Two candidates to be UGA’s AD: McGarity and Williams
Carla Williams (right) could well be Georgia's next AD. (AJC photo by Curtis Compton)
Georgia is again in the market for an athletics director, and it’s safe to assume Vincent J. Dooley won’t be riding to the rescue. (Michael F. Adams would rather eat a charbroiled rat than turn to Dooley.) There seem two logical candidates. Both are Georgia natives and UGA, and one of them a UGA employee. The two:
Greg McGarity: He’s from Athens. He played tennis under Dan Magill at UGA. He worked his way up the athletics department chain of command under Dooley. He left in 1992 to become an assistant AD at Florida, and he’s now Jeremy Foley’s chief aide. He’s wildly popular among Georgia fans, and his background of having worked under two of the best in the business — Dooley and Foley — would make him the odds-on favorite. Except for this:
Adams is still Georgia’s president. McGarity was viewed as a likely successor to Dooley back in 2004 but wasn’t hired. The thinking then was that he was viewed by Adams as a Dooley loyalist.
It’s possible that, six years later, the president has softened his anti-Dooley stance. It’s also possible he hasn’t. In which case, the leading candidate would be …
Carla Williams: She’s from LaGrange. She played basketball (as Carla Green) at Georgia under Andy Landers. She has a PhD from Florida State. She has worked as an assistant AD at Vanderbilt. She has worked at UGA as assistant AD since 2004 and has been regarded as a rising star in the nation’s second-most profitable athletics department.
It was Adams who, with Damon Evans in 2004, appointed the first African-American AD in SEC history. Williams would be the first female athletics director the conference has seen and would surely meet with in-house approval.
My guess: Carla Williams.
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
656 comments Add your comment
jeff
July 4th, 2010
7:21 pm
why does it always have to be “because they are african american”?????? why????????
Delbert D.
July 4th, 2010
7:22 pm
I wasn’t serious about Vandy. But Patrick is right, Stanford would be top choice for just about anything.
Houston Astro
July 4th, 2010
7:22 pm
George… you old sonofab*tch…. you know you ain’t getting that job… you old b*stard!!
Sully
July 4th, 2010
7:27 pm
If Adams wants to CONTROL somebody like a robot, he’ll get unproven leadership. If he wants to WIN a championship in a sport like baseball/basketball, or football, he needs to go get someobody from either Florida or Stanford. Football is where the revenues come from, so I’d lean a little to Florida, but Stanford excels in many sports and academically too. Florida has had recent championships in football and basketball, pretty impressive.
P.S This really puts the pressure cooker on Mark Richt to win a Championship soon. The new AD won’t put up with 8-5 seasons, too much pressure to win, too much money involved. At some point, after a decade, people will start to look at Mark Richt and whether he is capable of winning a championship as a head coach.
damngooddog
July 4th, 2010
7:29 pm
Amen Jeff
It is almost like Ms. Williams accomplishments are ignored.
George
July 4th, 2010
7:30 pm
Mens sports NOT womens sports keep the department operating. NO way in Hell should a woman be AD. I know its 2010 blah blah blah but enough is enough. If McGarity will take the job, give it to him. End of story.
buckhead benny
July 4th, 2010
7:32 pm
Mark- How old is Carla and Greg? I think a major source of this happening is the maturity level of a 34 year old assuming athlectic director of one of the most reconizable sports school in the country- Its not like being a gm of the Boston Red Sox- This played out that way- Almost like the guy just couldn’t resist the temptations that came with being an athlectic director and the power that came with it. I would like to see someone that is a more mature candidate.
damngooddog
July 4th, 2010
7:33 pm
Nobody is looking at only women’s sports George. The AD promotes UGA. You can’t honestly think that someone would take the job and not understand where the revenue is generated???? Come on
Kevin
July 4th, 2010
7:33 pm
What about Arthur Johnson?
asheville dawg
July 4th, 2010
7:35 pm
Let’s really put the screws to Tennessee and hire Derick Dooley. He was AD at La. Tech and would bring home a Dooley. And if it makes the Vols have a fourth coach in three years, so much the better.
Mark Bradley
July 4th, 2010
7:36 pm
The Georgia AD makes a couple of million dollars less than the Tennessee coach. Why would Derek Dooley even consider such a thing?
Sully
July 4th, 2010
7:37 pm
If you’re going to let a woman run the program, hard to find someone more qualied than Chris Hutchins over at Stanford.
http://www.gostanford.com/school-bio/stan-hutchins.html
George
July 4th, 2010
7:38 pm
DGD- I dont give a rats a$$ what she knows. We need a tough as nails MAN in that role. We will be the laughing stock of the SEC if we give this role to a woman.
