AD Radakovich leaves, and a wobbly Tech takes another hit
Hat's all, folks. AD Dan Radakovich is a Georgia Tech man no longer. (AJC file photo)
In the grand scheme, this might turn out to be good for Georgia Tech. Who among us can know the future? But in the here and now of a football season gone unbelievably sour, seeing Tech’s athletic director hop in a car and motor 125 miles up I-85 to take the same job at a conference rival looks really, really bad. It looks as if Dan Radakovich is ducking out on a program in disarray.
For better or worse, most athletic programs go as football goes. The best move Radakovich made at Tech, or so it seemed, was to hire Paul Johnson to coach football. Now we’ve been given cause to wonder if Johnson’s success was but a two-year blip. Picked to finish second in the ACC Coastal Division, the Jackets dumped their defensive coordinator in mid-season and just lost to BYU – that’s three home losses this year, two against non-BCS conference schools – to fall to 3-5. And now the man who hired Johnson works at Clemson, of all places.
Those who know Radakovich always believed that when he left – and those folks were never under any illusion that Tech would be the final stop for someone so ambitious – it would be for a big-time SEC school. Given that Clemson has more fans and a much bigger stadium than Tech, this isn’t what you’d consider a lateral move. Still, it’s close enough to make Tech folks wonder where their beloved Institute ranks in the firmament of college athletics.
Only three years ago, Tech beat Clemson to win the ACC championship. That sweet victory was later vacated due largely to Radakovich’s bungling of an NCAA investigation involving $312 of clothing. The subsequent four-year probationary term was the first indication that this AD, who had been seen in this and other sectors as a deft administrator, might not have been quite so savvy.
And now, even as he heads up the road to Death Valley, we have further cause to wonder. Tech is set to open its refurbished basketball arena, the McCamish Pavilion, and that renovation was championed by Radakovich. But there’s no guarantee Brian Gregory, the coach Radakovich hired after finding the money to buy out Paul Hewitt, will win big enough to fill the new place. (Season-ticket sales for Season 1 in McCamish have been slow, as you’d expect coming off an 11-20 season.)
Facility-wise, Radakovich did well for Tech: He got a lot of stuff built. He also moved to fire Hewitt and Chan Gailey, coaches who’d won but who’d left their constituency wanting and expecting more. But the longer it takes Gregory to win and the longer it takes Johnson to correct all that has gone wrong in his program, the more it will reflect on the AD who just split for Death Valley.
A friend of Radakovich’s suggests his leaving is “a natural progression” – that Radakovich felt he’d done as much as he could do at Tech. But with football in decline and men’s basketball in rebuilding mode, the eyeball diagnosis is of an athletic program on wobbly legs. There’s no buzz, pun intended, around Tech sports, no sense that this always-difficult sell in a crowded metropolitan market is carving out a deeper niche. On the contrary, the Tech footprint keeps shrinking.
Which brings us to this: The next AD needs to be more a promoter than a money man. (Radakovich was the latter, not the former.) The next AD must find a way, assuming one exists, to make Tech more appealing to both moneyed alums and Atlantans who might never have taken a class at the Institute.
This is an awfully big city. Surely some folks out there might be willing to spend a bit of disposable income on a college football or basketball game if they felt it was worth their investment. Gregory has become an ardent and upbeat salesman for his program, but Johnson isn’t what you’d call a PR ace. (Neither were Gailey and Hewitt.) Somebody needs to take this athletic department and broaden the narrowing brand.
Which brings us to Wayne Hogan: He was Radakovich’s deputy, his eyes and ears, and he’s surely worth consideration as Radakovich’s successor. Hogan was the PR man at Florida State when the Seminoles and Bobby Bowden rose to national prominence in a famously amiable way, and he was the AD at Montana for nearly a decade. Hogan isn’t a numbers-cruncher, but surely the Institute – which is, after all, a school steeped in math — could find enough of those. What Tech needs more in its next athletic director is someone with a feel for the product and how best to market it.
