Radakovich’s exit shows disparity between Tech, Georgia
The financial issues that Dan Radakovich dealt with at Tech won't be an issue at Clemson. (AP photo)
It’s almost always about money. There may be other factors in changing jobs: Going back home, returning to an alma mater, or, as Dan Radakovich said Tuesday, having the desire to “get into a collegiate environment. I hadn’t had the opportunity to be in a pure college town.”
A nice sentiment. But primarily it’s still about the money, either what one can make or one can spend.
When Radakovich resigned from the athletic director’s job at Georgia Tech for the same position at Clemson, it said as much about his former employer than his new one. Radakovich won’t have to sell a ticket or plead with donors at Clemson, which is what he had to do at Tech. The pressure for victories and the chase for dollars is greater than ever in college athletes – too great, actually, but that’s a topic for another column – and right now Tech just isn’t all that attractive.
Radakovich won’t say that. But he’ll use words like “challenges” and “difficulties.” He was weary of trying to get people to “jump off the connector” in hopes he could alter their perceptions of what the metro campus looked like. He won’t criticize Tech’s high academic requirements or limited number of majors, but he’ll amplify on the difficulty coaches have to convince recruits that the school can provide an “enriching” experience.
That’s why he was so driven to improve and add facilities. “Sometimes they [recruits] make their decision first with their eyes,” he said.
Here’s the problem: While Radakovich denies also that the Tech AD position is a “steppingstone” job, relative to others in major college athletics, that’s basically what he just affirmed by leaving one ACC job for another, just two hours up the interstate. He is close with Clemson’s retiring AD, Terry Don Phillips, and had coveted the impending vacancy for several months.
Greg McGarity knows what drives Radakovich and what wears on him (or any athletic director). (Curtis Compton/AJC)
None of this bodes well for the perception of Tech on the college sports landscape, and we haven’t addressed the ever-present shadow cast by the beast in Athens. Georgia and Georgia Tech are different campuses with different missions. But they’re rival programs in close proximity of each other. The financial situations at the two athletic departments are at opposite ends of the spectrum.
According to the Equity in Athletics database, which tracks budgets of every collegiate athletic program, Tech’s sports teams had total revenues of $46,910,364 for the one-year period ending June 30, 2012. Georgia was nearly double that at $91,670,613.
Georgia athletic director Greg McGarity said he wasn’t surprised by Radakovich’s exit. The two have known each other for years and speak often. He knows what drives the man. “When he was at American University, he missed the bright lights of big-time college athletics,” McGarity said.
He also knows what can wear down an athletic director.
“The financial challenges to run a college athletic program are much more difficult at some institutions than others,” McGarity said. “When you have a strong fan base and full stadiums and when you have a tremendous level of support, it makes your job easier from a fundraising standpoint. Financial circumstances can be taxing mentally. You’re always worrying about where the next dollar will come from. It wears on athletic directors just as it wears on anyone. There’s a constant pressure.”
Radakovich was back in his Edge Athletic Center office Tuesday for some desk cleanout. Asked about the challenges of running athletics at the Institute, he didn’t hesitate: “Always looking at ways to get people to consistently come to the stadium and the venues. When we’re winning, attendance is good. When we’re OK, attendance is OK. When we’re not winning, attendance falls. The challenge is to create a bigger core. We tried a lot of things to get that to happen.”
Some have characterized Radakovich’s decision to leave as “jumping ship.” That’s overstatement. Tech isn’t in financial straits. The football team, while struggling, isn’t devastated. But his departure is a reality check for the school.
Radakovich tries to minimize Georgia comparisons, saying, “The comparisons aren’t fair because the schools aren’t chartered the same, and they don’t have the same level of resources athletically. … Georgia has been up the street for the last 100 years. It’s a factor. It’s something that you have to manage each and every day. But it doesn’t make the list of why we do what we do.”
He was still saying “we” Tuesday. A day earlier, he was putting on a bright orange sports jacket at a news conference. “We” is past tense. And the jacket he put on Monday might as well have been green.
By Jeff Schultz
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517 comments Add your comment
Tech hater from day one
October 30th, 2012
8:11 pm
Dick Whiskey…you are clearly playing with your D or drinking too much of your W.
