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
old gold
October 29th, 2012
2:09 pm
I have a great name to replace DRad. Coleman Rudolph, who played on the 1990 national championship team, and son of the Valdosta coach and former Tech player, Jack Rudolph. He is well respected. He may be making more money from his investment firm though, but a great idea, in my opinion.
pb
October 29th, 2012
2:10 pm
Coach Paul seems to have disdain or contempt for anyone that dares asks him questions, when things are not going well. Not a good PR image for GTech, even if he does beat UGA once every 3 or 4 years… But don’t think GTech can afford to fire him.. Payout too high.
Dawgone Dan
October 29th, 2012
2:10 pm
Reggie – the BCS called, they want to know if you guys are still playing football too. They haven’t seen you around in a long while and were just wondering. Thanks.
What the Tech?
October 29th, 2012
2:12 pm
RB: you castrated yourself on fourth down when you “clocked” the ball against UGA.
Tech1986
October 29th, 2012
2:13 pm
The prior academic incident in late 90’s involved many athlete’s not making progress on their degree, this was the same time Tech switched from the Quarter system to the Semester system and caused many students, not just athletes to redo the hours and schedule. Those guys just had not made the progress, it was not similar to the “cheating” scandal at UNC or the academic fraud at other places. As has been stated before, we at Tech do not have the “breadth” of majors that many students may want to persue. We don’t have journalism, communications, African-American Studies, Family and Child Development, “Arts and Letters” (very popular major at ND). We don’t have PE majors, Apartment housing management. No Excercise Science and Nutrition majors, social work majors. That’s our problem. We are an Institute of Technology, so most of our majors are going to have a slant to technology than the other schools have. We have no true Liberal Arts degree as Stanford and Duke have, yes they have rigorous academic requirements to get in, but their majors are not similar to ours. Yes our SA’s have to take two semesters of advanced math and science, I am sure that the “Arts and Letters” major’s at ND are not taking a math class. An so what if Survey of Calculus is not transferable as a Calculus course, it is still math, so what if the SA has to take Earth Science, it’s a science class. All managment/Business Admin majors, whether SA or not take these classes, and our College is ranked in the top 40. Facts are facts. Again, if the BOR would give us a PE major we could get those SA’s but sadly, that is not going to happen. THWG
P00P Magee
October 29th, 2012
2:15 pm
Pete is just mad because his old lady is tired of living with a woman and has come looking for a real man. And he’s a CPJ man to boot. No wonder she left you. How can you excuse still cheering for that failure? You deserve what you get looser!!
GFJacket
October 29th, 2012
2:15 pm
geriatric blogger, every degree at Tech requires at least a year of calculus. There are no liberal arts degrees. That is the difference between Tech, Stanford, Notre Dame, etc. Those do have liberal arts degrees to offer. Until Tech can offer Turfgrass Mangement or P.E. degrees (like UGA), it will remain limited in the number of quality athletes it can attract. According to the AJC, its football players have the highest SAT scores of any public university in the country. Even under Gailey, Tech was never in the top-40 in recruiting. Perhaps that is by design – - to provide no real in-state competion for UGA recruiting.
What the Tech?
October 29th, 2012
2:15 pm
This has clearly been in the works awhile, and DRad is leaving at a bad time for Tech. That being said, we knew his contract was up next year so this should be no surprise. It seems to be a mutually welcome move, too, since Tech folks and DRad both are ready for some change. Not sure how this is going down over in Klimpson, though.
Laughing Pete
October 29th, 2012
2:17 pm
DRad is a decent man not like that sack of manure P00P Magee. If you have any decency, you will ignore his hate-filled posts. BTW, he sells Amway and if you dare buy anything he may end up stealing your wife. Inquire within. The man is a fraudster and a filanderer.
5150 UOAD
October 29th, 2012
2:17 pm
Dawgone Dan……………The BCS called and asked with your schedule are you a SEC team or the SUNBELT Champ.
Predatory Lender
October 29th, 2012
2:18 pm
Long drive to Clemson. Maybe Dan will turn around, go back home, turn back around again, Cremins style.
Bobby Jones
October 29th, 2012
2:19 pm
CPJ is here for awhile like him or not. It would cost in excess of 10 Million according to Schultz to buy him out now. Not gonna happen the Athletic Dept doesn’t have the bread. His lack of recruiting is whats killing him. Get better players, win more games. There have been attempts through the years to ammend the curriculum at TECH with some but little real progress. I remember Coach Dodd asked for two changes and never got them. Finally years later we got rid of the Calc but not much else. The Big universities allow you to get as good an education as you want or as sorry as you want. You can take pre-med or hotel management or parks and recreation . Tech doesn’t offer that option so it is harder to recruit, We need a great recruiter, Heck good enought talent I could win with the single wing.