Which brings us back to football: Johnson’s stylized offense wasn’t an easy sell even when his teams were winning, and it will become a massive impediment if Tech continues to lose. The Jackets’ recruiting under Johnson has been tepid at best, but it isn’t in Johnson’s nature to do things any way but his. The biggest move Radakovich made was hiring this football coach. The biggest decision the next AD could face is what to do about this football coach.
By Mark Bradley
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274 comments Add your comment
Dawgdad (The Original)
October 29th, 2012
4:47 pm
They need a real charmer, who can bring all the different groups together, sing kum by yah, and charm the brass off the door knob. I happen to know who would be just the person for this AD position, and would probably be glad to get a life line. Call the UGA Athletic office and ask for the number of the Head Football Coach.
Billyho55
October 29th, 2012
4:49 pm
IF ONLY THE OTHER “BIG” TIME WRITER AT THE AJC HAD A CLUE! I’M SORRY BUT THE OTHER GUY JUST SEEMS OUT OF TOUCH WITH WHAT’S REALLY GOING ON AND USUALLY IS! THANK YOU MR. BRADLEY FOR ANOTHER INFORMATIVE AND INSIGHTFUL ARTICLE!
Bob
October 29th, 2012
4:50 pm
As a long time loyal Dawg fan, I still take pride as a Georgian in seeing Tech win every game except the last one. If CPJ makes $2.6M a year, he is still responsible and accountable to the Athletic Dept and the School. Why don’t they insist that he stop running a high school offense and install something that gives them a chance to utilize the better talent that they could recruit? Seems like the tail is wagging the dog. Just asking.
Sloppy
October 29th, 2012
4:51 pm
Is there a team sport at GT excelled during Rad’s tenure?
I am sure one or two have, but overall most Tech programs have taken steps backwards in recent years.
Time for new blood for most of the athletic programs.
Start with that Hard Headed Paul Johnson and a AD who demands each program excels and graduates it’s players.
Jim S.
October 29th, 2012
4:55 pm
@George Stein-Way to go genius, with your pompous response, you only proved @Jee S. You(’s) point that Tech fans often come off as having a misplaced sense of elitism…it seems conceivable that one as brilliant as you appear to fancy yourself would have recognized such before making your ‘point’, as it were…looks like you are blessed with a bit of the Paul Johnson charm….You probably don’t fit the mold of the PR guy that Mr. Bradley believes is needed for the AD job…Better stick with your DUI practice. Now say the alphabet backwards while holding your right foot out!
Smyrna Jacket
October 29th, 2012
4:57 pm
Time to hire a guy that WANTS to be in Atlanta, that has a good pedigree. Charlie Cobb at Appalacian State is the guy. Charlie worked here in Atlanta in sales and marketing at the GA Dome, worked for the Peach Bowl and the Sports Authority. NC State grad who left ATL to return to NCSU as an assistant AD. A few years later got the AD job at App State. Young guy that has done marvelous things at ASU. KIds there respect Charlie. Right time, right place. Mark, check him out.
Billyho55
October 29th, 2012
4:59 pm
Bob,
ALL DUE RESPECT BUT THE REASON THAT WILL NEVER WORK IS THE UNMITIGATED ARROGANCE AND SELF DENIAL THAT IS ONE PAUL JOHNSON! THANK YOU FOR STAYING CLASSY WITH YOUR COMMENTS! WISH I KNEW MORE UGA FANS LIKE YOU SIR!
Sloppy
October 29th, 2012
5:01 pm
Smyrna
Good choice
Truth
October 29th, 2012
5:01 pm
D-Rad, I wish you would have stuck it out, but I understand why you left. Our ship is sinking and has been for a while. Thank you so much for the time you put into Georgia Tech with the rebuilding of our athletics department and revolution of the tech athletic compound. You were able to do great things, and for that I say thank you.
List Mama » Georgia Tech AD Dan Radakovich hired as Clemson’s new athletic director – Washington Post
October 29th, 2012
5:10 pm
[...] Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog) [...]
