HOOVER, Ala. - Besides putting the finishing touches on Texas A&M and Missouri's seemingly seamless transitions into the Southeastern Conference, negotiating new multi-billion deals with the TV networks and untangling the myriad details for the forthcoming four-team playoff, SEC commissioner Mike Slive has another important task on his plate over the next few months.
What is it? Getting the conference's newest athletic director up to speed on some of the important issues facing the league and college sports in general.
One week ago, Ray Tanner was introduced as Eric Hyman's well-respected successor as South Carolina's AD at a packed press conference in The Zone at Williams-Brice Stadium.
But now comes the business of actually governing the Gamecock athletic department, which has an $81 million budget for the 2012-13 fiscal year.
Slive is optimistic Tanner, arguably the most successful college baseball coach in the nation over the past 10 years, will also prove capable as an administrator and sustain the recent surge of USC athletics on and off the field.
"I'm delighted for the university and for Ray," Slive told Gamecock Central Thursday in a one-on-one interview at SEC Media Days. "As soon as he was appointed, I called and welcomed him to a different phase in his life. He knows the league and is familiar with it. He's been one of the most successful coaches on our league.
"He will bring an interesting and important perspective to his role as athletic director when he sits with our other ADs. He is a very bright, talented and experienced guy that knows intercollegiate athletics very well."
Among the unique 'perspectives' Slive anticipates Tanner bringing to the SEC table is a thorough knowledge of some of the other major conferences around the country based on his long-time role as one of the vocal leaders in the college baseball industry.
In short, Tanner has dealt extensively with coaches from around the country and should have an understanding about how those schools and leagues will approach various issues.
"He has an understanding of the relationship between the SEC to the rest of the country," Slive said. "He's going to bring talent, energy, enthusiasm and experience to the job."
Where Tanner must play catch up, Slive said, is gaining a thorough knowledge of the many intricate issues involved in college sports administration at the highest level.
"He'll need to catch up on issues, but we all had to when we started here," Slive said. "I did too. He'll be a very positive addition to our group. We'll need to bring him up to speed on the current issues that are on the table for our league - the post-season, the new bowl game, the television negotiations, NCAA legislation.
"But that happens to anybody who comes to work in our league as an athletic director."
Tanner's itinerary once be begins his tenure as AD on Aug. 2 should include an upcoming trip to the SEC offices in the largest city in Alabama.
"I've invited him to come to Birmingham and spend a couple of days with us to meet our staff and get to know everybody around our league and find out what everybody does in our office," Slive said. "I want him to know what the resources are for him. Our role is to support him."
When you're the face of what essentially is an $81 million corporation, Slive understands Tanner is going to experience highs and lows on a daily basis as he works through the issues.
"All athletic directors have a series of challenges," Slive said. "It's a very complex job. His challenges are similar to the other schools in some regard, but they're different as well because they're different on every campus."
Shortly after announcing his resignation but before his successor had been named, Hyman said Tanner would quickly discover that unlike coaching, where you are judged strictly on wins and losses, athletic directors must often exist inside the shadowy gray zone where the correct answer often isn't so clear.
"When there's a game, it starts and finishes. In administration, things start and it may be years before they finish," Slive said. "You have to get used to that pace. Generally, there are longer time frames in administration and a more complex matrix. But it's nothing someone like Ray with his background can't master."
Job No. 1 for Tanner? Keep the momentum going for USC that has been built over the past several years in terms of recent on-field achievement and the remarkable off-the-field progress in facilities and academics.
Slive said he has been impressed by how far USC has come in a short period of time.
"They've made very significant progress," Slive said. "Not only with facilities but with the success Coach (Steve) Spurrier has had, the success Ray has had, the success Dawn (Staley) has had and hiring Frank Martin, who should be a tremendous addition to our coaching ranks. Eric gets a great deal of credit for that.
"And they've been able to put their athletic department on a little better financial footing than it was before. Ray is coming in at a good time. He will be responsible for making sure the momentum continues."
link: http://southcarolina...asp?CID=1387430
What is it? Getting the conference's newest athletic director up to speed on some of the important issues facing the league and college sports in general.
One week ago, Ray Tanner was introduced as Eric Hyman's well-respected successor as South Carolina's AD at a packed press conference in The Zone at Williams-Brice Stadium.
But now comes the business of actually governing the Gamecock athletic department, which has an $81 million budget for the 2012-13 fiscal year.
Slive is optimistic Tanner, arguably the most successful college baseball coach in the nation over the past 10 years, will also prove capable as an administrator and sustain the recent surge of USC athletics on and off the field.
"I'm delighted for the university and for Ray," Slive told Gamecock Central Thursday in a one-on-one interview at SEC Media Days. "As soon as he was appointed, I called and welcomed him to a different phase in his life. He knows the league and is familiar with it. He's been one of the most successful coaches on our league.
"He will bring an interesting and important perspective to his role as athletic director when he sits with our other ADs. He is a very bright, talented and experienced guy that knows intercollegiate athletics very well."
Among the unique 'perspectives' Slive anticipates Tanner bringing to the SEC table is a thorough knowledge of some of the other major conferences around the country based on his long-time role as one of the vocal leaders in the college baseball industry.
In short, Tanner has dealt extensively with coaches from around the country and should have an understanding about how those schools and leagues will approach various issues.
"He has an understanding of the relationship between the SEC to the rest of the country," Slive said. "He's going to bring talent, energy, enthusiasm and experience to the job."
Where Tanner must play catch up, Slive said, is gaining a thorough knowledge of the many intricate issues involved in college sports administration at the highest level.
"He'll need to catch up on issues, but we all had to when we started here," Slive said. "I did too. He'll be a very positive addition to our group. We'll need to bring him up to speed on the current issues that are on the table for our league - the post-season, the new bowl game, the television negotiations, NCAA legislation.
"But that happens to anybody who comes to work in our league as an athletic director."
Tanner's itinerary once be begins his tenure as AD on Aug. 2 should include an upcoming trip to the SEC offices in the largest city in Alabama.
"I've invited him to come to Birmingham and spend a couple of days with us to meet our staff and get to know everybody around our league and find out what everybody does in our office," Slive said. "I want him to know what the resources are for him. Our role is to support him."
When you're the face of what essentially is an $81 million corporation, Slive understands Tanner is going to experience highs and lows on a daily basis as he works through the issues.
"All athletic directors have a series of challenges," Slive said. "It's a very complex job. His challenges are similar to the other schools in some regard, but they're different as well because they're different on every campus."
Shortly after announcing his resignation but before his successor had been named, Hyman said Tanner would quickly discover that unlike coaching, where you are judged strictly on wins and losses, athletic directors must often exist inside the shadowy gray zone where the correct answer often isn't so clear.
"When there's a game, it starts and finishes. In administration, things start and it may be years before they finish," Slive said. "You have to get used to that pace. Generally, there are longer time frames in administration and a more complex matrix. But it's nothing someone like Ray with his background can't master."
Job No. 1 for Tanner? Keep the momentum going for USC that has been built over the past several years in terms of recent on-field achievement and the remarkable off-the-field progress in facilities and academics.
Slive said he has been impressed by how far USC has come in a short period of time.
"They've made very significant progress," Slive said. "Not only with facilities but with the success Coach (Steve) Spurrier has had, the success Ray has had, the success Dawn (Staley) has had and hiring Frank Martin, who should be a tremendous addition to our coaching ranks. Eric gets a great deal of credit for that.
"And they've been able to put their athletic department on a little better financial footing than it was before. Ray is coming in at a good time. He will be responsible for making sure the momentum continues."
link: http://southcarolina...asp?CID=1387430
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