MC
October 29th, 2012
2:21 pm
Paul Johnson can kiss his butt goodbye.
SBinF
October 29th, 2012
2:24 pm
I must respectfully disagree with you who say there are no liberal arts majors at Tech. I received my b.s. from Tech in HTS (history, technology, and society). It’s sort of a hybrid history/sociology major. The Ivan Allen college offers majors in economics, STAC (science, technology, and culture), and a number of other liberal arts areas. Granted, these programs tend to focus on technology, and students are still required to take the rigorous core curriculum as everyone else.
Liberal arts are a small (but lively) body on campus.
Reggie's Balls
October 29th, 2012
2:25 pm
Dawgone Dan-
Thats Hilarious!!!!!!! Did you make that joke up all on your own?? Have fun at the Outback Bowl wishing that for a BIG State school you were more relevant…..
Buzzzed
October 29th, 2012
2:25 pm
Everyone needs to chill out. Sheesh. CPJ will be with us for a few more years regardless. Until his contract is up, we need to give him full support.
Dawgone Dan
October 29th, 2012
2:25 pm
5051 UOAD – #6 in the BCS, they know who we are. Tech? Not so much. Does CPJ even know what century we’re in? Does he know about ipods and iphones? Does he know about the spread offense? I bet he wishes Nesbitt had about 20 more years of eligibility. Sad times for tech = good times for everybody else INCLUDING Middle Tennessee State and other directional schools coming to town. Heck, even the mormons got to beat up on the bees.
Cracker Barrel
October 29th, 2012
2:26 pm
Just saw Radakovich at the Cracker Barrel off of Exit 19 in South Carolina. Looks like he was having some fried chicken and sweet tea.
Habersham Dawg
October 29th, 2012
2:26 pm
I know it won’t happen, but I’d laugh my butt off if Tech hired Damon Evans. Man, we’d see a flock of pigs flying over the Gold Dome for sure.
MC
October 29th, 2012
2:28 pm
I’ll say it again. If anybody here wants to continue to whine about academics, go independent or get in a conference with the service academies. But they don’t whine> Whining is for losers.
P00P Magee
October 29th, 2012
2:29 pm
Well, I rather be selling Amway than being unemployed Pete. Why you laughing? Your life is a mess! You’re a dirty inbred georgia fan who didn’t even go to school.
SBinF
October 29th, 2012
2:30 pm
Also, not sure why everyone is calling for PJ’s head. GT is doing about as good as you can expect. We’ll occasionally have a 10 win season. Otherwise, we can expect 7 or 8 win seasons, with a few lower percentage winning seasons now and again. It’s the nature of college football, and the climate at the Institute. Tech is a tough school, so it’s going to be especially tough to consistently recruit top tier talent.
I’m a Tech alumnus (and current graduate student). I’ve got season tickets and will buy them again next year. We lose some, but we also win in some exciting ways, and have had two very close losses this year.
@eidsonb
October 29th, 2012
2:32 pm
Guys…the big name alumni are behind CPJ…he aint going anywhere this year or next….now after that is a different story….besides who in the heck you going to replace him with?? Patreno?? The Auburn Coach….who….you fire him now and you have a wasted decade….Kinda like having Barry for a president
Dawgone Dan
October 29th, 2012
2:33 pm
Reggie, I’d tell you to have fun at the Nobody-gives-a-crap pre-Christmas Peanut Bowl or something, but we all know Tech aint going nowhere this year. You can’t change the reality of the present no matter how much you want to focus on the past. Fact: AD DRad jumped off the sinking ship. Fact: stuck with CPJ for years. Fact: gimmick offense failing. Fact: CPJ will not change his scheme. Fact: screwed. How bout them chickens?
Tech Man
October 29th, 2012
2:35 pm
The ship is sinking….FAST.
5150 UOAD
October 29th, 2012
2:38 pm
SBinF
October 29th, 2012
2:24 pm
I must respectfully disagree with you who say there are no liberal arts majors at Tech. I received my b.s. from Tech in HTS (history, technology, and society). It’s sort of a hybrid history/sociology major. The Ivan Allen college offers majors in economics, STAC (science, technology, and culture), and a number of other liberal arts areas. Granted, these programs tend to focus on technology, and students are still required to take the rigorous core curriculum as everyone else.
===============================================
I NOTICED it was a B.S. and not a B.A……so that means you took More MATH than 96.99% of College football and basketball players.