ATLIEN
October 29th, 2012
5:14 pm
Why wouldn’t Damon Evans be a credible choice? He did a great job at UGA, hired solid coaches and made good decisions regarding the athletic program? So what he had an affair. Most high paid executives do, that should have no reflection his ability to run an athletic program and given techs precipitous decline he could be a good hire
WTH
October 29th, 2012
5:16 pm
>>D-Rad, I wish you would have stuck it out, but I understand why you left. Our ship is sinking and has been for a while.
If our ship is sinking, it’s because DRad drilled many of the holes himself.
GTBob
October 29th, 2012
5:17 pm
Why wouldn’t Damon Evans be a credible choice?
I’m not sure that a former UGA AD who got fired for driving drunk and cheating on his wife is going to be able to motivate the Alumni base much. Just the fact that he worked for UGA strikes him from consideration.
Bumbling Bees
October 29th, 2012
5:17 pm
The fact that Tech athletics is a shambles is not a surprise. When you mix unfounded arrogance with blind stubborness, you get a poorly managed program that has dug a hole so deep for itself that it will take 5+ years to dig out of it. For a school that prides itself on management and engineering, Tech sure has built a bad machine which no one at the proud Institute knows how to fix. The Tech brand is dying…
GB's Hamburgers
October 29th, 2012
5:20 pm
The long term solution for Tech is to rejoin the SEC. Their campus after all is in the capital of the South. They would suffer a while on the won loss side but their money problems would be gone. Sure they left the SEC when they thought they could be another Notre Dame and keep all the money. But the people who made those decisions are all dead. It’s time to get Tech back where they belong and I hope McGarity will sign on as a sponsor for that. I’m a UGA fan. If we can get them back in the SEC we can hate them even better.
BS Patrol
October 29th, 2012
5:20 pm
Hey Brad, You call Tech wobbly? Then say Rad is another “hit” and go on to say what a lousy AD he was? What’s it gonna be? You can’t have it both ways. Clemson really threw us in the briar patch.
Anyone who wants “4-wins Curry” is an idiot. He has screwed up everything he has touched since he left Green Bay.
Chuck
October 29th, 2012
5:21 pm
To Hayseed Dixie:
I don’t know why the Techies continue to have fun with the Damon Evans incident, it was the worst thing that could have happened to GT Athletics, Evans was a terrible director.
That day was then, and shall forever be, known as the Miracle of the Red Panties.
Bumbling Bees
October 29th, 2012
5:31 pm
Tech is the new N.C. State, but without a loyal fan base….
Bob
October 29th, 2012
5:36 pm
“Dan Radakovich is ducking out ‘ What do you drink before you write these things. Sober up, drink some coffee, the man just left for a better Job Opportunity, which you will probably never get
Bumbling Bees
October 29th, 2012
5:36 pm
Let’s be honest: for football head coaches, the Tech job is either a stepping stone or a fall-back position. Ross, O’Leary, Gailey, Johnson. The smart ones get lucky and get out. There is no hope for sustainable success at Tech if you are the football head coach…
Peter
October 29th, 2012
5:40 pm
Well hiring Paul Johnson was fun for awhile……watching a high school offense is not…..
Tech just plain old sucks….and this is coming from a guy who roots for them over Georgia.
I couldn’t tell you how boring it has been..so i stopped watching.
GTville
October 29th, 2012
5:49 pm
The problem with GT are the fans. Very few, no money, and too ready to fire their coaches. Gailey would not be an NFL HC if he was not good. He also recruited very well for GT. Given time, he could very easily led us to the ACC championship 1 in 5 years and put us in contention for the NC 1 in 10 years. CPJ could do the same. He is in process of recruiting some big O-linemen which will be very helpful. Several are complaining about ticket prices, but GT tickets are very low cost compared to other schools. I constantly hear GT students and young alumni bragging about how smart they are and how much money they will make, but the SEC schools are filling their season tickets with non-college grads who can afford a higher ticket cost at their schools.
