Alabama has hired Arizona athletic director Greg Byrne as its new athletic director, according to multiple reports. Byrne was athletic director at Arizona since 2010 and also was the A.D. at Mississippi State. So Alabama hired an athletic director who actually had experience as an athletic director. What a concept!
Byrne’s name got floated during USC’s search for an athletic director last year but school president Max Nikias always wanted Lynn Swann so no one else had much of a chance. The USC way, as some in the athletic dept. tell me.
Arizona’s football program was horrible, a complete disaster under Byrne. Sure glad he wasn’t at USC.
USC has by far more men’s NCAA titles than any other school, and that’s not even counting championship Trojan football teams.
That’s the USC way, as some in the athletic dept. tell me.
I wouldn’t say “complete disaster”. Their BB team continues to do well and I think Rich Rod was a good hire for them at the time — he certainly brought life for a bit to the football program. Bryne also saw to the significant updating of their facilities. He is certainly seen in AZ as a very good AD. I doubt he would have hired Sark.
The now entirely woeful Rich Rod’s (he deserves a pretty bad nickname nowadays) P12 Conference record is a shameful 18-26. He’s a total crazed loser on the sidelines and is no better than Sark by a long shot. The Wildcat fans I know are so embarrassed by their team we just laugh at Rich Rod when ARIZ football rarely comes up.
USC is by far a more successful athletic dept than ARIZ is or has ever been. Swann has had a much greater role in SC’s football resurgence than most people know. Byrne just watched ARIZ become the conference doormat over the last two years and now just got his get out of jail free card, though ALA is horrible in every sport except football, so it should be an interesting challenge for him – as long as he does what Saban tells him.
Well I live in Tucson and have had season tickets to UofA for 12 years. Up until this year Rich Rod was seen as very favorable to most people I talked to and the average fan in the stands. He certainly turned the program around initially but his lack of ability to recruit has killed him. Agreed that most people don’t like his sideline antics, but again that never really surfaced until this year.
Bottom line, his hire was seen as kind of a coup when it happened and certainly deemed better by the local press than USC’s hiring of Sark. Yes, history has proved otherwise, but perhaps in 4 years people will be wanting to hang Helton again.
I do think, in general, that Bryne was a good AD. I understand that you don’t think so, but Alabama obviously thinks so. Time will tell, on Helton and Swann. I’m certainly not going to die on this hill, but I would much rather have had Bryne running the show than Haden.
The issue isn’t about Byrne, it’s about Birdcage and Swann.
USC hired the right guy for the job in Swann, no matter how they came about it. USC is a very different animal than ARIZ, which doesn’t have 1/25th the athletic prowess of USC across the board and operates on a much lower level of expectations except for basketball.
USC routinely mops the floor with ARIZ sports. Haden did a lot of good for USC, especially in the women’s sports arena. He failed big in football, but also resurrected baseball, basketball and the USC football team is now as good as it’s been since Carroll bolted.
Rich Rod is a quirky, entertaining guy who sells but doesn’t perform. If SW covered UA sports, I’m sure he would have been all over Byrne like a cheap suit for some of his moves, especially for hiring RR after showing all his deficiencies at MICH. But as of now, RR has officially Jumped the Shark. If Helton eventually does, it won’t be Swann’s fault because he didn’t hire him. In fact, he’s done a lot to save him so far.
ignore_the_trolls “Perhaps in 4 years people will be wanting to hang Helton again.” This statement does not belong in your post. Trolls (UCLA, ND, Wash, Ala,OSU) will want Helton hanged after Coach Helton, his Staff and Players, play for the National Championship beginning in 2017. Seven consecutive Rankings at or greater than # 4 not out of the question..
Admittedly there are worse places to play (WY, ID, So. Carolina) but frankly it is very hard to recruit kids to play in Tucson-AZ. The isolation – 2 hr. drive to Phoenix and 6+ to Vegas.
I am amazed how well Olsen did there with men’s basketball – hats off to him and to his successors.
Sabin getting ready to move on?
The USC “way” gets you thieves, carjackers, robbers, murderers, rapist and drunks etc… Nikias didn’t want to ruin the tradition of excrement at southern cal by hiring upstanding qualified AD.
According to sources, Lynn Swan is on the “hot seat” for not producing enough criminals. Clay Helton is again on the recruiting trail for the worst of the worst that would continue the tradition of assaults, rapes and drunkenness that is synonymous with southern cal football. Mean while alums like Todd Marinovich is trying to pitch in on the cause by running naked through someone’s yard while smoking a joint, needle stuck up his butt and dime bag hidden in his ARRSSS!
