Who Replaces Pat Haden?

HADEN.FIRED.CARTOONThere is only one question regarding USC’s next athletic director: Will the Trojans hire someone from the outside?

The last time USC hired an outsider as athletic director was in 1984, when Mike McGee left Cincinnati. The past two athletic directors were former USC football players (Mike Garrett, Pat Haden).

USC president Max Nikias promised Friday the “process will be national in scope,” but it remains to be seen if it will actually happen.

Here are my top seven candidates:

Steve Lopes, USC chief operating officer: If USC hires from within, Lopes is the natural choice. He has worked at USC since 1984. He is the immediate frontrunner because of his close relationship working under Haden and alongside fellow administrator J.K. McKay.

J.K. McKay: USC senior associate athletic director: McKay’s been Haden’s right-hand man and is extremely popular with athletes and employees in the athletic dept. But does he want the job? There are rumors he is going to the Atlanta Falcons to work with his brother.

Mark Jackson, Villanova athletic director: The former USC administrator was considered the heir apparent until he left for Villanova last August. Do his ties to Steve Sarkisian hurt his chances?

Greg Bryne, Arizona athletic director: He would be the natural choice if USC goes outside because he already works at a Pac-12 school and is universally respected. His most recent hires for football (Rich Rodriguez) and basketball (Sean Miller) are also impressive.

Chris Del Conte, TCU athletic director: Pat Haden visited TCU two years ago to check its football stadium renovation so there is some familiarity with Conte. TCU has also renovated its basketball arena and made the College World Series three of the pas six years.

Jim Phillips, Northwestern: Phillips hired Pat Fitzgerald, who led the football team to a 10-3 record. He also hired basketball coach Chris Collins, who is currently 16-8. Like USC, Northwestern is a private university with a strong academic reputation so Phillips already knows the advantages/disadvantages.

 

Pete Carroll, Seattle Seahawks: A fanciful prospect but Carroll remains a heroic figure at USC and Nikias personally decided to give him an honorary USC degree last year. This assumes Carroll would ever want to stop coaching and become a fundraiser.

 

57 thoughts on “Who Replaces Pat Haden?

  1. It’ll be Sark…in lieu of paying him the $30M he’s asking for in his lawsuit them will let him have 2 years to destroy the rest of USC’s programs…

  2. I think it will be Lopes, because the hiring of Helton with a 5-year deal was not done by Haden without the notion he was going to call it quits. He hired someone he knew would be safe after his departure, and promoting from within right now at the AD position gives the program the stability incoming athletes and alum/boosters want. Just make sure we keep Snoop as head of recruiting and we’ll be fine. Fight On!

  3. Lopes will get the gig. He gets USC, sound familiar ? USC has no idea anything or anyone exists outside the campus

  4. Would it be asking too much for the Ivory Tower here to hire an actual “trained & experienced AD”?

  5. Daryl Gross the current AD at Syracuse is a viable option and is familiar with USC having worked in the athletic department… He was rumored a frontrunner last year.. Well respected in NCAA circles.. plus he is client. 😉

  6. Pete Carroll would be great but doubt he is going to leave the Seahawks for SC. I’d be okay with Lopes as an internal hire.

  7. Please USC no Lopes. He is a pencil pusher who put together some terrible football schedules over the last many years. He is a financial guy. I will put my knowledge of athletics up against him anytime.
    Pete Carroll would be fantastic. He was always following the other sport programs. Hopefully he would come the following athletic year whereas Lopes could be interim AD for the coming year in that case.
    Dr. Gross would be fine. A lot more to work with out here.. He was the man behind Garrett who convinced Mike to hire Pete.

      • Gross brought in Marrone and football was fixed and then the NFL took
        Marrone–His teams won national championships in sports the were never
        good at he got them into the ACC and branded them as New York’s College
        team–they broke fund raising records and he built unbelievable
        facilities-john holmes what are you smoking

        • Also got them on probation and an academic scandal. The question is what are you smoking?

        • Read the report fool– another bad data troll– he was not named and Emertt has come out and said his leadership was examplarynand reduced Boheims atrocities which occurred before gross got there.. Go back to depressing Syracuse

  8. It’s should be Byrne and Del Conte should be the top 2 but it will be somebody who “gets USC” again.

  9. Haden was and is a loyal trojan. I’m sure that he gave it his best shot. But it is time to move on. I hope they will get an AD who will fight for the football program even if he has to fight the rest of the administration. I’d love to have Pete Carroll but it’s not going to happen.

  10. good luck to Paddy O’Hadden in his future pursuits. finally a team (basketball) has given him to the opportunity to pull a Costanza and leave on a high note (no matter how fleeting).

    however with all the opining going on about a replacement, it BOGGLES the imagination to realize the most obvious candidate of ALL has been egregiously OVERLOOKED.

    ask yourselves WHO above all, has been right AGAIN and AGAIN about Southern Cal athletics and hiring practices??? if you said “woIfman” you would be CORRECT. he is also a trOXan, which is, as we all KNOW is the most important trait of any Southern Cal candidate, FAR surpassing competence or acumen.

    the Cadre will be filing a Amicus Curiae brief with HH recommending, even DEMANDING the hire of Scott “El Macho Lobo” WoIf as Athletic Director for the University of Southern Cal, FORTHWITH!!

    #SoLetItBeWrittenSoLetItBeDONE

  11. “MARCUS ALLEN” !!!!!!!!!!!

    (MARCUS ALLEN) !!!!!!!!!!!

    [MARCUS ALLEN] !!!!!!!!!!!

    Pay Him “what-ever” He wants !

    $$$ MARCUS ALLEN $$,$$$,$$$.00 !!!

    It is amazing that I am the only one who can see this ?

    FightOn

  12. I should apply. My first order of business would be to contact the State of California and see if UCLA is for sale and at what price.

  13. So while thinking about the Marcus Allen AD thing, I ran with it ?

    “Everyone” who has ever picked up a Basketball, a Baseball, heck even a Hockey Stick knows who Marcus Allen is (Oops, I forgot a “Football”) !

    So then, how about “recruiting” ??

    “Umm, Son, I’m not exactly sure but I believe that Marcus Allen is at the front door and He wants to talk with You” !

    Or…

    Knock knock, open the front door, and before He can even say His name, “Oh $hit, it’s Marcus Allen” !!!

    “Hi, yes I’m Marcus Allen and I’m here to offer You a Scholarship to attend USC !”

    Who could say no ????

    “Hey Marcus, if You don’t mind, can we take a picture together so that my friends will believe that this really happened?”

    Marcus would be like the Pied Piper of Hamelin, send Him out once and you would have an “entire” recruitment class following right behind Him in a single line back to USC (In this context, it’s called “Trojan Land”) !!

    ALL “5” STAR RECRUITS !

    And that’s just the Basketball Team ? ! ?

    Funny stuff

    I can see this !

    FightOn

  14. I may be off my rocker here but I think Scott should be the A D. Just imagine the improvements we’d get in amenities at sports facilities. I mean we’d rival Dodger stadium for food.
    Then there’s staff meetings via blog. We all could get the info when the staff does. Maybe Petros as assistant A.D. boy I tell you this idea gets better all of the time.

  15. Let’s try again. The author of this blog and his mo-der-a-tors make it tough for any comments to go up. A shame. Used to be a good board.

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