Biggest thing you need to watch in the DRAD saga is this…..Clemson is going to the SEC and will announce in February. When Clemson falls, FSU goes west and GT is isolated from the pack and surrounded by the SEC with no protection. ND will not join the ACC in football because they had a defensive recruiting bonanza a couple years ago and they will be top 10 program for the next decade with no reason to join a conference. Not sure who will be lucky 16 in the SEC, but it will not be Miami or GT or Duke or WF. I hate it, but it is reality. If the conference can hold out a few years, the fortunes will turn, but just like GT fans, nobody wants to be patient and it is going to bite GT in the ass.
Option Bee
October 29th, 2012
5:57 pm
Firing Paul cannot be the answer right now, but it can be mandated that he has to replace 3-4 of his assistants (long time friends) to bring in guys that can recruit and coach! The ball is squarely in Bud’s corner now, and I hope that he has more management skills than either of our former two AD’s.
DRad tied his horse long ago to Swafford, and thus the hugh spending spree the last six years.
Are we sure that DRad is a man? Seems he married Tech, and over six years went on a hugh spending spree, and then left with the first guy that had money, leaving poor Tech with debt and regret! Tech will live to see a better day….believe it!
Carol From Tech
October 29th, 2012
6:00 pm
I don’t see anybody here suggesting that Tech hire a FEMALE as the AD.
Let’s face it, the Tech men athletes have not exactly Manned UP in competition lately.
And the Tech Women have the only NCAA championship in Tech’s history.
Its time to wire a woman. The NOW organization needs to get involved.
Carol From Tech
October 29th, 2012
6:02 pm
That’s “hire” not “wire”.
I may be a woman but I can’t type.
Dawgdad (The Original)
October 29th, 2012
6:04 pm
Like business, when you are stuck with a lemon, promote him. Make CPJ the AD and have him hire the coach from Middle Tenn State, that pounded you guys. Just think what he could do with some talent.
Phil
October 29th, 2012
6:05 pm
For a Georgia Tech A.D. to resign and take the same job at Clemson is nothing less than treason. If Drad had gone to a school outside the ACC I would wish him the best but considering where he is going I hope they eat him alive. He left GT with a failing football program, a uncertain basketball future, and he gave PJ a helluva raise his first year. So after all is said and done Good Riddance Drad. GT’s Athletic Department needs a massive overhaul. Hoping that President Peterson realizes how bad things are in the AD.
GTville
October 29th, 2012
6:07 pm
Phil, DRad is going to a non-ACC school, they just have not announced it yet.
GSU1991
October 29th, 2012
6:21 pm
If Coach Johnson would listen to me, I’d advise him to let his defensive staff recruit and coach players and to keep his hands off that side of the ball. He has enough mid-level and top-notch players on offense for his schemes to work. Stop micro-managing, as it will not add $2 to your bank account….the bonus will come when overall program achieves, not individual offensive records.
Had Coach Hewitt stayed away from those $1000 custom made suits, imported Italian shoes, and red ties, he’d still be here, winning, and probably with a nice raise in salary. Thank goodness for Coach Gregory and his Men’s Wearhouse two-for-one suits, “Cremins ties” and Florsheim shoes (he IS the coach for our GT basketball future).
Can we get our alums from Jos A Bank, Cofer Brothers, and Fuddruckers back into the fold and providing the image for all sports to emulate….
PSW
October 29th, 2012
6:23 pm
Minority opinion here, but having returned to the joint after 17 years away, I could care less what the football program does. Sorry for the puritanical bent I am about to go on, but student athletic fees when I started were about $24/qtr, $33/qtr when I left, and you flashed your ID on gameday and got in, sitting in the East stands. We also had a national championship season, and Bobby Cremins.
Today, its $127/semester and they are milking 6000 students for another $55 for “season tickets”. Everyone else gets to arrange their schedule to pick up tickets during the week and sit in the “prime” seats of the South stands.