Ucla were you go to kill professors.. Hey slick, Bel Air Tech is the NUMBER #1 college on the West Coast with on and off campus crimes and in the top 5 in the nation.. CRIME U!
I thought Tosh was all Nebraska ? Guess you lied once again
News media reported slick, As for me, I am probably the most honest person on this blog!.. You are such a little a-hole and try to bully all..trust me and this is not a lie.. You would not stand a chance against me. Not into bullying slick, but you are a lost soul and if you wantcto chirp negative BS go somewhere else.. Again you would never have a chance..
This user is blocked.
Wow Theodore. Up at 3 A.M. to run your mouth with another inane post. Is it really that bad being the red headed step child to USC? By the way, I’ve got to give you and the cadre a lot of credit for doing a bang up job cleaning up USC’s home away from home, The Rose Bowl, after another stirring victory in The Granddaddy of them all.
Dummy there are multiple time zones in this world…
True. But the first thing on your mind this morning was to check a USC blog and chime in. OCD…Pathetic.
Consider it a compliment. Everyone wishes they could be SC and wants to know what we are up to.
Were they the culprits for making the field so slick?
Dude, Ugly is world renown as zthug U. You have Pa Kettle gate, Johnny Cheetin’ Wooden, thieves that rob uber drivers, Klemperer moonlighting as a thief, Darely Henley threatening to murder judges as a hobby, players stealing from students, students being kidnapped out of their apartment. Should I list more?
What is Pa Kettlegate?
It is named after the father picked up a kettle ball and started swinging the ball almost hitting a coach.
Oh that’s right I forgot about that one!
Ah yes, the highly traditional bozo u family – Toejams for life.
I’m surprised bozo u hasn’t sprung OJ from the Nevada Prison. Andyain’twinning need a new bandwagon, so B. Dixon get sprung first. His no compensation hijacking skills will allow bozo u to get a new bandwagon with dented the their precious endowment.
I don’t understand why they just don’t have “St. Pat” buy a new MBZ bandwagon and debit the cost to the Foundation.
Just asking mind you, but has Leinart’s slick foundation reimburse the cities The amount of $$$$ saved by a for profit Foundation claiming not for profit status.
Yeah! What else has AL done aside from football the past 20 years?
Nothing
I don’t see Alabama winning another NC in a long time. Yes, they’ll be a power, but the ride seems to be over at the top. There are many other teams that will be as good or better than them starting next season. And dare I say we’re one of the teams. NC and Heisman, here we come!
Nick Saban is one of a few coaches that, get it, and just because he didn’t win it this season, doesn’t mean he won’t do it again. I see Urban Myer, Jim Harbaugh winning a few in the near future. And if Clay Helton can prepare for life after Sam Darnold, then I see USC in the mix, too .
Gomer is toast after Darnold
Saban is toast too .. especially if he keeps hiring fired USC rejects.
OhioSt, Michigan, Texas, Washington, and new power Clemson are going to go on a big time roll over Tide.
Next season anything less that the playoff will be considered failure for Helton.
Are you kidding, Fred? We all know who Nick Saban is and what he has done, and it’d be foolish to write him off. However, I don’t see him winning another NC in the next few years. We’ve seen even the greatest coaches not being able to win after their fabulous rides on top. It’s not necessarily because they lose it, but they just can’t be on top after the ride is over. Call it the laws of physics, or whatever. lol.
WW
Wolfie, it appears these people are using their USC connections to further their careers…where have your USC connections gotten you?
To the pinnacle of local sports reporting – the LADN!! That’s why you are here, to bear witness to a virtuoso reporter at work every day and to write praise on his blog.
The athletic department is running smoothly right now, so it appears Lynn Swann wa an excellent choice . And if he ever has to hire a coach for any of his programs, I have a feeling he’ll do it without all of the buffoonery as Pat Haden
I just wonder how much freedom Swann will have, or how much influence Nikias will have over him to hire “USC”, not necessarily the best candidate.
Before Swann accepted the job, he made sure he couldn’t be handcuffed by Nikias in matters over which he wanted decision power.
Swann had all the negotiating power going in and lots of Trojan support from both insiders and fringe players.
Haden’s hiring of Snark just ruined USC … Darnold saved the program but he is gone after next year
Byrne would have been a great hire for USC and still a pretty young man.
Actually, Byrne would have been a much better possible savior for you pitiful little gutties led by Pea Brain Pete Dalis, Donut Dan and their string of woeful FB coach choices: Buffet Bob Toledo, Radio, Slick Rick and now The Chimp.
You bruins have been in the toilet ever since the Curse of Cade took affect last century. The torture goes on in Wimpwood.
The USC way, right no success in college athletics at all. Maybe Ala. should follow the USC way or Stanford perhaps, both schools are winners overall.
