USF Names Oliver, Woolard Finalists

[Chip]

By BRETT McMURPHY bmcmurphy@tampatrib.com

Published: May 6, 2004

TAMPA - Virginia senior associate athletic director Jon Oliver and Saint Louis athletic director Doug Woolard were unanimously recommended today to South Florida President Judy Genshaft, who will select USF's new AD.

USF's 12-member search committee unanimously selected Oliver, 40, and Woolard, 54. No timetable has been announced on when Genshaft will make her decision on Lee Roy Selmon's replacement.

Oliver has been at Virginia since 2001. Before that he was an associate AD at Washington State from 1995-2001.

Oliver oversees day-to-day operations in the Cavaliers athletic department. He is the administrative liaison for football and men's basketball. Oliver also led the design and construction team for Virginia's John Paul Jones Arena, a 15,000-seat, $128 million basketball arena scheduled to open in 2006. He also secured a $7.5 million donation for an arena video scoreboard.

Woolard has been Saint Louis' AD since 1994. Before that he was an associate AD at Washington State from 1989-94.

At Saint Louis, Woolard is Conference USA's representative on several NCAA committees. To help comply with Title IX regulations, Saint Louis added women's soccer in 1996.

Under Woolard, Saint Louis led C-USA in student-athlete graduation rate (78 percent) and cumulative GPA (3.28). The school also won C-USA's institutional academic excellence award in each of the league's first eight seasons.

The Billikens' men's basketball team has ranked among the top 30 nationally in average attendance for the past eight years and the men's soccer team is annually among the nation's top 10 in average attendance, including 2001 when it averaged a national- best 2,870 fans.

At Washington State, Woolard was the school's lead representative in external operations helping generate an increase in donor contributions and a 900 percent rise in corporate support.

Michigan State associate AD Mark Hollis and former Air Force AD Randy Spetman also interviewed for USF's AD position.

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http://www.tbo.com/bulls/MGATRZQBJTD.html

[TripleB]

The choice just has to be Oliver. I think we'd need someone with NCAA football experience ..............

[Velcro]

Woolard had NCAA Football experience from his Washing State job

[Ricky the Bull]

Agreed...it's gotta be Oliver.

[BULLheaded]

I have to agree in hoping that Oliver is the choice. Woolard just didn't impress me at all and I'm afraid that part of the reason he has made it as far as he has is due to his admitted close relationship with the person heading up the search comittee. On the other hand Oliver really did impress me, from the little info we got in the papers I liked Hollis better but Oliver should be a fine choice.....I'll just cross my fingers that we take the right person

[BULLheaded]

Woolard had NCAA Football experience from his Washing State job

I'm just not sure that having been away for quite a few years from being an assistant at a school with football is what we need. I'm assuming that he didn't work in the current BCS environment and if he did it had to have been very breif and he has been out of it for quite a while. I feel much more comfortable with a candidate that has been entrenched in this environment and is ready to go to the next level. Experience or not in the past woolard will need to shake off the rust and I'd prefer not to have to be the school to break him in.

[GarySJ]

Yeah, if these are the two finalists I have to think that Oliver will be the choice. I liked Hollis a lot for his ideas and marketing wizardry. But I liked all three of the original candidates and I'm sure whoever we hire will be great. (I haven't read up on Woolard.)

BTW who is Washington State's current associate AD? It seems to be a prerequisite to be a finalist for the USF AD job.

[Omniscientbull]

I vote for Oliver but I can tell you that he is the longshot.

[Guest BasketBull.]

I trust our president; her record speaks for itself.

But, from an outsider's perspective and going from my gut feelings: We are about to make a huge mistake with the AD selection.

In our president I trust.

But if in 2 or 3 years down the road and USF athletics is in the red and we have not made any progress, look back at this upcoming decision.

----At least select Oliver, for God sakes. That guy from St. Louis is about as lame as...

I'm angry, but I'm keeping the faith...

[bullwark]

Oliver hands down!