I’m sorry, I have a hard time looking at this as anything but using the student body as a cash cow, and is a style of “leadership” I’m not sure I could advocate. This is on top of, when I left, no NCAA investigations ever.
Look, the varsity players at Tech are not the absolute hardest working on campus–try being a grad student–but they are right up there. I absolutely love the Band, and enjoy the games when I go. My dad has season tickets. But basically, I view the AA the same way I looked at them back in the day–as some corporate enterprise that just happens to have the same name as the school, off doing their own thing. Hard for me to get excited about a business. I consider the club level sports more representative of the school in many respects
Having said that–If Johnson is doing a decent job with the players, I’d like him to stay. I’d also like Gregory to have a good kickoff season. Tech should always be a power in basketball. But college sports today is actually a questionable enterprise in my opinion, too professional, too much money, and I therefore having difficulty caring. Especially since I consider the $127 highway robbery of a captive audience for the benefit of the AA, not the school, and am actually offended by it.
Just some thoughts from an alum and current student.
Dacusville Bill
October 29th, 2012
6:29 pm
Just my luck–My Freshman Granddaughter goes to Clem and Son, so I became a new fan of Clem and Son–Clem or his son, just screwed up like Hogan’s Goat–I figured it would be nice to pull for a winner for a change (Been a Tech fan since 1950)–then this comes along—Almost enuff to make me want to buy an ugly egg sucking bulldog and become a fan of—Fresno State– Citadel–Yale–Miss State–or———
PSW
October 29th, 2012
6:42 pm
Incindentally, Mark, I miss your old ’stache…
spider
October 29th, 2012
6:53 pm
hey why not hire ga states AD, at least she is good lookin.
George Stein
October 29th, 2012
6:57 pm
Jim S. is another who just makes it really difficult to come across as not elitist. It’s really not our fault, guys.
Delbert D.
October 29th, 2012
7:11 pm
There is an unusual amount of interest in this topic about an athletic director leaving because he decided that it was best for him.
Bobby Petrino
October 29th, 2012
7:26 pm
I can be had but I need a few perks!
Stinger 2
October 29th, 2012
7:33 pm
It would seem that if Clemson followed protocol, they would have to ask permission from Peterson to talk to DRad. If this was the case, then it must have been granted which indicates that Peterson either wanted him to leave GT or did not care if he left.
Michael "the dynasty" Vick
October 29th, 2012
7:34 pm
Who cares about GT? They are and have been irrelevant for a very long time.
Re: Spurrier. Does he really believe Lattimore will be back. I don’t think so. But, I read that Lattimore was doing anything and everything the doctors were asking of him Sat and Sun. I think Spurrier does not want to totally deflate him by telling him, its over. Yes, the Miami back came back, but it is rare.
Seed-Tick
October 29th, 2012
7:36 pm
Should have been fired after NCAA denied appeal.
Donald Parker
October 29th, 2012
7:41 pm
I think Dan’s departure can be a positive for tech, assuming he is replaced by an AD that can market TECH as well as have some business experience. I believe PJ had a good recruiting class last year
and he needs to build on that. Have faith he can have a good year next year. Md should be a win with
Duke and N.C. a toss-up. A 6-6 record looks good at this point.
Under The Bleachers
October 29th, 2012
7:47 pm
The facts are for many many years the GT Football program was viewed by many as a school that mandated or forced players to be engineer students( but not really true), but that changed a few years back. Now the issue is getting high school kids interested enough in GT to come play football on the Flats. Since Paul Johnson took over the program is NOT attracting the talent needed to compete, to keep the students, alumni and fans interested. Is it the offense, Oh yes it is. It is fun to watch if you have the athletes and the schedule, but the ACC is not a defensive league and scoring points with the ball in the air attracts quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, offensive linemen, who want to get the opportunity at the next level. The fans want to see it and it keeps interest in the program. The old addage of ‘ if you have seen one triple option you have seen all the triple options” is more than true. It is not fun to watch in this microwave( we want it now) society.