DawgNole
October 29th, 2012
2:40 pm
Truth
October 28th, 2012
10:13 pm
How quickly do you “D-Rad” haters forget the words “David Brane ??????” Hellloooooo? Do you remember what he did to Tech athletics? Any tech fan with a brain would know that losing D-Rad would be a huge blow to the GT Athletic Department
___________________
Maybe they forgot because “Brane” wasn’t his name. Duh!
5150 UOAD
October 29th, 2012
2:42 pm
SBinF……I NOTICED it was a B.S. and not a B.A……so that means you took More MATH than 96.99% of College football and basketball players.
Sorry at Every other College that is not The INSTITUTE.
dog
October 29th, 2012
2:43 pm
Was drad responsible for the uniforms? If so, take those too.
headley lamar
October 29th, 2012
2:43 pm
NOTICED it was a B.S. and not a B.A……so that means you took More MATH than 96.99% of College football and basketball players.
Most of the football players take Hotel Management.
Yeah im sure there is a lot of math there.
crackbaby
October 29th, 2012
2:48 pm
DRad was very good for Tech.
Let me remind you that the other finalist at the time DRad go the job was Bill Curry. If any of you think BC would have been a better AD, let’s just agree to disagree
DRad built facilities and raised the level of competition in many programs, including football. He inherited the Paul Hewitt mess from Dave Braine.
Women’s Tennis won a NC under DRad. The Women’s BBall program is at an all time high. Golf is kicking butt. Softball is a force and has great new facilities. CBG appears to have the Men’s hoops on the right track.
DRad inherited serious financial challenges and created innovative solutions. Best of luck in your future endeavors, DRad – many of us appreciate your commitment to GT.
geriatric blogger
October 29th, 2012
2:49 pm
GF Jacket, I do not contest your facts, however, I know there are athletes that go or have gone there that require academic assistance. You, nor any similar institution would hang those kids out to dry without that assistance. And while your (average) SAT scores are indeed high, how is that relevant when you have a player graduation rate at the bottom of your conference. Some scores were not so hot. The truth of the matter is that there are few student athletes in the mold of Calvin, and it also takes the rest of them to make the program go, and GT is prepared to deal with that as they have been historically. You’ve won championships with those same standards, so why keep using it as an excuse for mediocrity. If you had a coach that runs a system that interests more kids, you increase your selection pool whether or not you have so called higher acceptance standards. It worked then, it will work now.
alex
October 29th, 2012
2:51 pm
“fish stinks from the head”, major sports of men’s football and basketball are in shambles. Note Football pays most of the bills for many other sports and if football in not attracting fans and donations, the entire sports program will decline…
Rad has built some nice facilities, a nice facad (sp?), but the product on the court or on the field is mediocre. Good for him to go, perhaps he is tired of Atlanta politics (as reference in “A Man In Full”, wasn’t it a fictionalized GT player that was involved, I know , a long time ago, but the analogy still holds). Clemson is a wholle different kettle of fis,: a fanatic fan base with little else to do except watch the water recede in Lake Hartwell, with little academic pretenses.
Goodbye and Good riddance…
alex
October 29th, 2012
2:54 pm
crackbaby, I can’t tell if you are being facicious or not with reference to Golf and SOFTball, if your serious-well those are some EXCITING-spectator dense activities,WOW! Clemson Golf Team is VERY excited!
old dog
October 29th, 2012
3:06 pm
Yes, academics, etc. are big factors. however, my Tech buddies, some of ya’ll are missing the point. Tech did not just start being a tough school, it has been a tough school. Deep down inside, many of you know the problem is deeper than that. There is a lack of support for the program by and large (not talking ’bout the truly faithful, like Supersize and some others.) Although everyone has a down year, it is like ya’lls football program is kind of floundering and nobody really knows what to do. It may be time for new blood; somebody who can get it back going again. Tech has too long and proud of a tradition to let folks argue on blogs about everything from too-tough academics, wrong coach, etc. None of that will wash…..ya’ll have proved yopuselves in the past with some very dominating programs. I know we at UGA draw the ire of many, but I still honestly believe if our overall program was like things are for y’all now, we would do something. Ya’ll are going to need to go after a first-class coach. There are some out there. And you cannot say it will not make a difference. If (and he is our enemy, I know) Spurrier was there, he would build ya’ll into an ACC champ. Ya’ll have a history. Look at South Carolina…..never done much at all and he has them rocking. I’m not saying ya’ll could get a Spurrier, but you could certainly go after a top-notch person, and get back to playing Tech football. I know, you still could trip us up this year…..but that is not what I am talking about. I am talking about a once proud tradition that has faltered, and has folks wondering “Why??”
