1. Tom Jurich, Louisville. The only thing anyone could quibble with is bringing Bobby Petrino back, a move that will probably work in the long run, assuming Petrino has learned from infinite past mistakes. Otherwise, Jurich has had one of the most successful runs as an AD ever. He's been the athletic director since 1998, and since then, Louisville has graduated from Conference USA to the Big East to the ACC. Papa John's Cardinal Stadium, which opened in his first year, is poised for a renovation and expansion that will enclose the stadium. The basketball teams have moved into the brand-new KFC Yum! Center in downtown Louisville. Hires of Petrino, John L. Smith and Charlie Strong have all worked out for the football team (Steve Kragthorpe did not), as they have taken the Cardinals to a bowl game in all of their seasons, and Jurich also hired Rick Pitino to coach men's basketball. He's won a national championship and been to two other Final Fours. In other words, under Jurich, Louisville has gone from FBS mid-major to respected ACC team in football, and the basketball has continued its success in moving to a more powerful conference.
2. Chris Del Conte, TCU. What more could you want? Since Del Conte arrived in 2009, TCU has joined the big-time in the Big 12, renovated the outdated Amon G. Carter Stadium for $164 million and spearheaded a $72 million renovation of TCU's basketball arena. It was all fostered through donations. In other words, instead of being left behind in conference realignment, TCU has become a major factor in football and has made necessary, financially sound improvements. It's making the necessary efforts to catch up in basketball, where Del Conte's hire, Trent Johnson, just went 18-15 -- which is a vey good sign for this program, which has not been to the tournament since 1998, when it was still a member of the WAC. If that wasn't enough, TCU baseball has made the College World Series in three of the last six years.
3. Jim Phillips, Northwestern. On one hand, Phillips has it easier than some of his colleagues. Northwestern may be a Big Ten school with fans aching for success, but this also isn't a pressure cooker in which every move is under the microscope and a coach has to be fired every time the team doesn't mean astronomical expectations. But, upon coming to Northwestern from Northern Illinois in 2008, Phillips inherited a job that features stringent academic requirements, along with two mediocre facilities in Ryan Field and Welsh-Ryan Arena. Northwestern is a fantastic university but also at a competitive disadvantage against the massive public schools of the Big Ten. Phillips has been an effective face of the department, supporting Pat Fitzgerald and also making a quality men's basketball hire in Duke assistant Chris Collins, who is hoping to finally get the Wildcats to their first NCAA tournament. Additionally, he did secure improvements to athletic facilities through a $220 million lakefront complex. Phillips has reportedly been pursued by Penn State, attempting to dig out of crisis, and Stanford, one of the nation's best all-around athletic departments, in recent years, which is a good sign of how well respected he is in major athletics circles. As is the fact that he was named chairman of the NCAA Division I council last February.
4. Jeremy Foley, Florida. It's impossible for an athletic director to stick around for a long time and get everything right. Foley hired Ron Zook and Will Muschamp, yes, but he also hired Urban Meyer and Billy Donovan. Florida owned the college sports world from 2005-08, winning two football national titles and two NCAA tournament championships. Foley has been the AD since 1992 but has been on staff at Florida since 1981, which means he was also around when Steve Spurrier was hired. Not everything is perfect, given that new football coach Jim McElwain -- whose hiring was strangely public -- immediately went to work demanding upgrading facilities. Florida has a ton of resources, but its facilities have lagged behind in the SEC. Now, Foley is under the microscope, as in the same year he had to replace both major coaches, bringing in McElwain from Colorado State for football and 38-year-old Michael White from Louisiana Tech to replace the NBA-bound Donovan. Florida has won numerous other national championships under Donovan's watch, including softball, women's soccer and men's track, among others. Florida finishes in the top 10 of the Directors Cup standings every year, including second-place finishes in four of the last six.