Tech hater from day one
October 30th, 2012
8:19 pm
or both…
how is this for proof: In Larceny, 281 from Jan through June 2012 as reported at the Ga Tech police dept. http://www.police.gatech.edu/crimeinfo/crimestats/
OkieDawg
October 30th, 2012
8:20 pm
The BCS rankings: GT #92. They are sandwitched between Western Michigan and North Texas. As my Grandma said, “You shall be known by the company you keep”. GT is now a bottom feeder, right? There are only 120 D-1 schools and GT is #92! WOW…SAD
BIG BEE
October 30th, 2012
8:22 pm
Problem is that GT is not a university and cannot attract many of the better high school players. Until this is changed, things will remain the same.
Dunwoody DAWG
October 30th, 2012
8:30 pm
I feel sorry the trade school.. The list of reasons for the decline are long; campus in the hood, gimmicky offense, mostly 3rd tier players, empty stands, lack of coeds (who don’t speak Mandarin), ACC, UGA beating you like a red-headed stepson, etc. If you were a top rated football player, why in the world would you sign at GT?
Skeptic
October 30th, 2012
8:39 pm
OkieDawg,
Your grandmaw was Victorian English? Damn, you’re old. And, why are you so proud of OK?
Ignition
October 30th, 2012
8:45 pm
West Midtown = the “hood/ghetto”
LOL you people please stay the hell away from Atlanta..
Oh, unless you’re coming with your tax dollars.
Skeptic
October 30th, 2012
8:50 pm
I wish Tech WAS a real trade school. While there, I would have learned how to weld, rig plumbing, wire electricity, run equipment, etc. Skills that most people pay BIG dollars to hire. You UGA TECH bashers know what I’m talking about. Instead, I learned a lot of theory. That paid off because of the Tech REP, and I made my pile, but I still had to learn all the aforementioned trades in the “School of Hard Knocks.” If you don’t know how to do any of this stuff, you’re just a customer.
Old Fashioned
October 30th, 2012
9:02 pm
Earlier poster asked the very good question as to how Tech could have had such tremendous success in the 1950s (with basically the same set of circumstances as of today, in terms of limited curriculum,difficult admission standards,small enrollments,low percentage of graduates remaining in Georgia,etc.). All who were there then know the answer: BOBBY DODD . A brilliant strategist and amazing tactician, marvelous at public relations,wonderful recruiter. Unfortunately for us GT fans,there will never be another Coach Dodd. Expecting one is not at all realistic. We can never again,in my opinion,come close to the success of those glory days. So,as I approach my 80th birthday,I can at least have my memories. And my apologies for living in a past that most of our posters couldn’t care less for.
Smyrna Jacket
October 30th, 2012
9:12 pm
The next AD at GT needs to be Charlie Cobb, now AD at App State. Has done wonderful things there. Played at NC State. Worked in ATL at Peach Bowl, ATL Sports Council and GA Dome. Left ATL to take job as Sr Assoc AD at NC State. The guy has famiy ties here and loves ATL.
Ignition
October 30th, 2012
9:17 pm
The Dodd era was Waaaaaay different than the current environment of college football, that is not an equal comparison at all.
Cannonball Butler
October 30th, 2012
9:19 pm
I’ve been saying for years that Tech is a DINOSAUR of a school and should be closed to save tax payer dollars. Not only that you can’t go 2 weeks without hearing some of their students getting mugged or robbed at gun point. Either that or make it a vocational school which for all practical purposes it is anyway. Hate to say it but time to shut it down.
Skeptic
October 30th, 2012
9:33 pm
I love the irony of a dude using Cannonball in his handle claiming Ma Tech is a dinosaur. You don’t simply shut down one of the leading research organizations in the, well, pretty much, world.
Research accomplished at GA Tech has literally saved my life several times.
GTJohn
October 30th, 2012
9:39 pm
What many of you fail to realize is that football is not what it use to be. In my son’s HS 10 years ago, a AAAAAA school, they had to beg students to play FB. The kids were not interested – preferred video games instead.
The interest at Tech and UGA is changing for FB also. Today’s kids just do not find it to be important to their life. It is no longer the 1950s and playing FB is not the BMOC any more.