NO 3 MAN RUSH EVER
July 4th, 2010
7:39 pm
what is carla williams personal background? is she married , single, have children. straight or gay, living with a man or woman or married man. don’t say this is not important and that only her qualifications should be considered because if that is the case then damon is qualified for the job but his morals eliminated him as it should suzann y. i don’t care about phd or such but i personally don’t want to be hearing about support for the obama idiot he is ruining the country. if she is straight and not morally corrupt and is comitted to the dawgs and not politically correctness then consider her if she is not then quit strying to push her for the job just because she is a black female. Speak up hippocrites
George
July 4th, 2010
7:40 pm
This isnt the PAC Ten morons. We dont want Stanford people running the show. We need an SEC proven winner. Like McGarity. Period.
George
July 4th, 2010
7:41 pm
We did the affirmative action thing and look where that got us….
truth
July 4th, 2010
7:42 pm
Bring in someone from the outside or I’m done with UGA. A black female underling of Damon Evans? You have got to be friggin kidding me! I’m not saying a female couldn’t do the job but this is not the time for experimentation at UGA. For god sake bring in someone like McGarity who has been outside the school for a while. Let another SEC school be the first to hire a female AD.
kwc
July 4th, 2010
7:42 pm
Kevin – who is Arthur Johnson?
Mark – in selecting your next A.D., what is the most important: length of experience, financial background, prominant NCAA profile, compliance experience, coaching experience,…what?
NO 3 MAN RUSH EVER
July 4th, 2010
7:43 pm
political correctness
Mark Bradley
July 4th, 2010
7:43 pm
All those things, kwc.
DogMan
July 4th, 2010
7:44 pm
This makes drinking the whiskey sooooooo smooth on 4th of July. Enjoy Independence Day.!!! Couldn’t have happened to a better school. They are the stalwart of our fair state! Where there is confusion there is profit. Enjoy this – it will pass.
Delbert D.
July 4th, 2010
7:45 pm
Holey-moley! University of Chicago undergrad, MIT MBA in Strategic Management Consulting and Marketing. Plus 5 years experience in job at Stanford doing all the external relations stuff. I I was a president, I’d interview her.
George
July 4th, 2010
7:45 pm
Amen Truth.
DogMan
July 4th, 2010
7:46 pm
hey Bark, go back to the cesspool on N. Ave. u r sooooooo ride the fence I betcha ur tail end is sore from the ridin. Im surprised u haven’t made this racial, but i give u credit – u keep ur job.
blazerdawg
July 4th, 2010
7:48 pm
Anyone who knows Carla, knows that it would not be an affirmative action hire, and she is plenty tough enough. It has to be either Carla or G McGarity; either would be awesome; but the GT idiots commenting about race and gender on this blog should be careful about what they wish for. Carla Williams is more than qualified that is most committed to UGA, and will beat the H*** out of GT. And yes I am an old, white, native Georgian commenting.
CDAWG
July 4th, 2010
7:49 pm
I would like to see the BEST, most qualified person get the job, not based on race, color or gender just the most qualified. If it turns out to be a black woman, ok and if it turns out to be a white man then ok too.
Calvary One
July 4th, 2010
7:50 pm
Claude Felton would be a great interim choice.
Affirmative Action=Nepotism
July 4th, 2010
7:50 pm
Many continue to say that hiring Dr. Williams, who is a well qualified candidate would only be hired for affirmative action reasons because she is black. If she were not so highly qualified and experienced, I would agree.
Here is some food for thought: Everyone always focuses on affirmative action, but rarely nepotism.
A few examples of nepotism: (I won’t even discuss the # of students who are only accepted into various colleges because of who their parents are)
Luke Russert, NBC Correspondent: (Dad, Tim Russert)
Jenna Bush (Hager), NBC Today Show Correspondent (Dad: Former Pres. Bush)
Ayla Brown, CBS Early Show Correspondent (Dad: Sen. Scott Brown)
Can anyone honestly say that these people are qualified to be in such high paid, profile positions? So, if Dr. Williams is under consideration for AD, just be glad she is qualified. Breathe a sigh of relief that Luke, Jena and Ayla do not want the AD job because based on their parents influence and power, they would get it.
So my question is, what is the difference between Affirmative Action and Nepotism? I submit, there is no difference.
