary era? Don’t get me wrong, I loved that period too. But, remember the failures of the defenses in those golden years? Why did GT lose four games in Joe Hamilton’s senior year? I guess having a more conventional offense to prepare against in practice just wasn’t enough then.
Having a unique system at a unique school isn’t a bad thing. I know it’s not a normal offense, so when there are struggles, it’s easy to make it a scapegoat. But the fact is, even with a weak-armed QB that may be a step slow to run this offense, the team is putting up 400+ yards and 30+ points a game. Same as they used to do under Friedgen, and way more than any time under Gailey.
There are downsides to CPJ, and I outlined them back on page one or two. However, I’d take the occasional down year with CPJ knowing there’s a much higher upside than a steady 7-5 every year type of coach. When was the last outright conference championship before CPJ arrived?
the_athenian
October 29th, 2012
2:07 pm
The world does not revolve around football; it revolves around money. Which UGA is flush with.
Dawgone Dan
October 29th, 2012
2:08 pm
USMC DAWG is rite. The problem is Clempson will probably open the season by beating us. Don’t drink the Richt Koolaid. The man just bought him another contract extension and there aint no way to get rid of him.
geriatric blogger
October 29th, 2012
2:09 pm
Tech has a great university that will never be effected by any UGA engineering program. you just make lousy coaching hires. There are are only so many kids that are interested in running the option on very play, and that limits the athletes interested in going there, not your academics. Then, when it all comes to a head, you default to the old “academics” myth. I know lots of high school kids that have gone there, and they were not “calculus dudes”. So get over it, and get a life. Put those GT skills to work, and hire a competent man. Then and only then will you get your program competitive again.