P
October 29th, 2012
3:15 pm
the facilities may be better for athletics, but the athletics are not better….prices went up…play went down….looks like Dan Rad will be eager and willing to take another school’s $$$$
hj23
October 29th, 2012
3:21 pm
Bill Curry is looking for a job….just so long as he doesn’t coach.
CHRISTIAN DAWG
October 29th, 2012
3:22 pm
I AM A UGA FAN, AND WORK WITH A TECH FAN, SOUNDS LIKE THIS VOLCANO IS GETTIN READY TO ERUPT. IF I WERE YOU I WOULD GO GET KIRBY SMART. UGA GRAD IF YOU DONT MIND THAT TECH FANS, HE HAS BEEN AT ALABAMA FOR SEVERAL YRS. NOW. LOOK WHO HE WORKS UNDER. ARE YOU KIDDIN ME, REALLY. NICK SABAN HAS TAUGHT HIM EVERYTHING. OF COURSE HE WOULD WANT A HEFTY SALARY IF YOU SMART FOLKS COULD AFFORD HIM. HE WOULD MAKE A GREAT COACH. SERIOUSLY.!!!!
Supersize that order, mutt
October 29th, 2012
3:23 pm
@ Dawgone Dan……if you really think that this UGA team is the 6th best college team in the country, then you just proved yourself to be as ignorant as Tech fans say that most UGA fans are.
old dog
October 29th, 2012
3:23 pm
@CHRISTAIN DAWG…..
You are right, although I was hoping we would end up with Smart…..lol. He could sure do it for Tech….
Go Jackets
October 29th, 2012
3:29 pm
This exodus offers a glimmer of hope……lets take the time to find the next Homer Rice, not some tired retread or a dead of the nite left his last job guy. First order of business, finding a way out from under Fish Fry. Then we set about rebuilding for the 2nd time in 10 years since O’Leary left.
GT MUST recruit wider base, because
October 29th, 2012
3:30 pm
schools in Georgia are Obama schools. Their primary focus is hiring more teachers to cheat to improve the test scores, so they qualify for more Obama money, to hire more cheating teachers. See DeKalb County and APS system.
For this reason, the local football talent is poorly educated or simply uneducated.
GT like ND, Stanford, Virginia, UGA ( yes, UGA) has to go to NC, TN, Alabama, Florida Texas to get talent, with local kids signing with Auburn, Alabama, SC and UT and KY.
also, GT needs to BUILD their brand with summer camps that DO ATTRCT KIDS from wider area. With the right HC, within 4 years, GT can return to. 8-3, 9-2 squad in time.
this prescription will lead GT to where they hope to be …… Mediocre.
Go Dogs.
Dawgone Dan
October 29th, 2012
3:32 pm
Supersize – I don’t really have to think about it much. It’s on paper. It’s fact. You may disagree, but the fact stands. Today, UGA is #6 in the BCS. Next week, who knows? #10 or maybe #2. Time will tell. But irregardless, Tech, nowhere to be seen in the Top 50 teams. Maybe not even bowl eligible when the season is done. And that’s the fact jack.
Old Fashioned
October 29th, 2012
3:32 pm
Is GT entitled to some financial compensation from Clemson,if DRad’s contract has not expired?
Old Fashioned
October 29th, 2012
3:34 pm
Dawgone Dan—No such word “irregardless.”
vesaversa
October 29th, 2012
3:35 pm
At least this coward didn’t bail in the middle of the night . GT will be just find without him ,.
GT Pa
October 29th, 2012
3:41 pm
GT took Braine from Virginia Tech way back when. VT isn’t doing to badly.
Maybe Clempson just wanted to get back at Tech for taking Heisman away from them many years ago.
Let CPJ be athletic director. Then he can hire a replacement as head coach and we save money.
crackbaby
October 29th, 2012
3:49 pm
@alex
No sarcasm here. DRad is the Athletics Director, not just the Men’s football director. He has helped build other sports programs at Tech to national prominence.
Most people only care about football – is that you? No shame in that, it’s really the only consistent money maker at Tech. Hopefully hoops will regain that status soon.
Honestly, college athletics, particularly women’s sports in the post Title IX era, are an extremely important part of young people’s lives in their formative years. Many of these opportunities, i.e. collegiate team sports, did not exist for young women thirty years ago. Football funds most of this, but we are a better country for it.
Like the as says, ‘most NCAA athletes go pro in a field other than sports…” But they become better colleagues, neighbors and leaders because of the experience. DRad’s leadership allowed Tech to make great strides in this area.
crackbaby
October 29th, 2012
3:50 pm
like the “ad” says… sorry LOL
Ralph
October 29th, 2012
3:52 pm
Man’s smarter than I thought, even if it is Auburn with a lake