George Costanza
July 4th, 2010
7:51 pm
Like I told you years ago Astro man, no Yankee will ever set foot in Houston as long as you ba$tards are running the show!
VA
July 4th, 2010
7:53 pm
What about Derek Dooley. Tennessee would probably pay a large part of his salary
Morningside
July 4th, 2010
7:53 pm
The University of Florida has the best Athletic Department in the SEC right now.
This is a no-brainer,
unless the ego of Dr. Adams gets in the way.
George Costanza
July 4th, 2010
7:54 pm
And I will extend that same pledge to all UGA people. No dawg will ever step foot in Houston while I’m AD.
browndog
July 4th, 2010
7:54 pm
Integrity, honesty, consistency, work ethic, communication skills and commitment……..the basic qualifications for any upper management position.
DogMan
July 4th, 2010
7:55 pm
i can’t believe u are considering another Dooley. Adams has nixed that in the past . Maybe another Adams is more in line with what we need. someone who really pushes us for what we promote. thoughts?
George
July 4th, 2010
7:55 pm
Blazer.. You’re telling me a woman understands how to run a department that is existent because of MENS sports? I dont care what any of you say, a woman has NO place as head of this department. Next thing you know, Suzie from Woodward Academy will be talked about to replace Murray in 3 years.. The Georgia Athletic department is a mans world plain and simple. When womens sports dominate the money, attendance, and fan following, I say hire an entire staff of women. Until then its a MANS job.
Delbert D.
July 4th, 2010
7:56 pm
Anybody really think Adams would consider a guy he passed over 5 years ago?
Vince
July 4th, 2010
7:57 pm
Is uga gonna hire Dan Parker again and pay him a boat load of money to do whatever Adams wants to do?
George Costanza
July 4th, 2010
7:57 pm
In addition to Harry Dawg, we will also have a body suit man during all home events. I’d be willing to donate my suit to the cause.
George
July 4th, 2010
7:58 pm
AA= Nepotism. That is literally the dumbest analogy I have ever heard. Moron.
Put me in coach
July 4th, 2010
7:58 pm
The new AD is going to be Steve Dennis, current AD at Troy, former player for Dooley…if that does not happen there will be many unhappy former footbal players…
Rxdawg79
July 4th, 2010
7:58 pm
@Sully:Also, Georgia is now the ONLY team in the SEC East to not have a champion in baseball, basketball, or football since 1992.
Uh, how about:
Baseball: SEC champs 2001, 2004, 2008
Football: SEC champs 2002, 2005
Even Dennis Felton’s basketball team managed to win the SEC tourney a couple of years ago. Not the SEC title, but much better than anyone expected him to produce.
I agree with most of your sentiments, but you’ve got some facts wrong.
EmoryDawg
July 4th, 2010
7:59 pm
Greg McGarity, Carla Williams & any other person associated with UGA athletics should be excluded. A proven administrator with absolutely no attachments to any UGA group or sport should be selected. There is a decade-plus pathogenic quagmire at UGA AA. Throw the doors open and let the sunlight in. Any one tainted with a historical attachment to UGA athletics and AA will cause the quagmire to fester. Do a national search, get a proven leader and administrator. The University, alumni and tradition deserve no less. There is money and time to do it right.
DogMan
July 4th, 2010
8:01 pm
im a thinking —- we clean house and start with a younger better bunch. things are not good for us right now.
DogMan
July 4th, 2010
8:01 pm
including Adams
Sully
July 4th, 2010
8:02 pm
didn’t say ’sec’ champ, that’s your word. I said championships, as in national.
Georgia is the only SEC East school to not have won a NATIONAL championship in baseball, football or basketball since 1992.
Mark
July 4th, 2010
8:02 pm
The attorney has a pencil thin mustache contrasting with a couple of prominent, fleshy chins.
bufbox
July 4th, 2010
8:02 pm
PutMeInCoach… I agree! Mark… got any insight on Steve Dennis?
True ugh fan
July 4th, 2010
8:03 pm
Ok, we tried going with the affirmative action candidate, let’s hope Adams picks someone who will actually run the program and not use it as a position to pickup women
George
July 4th, 2010
8:04 pm
Sully- You sure about the Nat’l championship statement? Im not disagreeing with you, just curious. Auburn? Vandy?
DAwg P
July 4th, 2010
8:04 pm
Mcgarity’s just a gofer for jeremy foley at uf. GA needs a bigtime AD with real experience running a program. They should do a nationwide search and try to get an existing AD at a big school. No more on the job training like evans, who did nothing.