5. Mark Hollis, Michigan State. Hollis hired neither Tom Izzo nor Mark Dantonio (although he was on staff when Dantonio was hired), but since he became AD at the start of 2008, Michigan State has had unprecedented multi-sport success, becoming a model of stability. The football team has finished in the top 15 four of the last five years and won back-to-back major bowl games. The men's basketball just went to the Final Four and still hasn't missed the NCAA tournament since 1997. Often derided as Little Brother within the state of Michigan and the Big Ten, Hollis has overseen a period in which Michigan State has been a model athletic department. He'll chair the NCAA men's basketball tournament selection committee in 2016-17.
2. Chris Del Conte, TCU. What more could you want? Since Del Conte arrived in 2009, TCU has joined the big-time in the Big 12, renovated the outdated Amon G. Carter Stadium for $164 million and spearheaded a $72 million renovation of TCU's basketball arena. It was all fostered through donations. In other words, instead of being left behind in conference realignment, TCU has become a major factor in football and has made necessary, financially sound improvements. It's making the necessary efforts to catch up in basketball, where Del Conte's hire, Trent Johnson, just went 18-15 -- which is a vey good sign for this program, which has not been to the tournament since 1998, when it was still a member of the WAC. If that wasn't enough, TCU baseball has made the College World Series in three of the last six years.
3. Jim Phillips, Northwestern. On one hand, Phillips has it easier than some of his colleagues. Northwestern may be a Big Ten school with fans aching for success, but this also isn't a pressure cooker in which every move is under the microscope and a coach has to be fired every time the team doesn't mean astronomical expectations. But, upon coming to Northwestern from Northern Illinois in 2008, Phillips inherited a job that features stringent academic requirements, along with two mediocre facilities in Ryan Field and Welsh-Ryan Arena. Northwestern is a fantastic university but also at a competitive disadvantage against the massive public schools of the Big Ten. Phillips has been an effective face of the department, supporting Pat Fitzgerald and also making a quality men's basketball hire in Duke assistant Chris Collins, who is hoping to finally get the Wildcats to their first NCAA tournament. Additionally, he did secure improvements to athletic facilities through a $220 million lakefront complex. Phillips has reportedly been pursued by Penn State, attempting to dig out of crisis, and Stanford, one of the nation's best all-around athletic departments, in recent years, which is a good sign of how well respected he is in major athletics circles. As is the fact that he was named chairman of the NCAA Division I council last February.
4. Jeremy Foley, Florida. It's impossible for an athletic director to stick around for a long time and get everything right. Foley hired Ron Zook and Will Muschamp, yes, but he also hired Urban Meyer and Billy Donovan. Florida owned the college sports world from 2005-08, winning two football national titles and two NCAA tournament championships. Foley has been the AD since 1992 but has been on staff at Florida since 1981, which means he was also around when Steve Spurrier was hired. Not everything is perfect, given that new football coach Jim McElwain -- whose hiring was strangely public -- immediately went to work demanding upgrading facilities. Florida has a ton of resources, but its facilities have lagged behind in the SEC. Now, Foley is under the microscope, as in the same year he had to replace both major coaches, bringing in McElwain from Colorado State for football and 38-year-old Michael White from Louisiana Tech to replace the NBA-bound Donovan. Florida has won numerous other national championships under Donovan's watch, including softball, women's soccer and men's track, among others. Florida finishes in the top 10 of the Directors Cup standings every year, including second-place finishes in four of the last six.
5. Mark Hollis, Michigan State. Hollis hired neither Tom Izzo nor Mark Dantonio (although he was on staff when Dantonio was hired), but since he became AD at the start of 2008, Michigan State has had unprecedented multi-sport success, becoming a model of stability. The football team has finished in the top 15 four of the last five years and won back-to-back major bowl games. The men's basketball just went to the Final Four and still hasn't missed the NCAA tournament since 1997. Often derided as Little Brother within the state of Michigan and the Big Ten, Hollis has overseen a period in which Michigan State has been a model athletic department. He'll chair the NCAA men's basketball tournament selection committee in 2016-17.
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