Don’t get me wrong,. I personally love it. but if you look at the AJC Saturdays from the Dodd and Butts days and today, you can easily see the difference. FB just is not important – like it used to be and the AJC does nothing to help that with all their negative reporting, screwy analysis. They used to give a great deal of human interest stories on the players, write about the good and positive things players did and never highlight the negatives. Today, the AJC never does this but they do publish all the arrest records and hound people to death to get dirt on players and coaches, Once they get the dirt, you will see it for weeks. Just look at the Tech probation story – the AJC could have been a positive force for Tech but Nooooooo. They never helped out with the UGA Crowell situation either.
Where is Furman Bisher and his kind today. Sorry, but the writers at the AJC today cannot get even close to those days from the past.
Jeff Schultz
October 30th, 2012
9:47 pm
Hi folks — Thanks for all of the early comments. Just checking in. Will see if you have any questions.
Jeff Schultz
October 30th, 2012
9:49 pm
Under The Bleachers — Your comments are right on point.
Skeptic
October 30th, 2012
9:49 pm
GTJohn
I sure miss Bisher and even Grizzard. RIP. Few know all the sports cliche’s anymore. The “tilt”, a “can of corn”, “toe meets leather”, a pitcher was “chased”, or he “helped himself”. Glorydays. Come on, Jeff, you’re pretty good but surely some of that stuff rubbed off on the entire Sports desk.
Jeff Schultz
October 30th, 2012
9:51 pm
“Come on: jeff have you ever sat down to consider GT gets little press nationally, and the coverage we receive from the local market is negative and if yall say anything good about tech it is more of a back handed compliment. even the radio station covering tech loves disrespecting them. maybe if the press was to highlight the positives of georgia tech athletics and cover the teams with a little less uga slant people would get more excited about the institute and all it has to offer.”
<< This is a tired old complaint that just isn’t factual. Actually, Dan Radakovich brought subject up to me when we spoke and he said he was “warned” by some Tech supporters that AJC was overly negative about school and overly positive about UGA and he did not find that to be the case. When Tech teams do well, positive things are written. When not, negative things are written. It works the same for UGA. Ask Mark Richt.
Jeff Schultz
October 30th, 2012
9:53 pm
GTBob — “What exactly does Athens offer that Atlanta doesn’t offer?”
<<< The city of Athens resolves around the university. The city of Atlanta does not revolve around just Tech. That’s the difference.
Jeff Schultz
October 30th, 2012
9:55 pm
Always a Jacket — I get your points. And if it makes you feel any better, I’d take living in Atlanta over Clemson any day.
dawgfan
October 30th, 2012
9:58 pm
UGA is a school that wants to be great at EVERYTHING, be it football or veterinary medicine. You name it and we strive for excellence in that field. We have the courage to think big and bold. Georgia Tech not so much. Georgia Tech is a school that only strives to be great in engineering. They don’t have the heart to strive for anything greater. They downplay everything else in the world and ridicule it like scared little children. They are content with mocking non-engineers and making crybaby excuses for their football team. That’s all they need to make them feel like they are better than everyone else.
That’s probably the biggest disparity between UGA an Tech Jeff. The biggest effing lie that a Techie will ever tell you is that they don’t care about losing to Georgia in football. It eats at their azz 24/7/365 and those stuck up holier than thou pencil necks deserve every minute of it.
Good luck to “D-Rad” (possibly the lamest nickname ever . No wonder he’s getting the hell out of dodge). He did what any sane person would do.
Jeff Schultz
October 30th, 2012
9:59 pm
Titus — The respective endowments at the two schools have nothing to do with the respective athletic budgets and the respective grand total of team revenues at the two schools. Of course, as you pointed out, I’m just an “amateur” writer. You on the other hand appear to be a professional moron.
MattMD
October 30th, 2012
9:59 pm
If anybody thinks the area around Tech is dangerous then they are wussies.
MattMD
October 30th, 2012
10:02 pm
Tech’s science departments and business school are well regarded, I don’t see your point dawgfan.
Jeff Schultz
October 30th, 2012
10:04 pm
Dawgfan — Funny, I’ve NEVER heard a Tech fan say they don’t care about the Georgia game.
