Update: Link to Greenspan's lucrative severance agreement
When athletics director
Rick Greenspan announced that he would be stepping down from his position at the end of this year, many IU fans exulted. Others, however, just wondered. Was Greenspan really the guy responsible for IU’s current situation, or was his vilification the result of various popular beliefs and the actions of someone higher up? This heated debate is sure to continue for quite some time.
On September 2, 2004, former IU President
Adam Herbert appointed Greenspan as director of athletics. Before coming to IU, Greenspan amassed 25 years of experience and served as athletics director at Illinois State and Army. He was nothing less than an outstanding candidate, rising to the top of a pool of around 100 potential choices.
Besides the Kelvin Sampson disaster, the embattled AD has apparently done a great job of living up to his qualifications. Here’s a few key accomplishments, from
IUhoosiers.com:
• Organized and led the first comprehensive capital campaign in the history of IU Athletics.
• Broken ground on a multi-million dollar facility enhancement project which includes the new north end zone facility, a basketball development center, academic resource center and new baseball and softball stadiums.
• Hired the late Terry Hoeppner as the head football coach, and saw him rejuvenate an IU fan base that contributed to a 39 percent increase in per game attendance, a 46 percent increase in overall season ticket sales and a 110 percent increase in student season ticket sales.
• Provided leadership in the wake of the death of Hoeppner. The Hoosiers earned their first bowl trip since 1993 under Bill Lynch, who Greenspan subsequently appointed head coach following the regular season.
• Hired Tom Crean to lead the IU basketball program. Crean averaged over 20 wins a season in nine years at Marquette and led the Golden Eagles to five NCAA Tournament appearances including the 2003 Final Four.
• Hired Tracy Smith as the baseball coach and Felisha Legette-Jack as the women's basketball coach - both coaches have those respective programs on the rise.
Complete list of accomplishments available here
Particularly if the Crean hiring pans out as positively as it is right now, that is an excellent pedigree. All of the names in bold are arguably great hires, and the other accomplishments are all praiseworthy. Unfortunately for Greenspan, Sampson was also hired during his tenure, and details and political undercurrents surrounding the hiring are largely unknown.
Greenspan might have been powerless against the overriding hand of former President Herbert, or he might have had the power to intervene but chose to capitulate, hoping against the worst case scenario. Either way, Sampson found his way to the head of the IU basketball program and proceeded to dismantle it piece by piece, under Greenspan's (in)diligent watch.
If he was against Sampson and held the power to stop the hiring, but then failed to properly monitor him, then he undoubtedly had a hand in IU’s current state.
But if President Herbert effectively overruled his opinion and forced him into the ring with a crafty coach who had a recipe for disaster, maybe Greenspan isn’t the guy to blame. In fact, it appeared that he had taken the appropriate steps and that his job was secure when Herbert's successor, President
Michael McRobbie, defended the AD for "doing his job" after he self-reported the initial violations.
Here’s a pair of opposing viewpoints arguing these points:
The Greenspan resignation: Was it necessary? -Terry Hutchens, IndyStar.com
Indiana AD Rick Greenspan overdue to depart -Bob Kravitz, ChicagoTribune.com
Did Greenspan "bring one of the nation's legendary programs to its knees," as Bob Kravitz contends, or was he merely a victim of circumstance? We probably won't know, at least for a long time, because he is keeping the true nature of the situation close to his vest. Until then, IU needs to look to the future, harbor no regrets, and channel the optimism that Tom Crean has injected into the program.
Greenspan's Resignation:
WTHR - Indianapolis News and Weather - No timetable for new AD hire at IU
Indiana AD resigning amid NCAA basketball probe | WSBT South Bend - Your Local News Leader | Local Sports
http://iuplanet.com/forum/iuplanet-h...-end-year.html
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