First two stories on “Inside USC” are about Alabama and UCLA. Huh?
I wish there weren’t the other two stories…sigh.
Is Alabama hiring troll bloggers that claim to be journalists?
Does anybody know about what time adored has to announce a decision?
Hearing tomorrow, he was at the Dallas game with an agent.. He’s gone.. With the WR -DB recruits incoming we will be ok!
Ok. I hoped he would come back but I know Sam and the boys will fight on!
Yep#
ya because they grow Ajax’s on trees.
No one replaces that freak … just like Darnold after next year.
Jack Sears will be the USC football QB with great upside …AJ is good, can be replaced.
Who will replace him?
Darnold Sears and Corral…
2017 Darnold
2018 Darnold* NFL
2019 Sears
2020 Sears
2021 Sears* NFL
2022 Corral
2023 Corral
2024 ?????
I meant for Adoree as kick and punt returner.
Probably one of the redshirts..
Adoree*
Let us recap Scotty what has happened under Lynn Swan so far: two national championship appearances in water polo and soccer, with soccer winning the championship. USC in the Rose Bowl beating the #5 team, Penn St. with the best qb in the collegiate nation, Helto starting to turn the ship in the right way. Enfield has s winning record. Now, what has Bryne done in the same time? They have a football team that didn’t go anywhere and no national championships in the same time span or appearances. You are right Scotty, USC didn’t get him because they got a better one.
I am shocked you mentioned the the bozo u Women’s Soccer NC’s – SINCE IT”S NOT A SAMMY “BIGBOY SPORT.”.
Don’t you say bozo u Women’s NC’s in non-big boy sports shouldn’t count. And, you’re always putting down UCLA women’s NC’s as irrelevant because they’re not “BIGBOY SPORTS” NC’s.
What’s changed your mind? I mean here you are boasting about bozo u athletics using a Women’s Sport as an example. LOL!
And you’re right, the bozo u Women’s Soccer NC team never lost anything 52 – 6. Their NC award was earned in a competitive tournament, as opposed to bozo u FB being VOTED (some things don’t change) a very debatable #3 ranking.
A lot has gone right since Lyn Swann has taken over. That’s all I’m saying Owns.
U guys won 4 games this year buddy
This guy is the most negative guy I have ever heard who claims to be a USC alum. Seriously, every story is anti-USC. Now he will paint it as “I’m a realist”, so let’s be realistic..name another program that had sanctions (none as bad as USC other than SMU) and within two years of getting their full allotment of scholarships back, ends up #3 in the final AP poll and wins a Rose Bowl. USC fans were complaining that we went 7 straight years without a Rose Bowl, when was the last time UCLA played in the Rose Bowl, maybe Cade McNown?
Emil… WoIfman is not “claiming” to be a USC alum, He is an ALUM! Unlike many regular posters in this blog. On your second note, you have no one to blame for the sanctions but yourself. If you don’t CHEAT you don’t get sanctions! You are so stupid for patting yourself on the back for being sanctioned and winning the rose bowl like it is an honor to be found guilty of cheating! YOU ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE SANCTIONED IN THE FIRST PLACE!
Go to Sam Gilbert’s grave and,recite that missive.
The sanctions based on past NCAA history and subsequent events were complete BS. The e-mails that McNair is suing the NCAA over for slander (which he is going to win) show they had nothing on USC but “we know they did something”….North Carolina provided answers to student athletes in testing, sanctions? Nope…seems like a big deal since they are COLLEGE sports meaning you go to school. Penn St even had their sanctions reduced but hell the coach was only raping children. USC ended up losing more scholarships than Penn St, 30 to 20…and well North Carolina hasn’t lost anything yet. Ted you seem like a UCLA troll, go follow the basketball team…USC is back at full strength so your team will return to their rightful position in football which is holding SC up in the standings.
You’ve got to remember you’re talking to a little gutty Troll. They were all raised on Wooden but his cheating ways were swept under the rug. It’s like an American History book with the slavery section torn out.
The Trolls are over here begging for attention now that their latest cheater, Show Cause Klemm had been vanquished from Wimpwood. Amazing it took this long, but that’s the bruins for you.
Great point Jack, everyone turned a blind eye to Wooden’s way when UCLA was winning. Players came out and basically said they were seeing the “bag man” $$$….none the less, I don’t understand why a UCLA fan reads a USC blog. I swear I never read a UCLA blog in my life!
So true. I’ll never get the Troll thing. Such a bizarre weirdism in life.
Look How the LA Times or Colin Cowherd does things.
Jack B, Sas, Alvarado, Fred Sampson, Pasadena Trojan and all former Trojans and even Gotroy22 keep this blog going.
Exactly!