Gurshall
October 30th, 2012
10:05 pm
Uga is great ga tech sucks.
Jeff Schultz
October 30th, 2012
10:07 pm
Skeptic — Funny story about cliches. Jerome Holtzman, the late long-time baseball writer for the Chicago Tribune, sent in a story once and one of his editors (much younger) scolded him for having a cliche in the story. Jerome’s response was, “It wasn’t a cliche the first time I wrote it!” And I’m sure that was the truth.
Tech hater from day one
October 30th, 2012
10:08 pm
Dick Whiskey, Maybe, one day, you will have an income you predict for all techies, but I doubt it. You’re too engrossed with your little thing and your booze to make much of yourself. Meanwhile, UGA is encroaching on your school’s engineering program, or haven’t you read the news lately. Aside from that, the UGA business school and it’s professional schools are turning out high income producers every matriculation (that’s graduation, in case you didn’t know with your engineering degree from Tech.). By the…,way, who is writing this for you? We all know that Techies can ‘t read or write. Now, just to be clear, I am not a UGA grad, so don’t go off on them just because I am calling you out.
GTBob
October 30th, 2012
10:09 pm
UGA is a school that wants to be great at EVERYTHING, be it football or veterinary medicine. You name it and we strive for excellence in that field.
What exactly is UGA great at? I admire you for striving for it in every area but eventually you should show results also.
Skeptic
October 30th, 2012
10:12 pm
Dawgfan
Engineering IS everything. Did a UGA invent that computer you typed on? How about that gizmo that you probably walk around gazing at all day? What about the car you drive 100 MPH on 285? But, I learned veterinary on my own. Anybody can figure out why a calf ain’t on the tit. Or “reading” law. All you have to know how to do is read.
TTT
October 30th, 2012
10:15 pm
@Tech hater from day one
Matriculation means ENTERING a university, not graduating. The irony is rich.
Seriously?
October 30th, 2012
10:18 pm
Hey Jeff – Shouldn’t UGA fans be grateful for Georgia Tech folks? After all, our roads, bridges, airplanes, buildings, computer systems, etc. were designed by engineers and architects. We obsess over the Saturday activities of 18-22 year old youngsters. Meanwhile, 5th graders in China are learning Calculus….
Tech hater from day one
October 30th, 2012
10:21 pm
Skeptic, Are you not reading the crime reports? Take a look at this report from the Atl police:
http://www.ucrime.com/ga/georgia%20institute%20of%20technology
Now, what logically motivated individual wants to go to a school that can’t provide an environment of relative safety for the study of esoteric nuances in life, like how to draw a right angle, or how to calculate the area of a triangle, or how to read an algebraic expression without a complex electronic toy? Or better, how to read crime states from Atlanta’s finest? You know, accumulated individual data treated with a simple mathematical manipulation, like totaling and averaging? These are things you get in the fifth grade, but apparently lacking in your tech experience.
GTBob
October 30th, 2012
10:24 pm
The city of Athens resolves around the university. The city of Atlanta does not revolve around just Tech. That’s the difference.
This is true but it is a misnomer. Athens pretty much only exists because the State a Georgia needed a place to plop their state University. The population is slightly higher than the average attendance at a UGA football game. Hardly anyone is there except students and faculty of the University so of course the city revolves around the University. I’m still not quite sure what the city offers a potential student that Atlanta cannot provide though.
fan
October 30th, 2012
10:28 pm
NOW WHAT DO YOU THINK OF RADAKOVICH’S SO CALLED LOYALTY. BOLTING FOR CLEMPSON OF ALL PLACES.
yearofthedawg
October 30th, 2012
10:29 pm
First of all: its a great night because somebody finally got under GTBob’s skin. I enjoy his constant picking on the UGA blog and considered him Teflon Bob until now.
Secondly, I went to both schools. Bachelor’s degree at UGA and masters at Tech. A few thoughts on the above:
- What does Athens have that Atlanta doesn’t? About 15,000 gorgeous college-age women on campus. That’s about 14,500 more than Tech.
- The notion that Tech has a bunch of athletes in difficult disciplines is preposterous. Tech hides them in management school.
- I found just as many bad professors at each school. (And good ones.) The superior education argument (in my disciplines anyway) would have to be based on something other than quality of teaching.