You can say give Paul Johnson another year, but look around the league and you will see practically everyone being much much better in 2013 and Tech is not going to be making great gains on anyone.
Take what Spurrier did at Duke, Leach did at Texas Tech, and on and on,…they went out got a gun slinger quarterback, a few wide recievers, a good catching TE and used the 1.5, 2 and 3 step drop back pass and won with it which garnered more attention from athletes who loved the system and got better athletes to commit.
Time for the the new AD to clean up and clear out some old school football at a school that needs every advantage possible when competing against in state school UGA for athletes and playing schools like Clemson, FSU, VT, NC, Miami year in and year out.
quick fix
October 29th, 2012
7:47 pm
Promote Johnson to AD. He could easily still call all the plays of Saturday. Make the new special teams coach the “head” coach. He seems so good at his job..cannot argue with success.
Johnn
October 29th, 2012
7:48 pm
Hogan was so good at marketing they took the job away from him and farmed it to an outside firm.
bad brad
October 29th, 2012
7:49 pm
I don’t think I’ve ever commented on a Tech blog before…BUT wonder what it would’ve been like if Tech had stayed in the SEC. In hind sight, what an incredibly stupid move.
Glass House Rocker
October 29th, 2012
7:52 pm
I assume Clemson approached DRAD about the job sometime ago and this “announcement” had been in the works for awhile. It does remind me of
Braine and his assurance to McWorter (and us) that he had not hired another
coach–see Gailey. Also, see the success of Bill O’Brian at Penn State and think of the staff Tech might have had.
My wife, a UGA grad and a GT fan of many years, had the opportunity to meet Coach Dodd. He, obviously, knew he was ill. I have always been proud that he told her I was a “real Tech man”.
My concern about Coach Johnson is his choices of “going for it” on fourth down at the most inopportune times–Miami, for instance, with no time outs in regulation and Tech ahead. Tech’s defense was exhausted. A first down wins the game. Johnson punts. You know the rest.
For many years we had 4 tickets in the West Stands. When we no longer had use for 4 tickets because our child had become a student at GT, we cut our order to two. We still paid the same “contribution” for the two seats but they were assigned to a far less desirable location compared to the four we had. They were even out of our area of “contribution” area.
I spoke with someone on DRAD’s staff–an FSU alum–who, essentially, told me that if I did not like it I could stuff it. I told him that GT is not FSU.
Ultimately, I spoke with Mr. Griffith and the situation was resolved.
In the interium I exchanged e-mails with DRAD. I explained the people’s lives change over time. I emphansized that GT is not FSU or UGA and does not have that fan base support. I also mentioned Coach Dodd’s philosophy that this is a college game that’s supposed to be fun–especially for its participants.
ToccoaDawg
October 29th, 2012
8:00 pm
This can only be GREAT news for Tech. Now if they would just find a REAL football coach that will help UGA keep Georgia players in Georgia. The is NO reason for Tech to be this bad with all the talent there is in this state, NONE. Tech should be challenging for the ACC title EVERY year. Keep your head up Tech things are looking up.
Michael "the dynasty" Vick
October 29th, 2012
8:04 pm
Brad, incredibly smart move to get out of SEC.
Sept 1989, Bowden has choice SEC, or ACC. The rest is history. Check his record against ACC and SEC at that point. He knew to join the weaker conference.
South Carolina is SEC doormat but would have a 80% win record against GT. GT would be another Vandy in the SEC.
Michael "the dynasty" Vick
October 29th, 2012
8:09 pm
SC is SEC doormat when most of the big dogs are playing well.
Michael "the dynasty" Vick
October 29th, 2012
8:14 pm
hmmm a degree from a great school that has a terrible football team, or a degree from a mediocre party school that has a mediocre football team.
Let me ponder.
Hairy Dawg
October 29th, 2012
8:35 pm
Kinda classless of Radakovich to get the hell out of Dodge like that. It pains me to say this, but the folks at Tech, the alumni, and the fans deserved better. My guess is that they’ll find a good guy to take over the reins.