To me, the difference between the two schools can currently be summarized by the game where Jasper Sanks had the phantom fumble at the goal line. Tech would rather beat UGA on a play where they know the UGA fans will howl about injustice for the next ten years. UGA would rather win 40-0.
-
-
GTBob
October 30th, 2012
10:35 pm
- What does Athens have that Atlanta doesn’t? About 15,000 gorgeous college-age women on campus. That’s about 14,500 more than Tech.
Tech has plenty of beautiful women on campus, and if they don’t appeal to you there are about a million more around the city that are well beyond the quality in Athens. Its not even a close comparison.
Jeff Schultz
October 30th, 2012
10:37 pm
GTBob — The point is: That’s what a “college town” is. That’s all I’m saying. … Now, if you want to make the case that Atlanta has great restaurants, music and hip areas just like Athens does, that’s fine. But it’s not all in close proximity of the Tech campus, as it is in Athens (and many college towns). That’s what gives it a unique feel, relative to Atlanta. That make sense?
TTT
October 30th, 2012
10:39 pm
- What does Athens have that Atlanta doesn’t? About 15,000 gorgeous college-age women on campus. That’s about 14,500 more than Tech. Probably true, but meaningless in the scheme of important thing.
- The notion that Tech has a bunch of athletes in difficult disciplines is preposterous. Tech hides them in management school. True.
- I found just as many bad professors at each school. (And good ones.) The superior education argument (in my disciplines anyway) would have to be based on something other than quality of teaching. Tech’s superior education is mostly a result of superior students.
Skeptic
October 30th, 2012
10:44 pm
Tech hater,
Sorry, I don’t read the crime reports there. Are you a resident or a taxpayer? If so, why aren’t you demanding better response against these things in your capital city?
“esoteric nuances in life”
“accumulated individual data treated with a simple mathematical manipulation, like totaling and averaging”
I’d like to see this sentence diagrammed. Again, I apologize, but I was a product of the education provided me by the state of GA. Probably led by a UGA. Anyway, I would still send my kids to Tech even with that report if I could afford it. They are all Southern Yeomen (can I say that here?) and know how to defend themselves.
oh brother!
October 30th, 2012
10:45 pm
Yes Seriously…but they were funded by business graduates
yearofthedawg
October 30th, 2012
10:57 pm
Bob, now THAT is funny…. I hope you were going for humor.
TTT, maybe its based on superior students. Everyone was smarter than me in both places, so how would I know. ’bout the only thing I’m sure of is I can recognize attractive women better than Bob.
GTBob
October 30th, 2012
10:58 pm
That’s what gives it a unique feel, relative to Atlanta. That make sense?
It makes sense but there seems to be some assumption going on that a simple college town that only exists to cater to students needs and wants is superior to a big city college life where there are many many more things to do and opportunities for students academically and socially. They both have their pros and cons and personally, the cons of living in a city like Athens would drive me crazy.
GTBob
October 30th, 2012
11:01 pm
I can recognize attractive women better than Bob.
Well, I will pay more attention tomorrow but I am sure I have seen attractive women in Atlanta before.
Ignition
October 30th, 2012
11:02 pm
LOL at School of Management being a place to Hide students…
John Ford
October 30th, 2012
11:05 pm
We need to get out of the ACC while we can still beat out Georgia State for recruits. Get in the Big East and win more. Recruits are attracted to winning. We can’t let Georgia State start taking our recruits.
Erik
October 30th, 2012
11:07 pm
If the School of Management isn’t a place to hide football and basketball players then why are most of them there?
Reality
October 30th, 2012
11:09 pm
Spin, spin, spin. Anti-Tech.
How about this? Clemson is envious of GA Tech and likes our top management so much that they over pay for them? How is that for spin?
Wal-Mart Retards
October 30th, 2012
11:10 pm
Tech hater – you scared of being on campus, huh? Terrified some baddies might catch with your soiled tampon. Grow up!
Reality
October 30th, 2012
11:11 pm
If GA Tech is so “bad” and is in such bad shape for whatever reasons….. then WHY DOES CLEMSON HIRE A TECH GUY??????
Does that mean that Clemson wants to follow in the footsteps of GA Tech?