From the Marquette Tribune: (Sorry it's jumbled. That's how it is online.)
http://media.www.marquettetribune.org/media/storage/paper1130/news/2008/02/26/Sports/Coaches.Pleased.With.Ad.Decision-3232602.shtmlPati Rolf is not afraid to admit she got a little emotional when she received a call last week at her home informing her that Steve Cottingham had been named Marquette's athletic director on a permanent basis.
"There's relief in getting a new athletic director," said Rolf, the women's head volleyball coach. "It's a little tricky, to be honest with you. You're not sure what you're getting, especially if they came from the outside."
After a 14-month search for Bill Cords' replacement that drew 60 applications from all over the country, Marquette announced Thursday it was sticking with one of its own. Cottingham has worked at Marquette since 1995, first in the Office of General Counsel and later as associate senior vice president.
Cottingham, who served as interim athletic director after Cords retired in December 2006, said a critical aspect of his search revolved around finding someone who appreciated the current state of the university and its athletic program.
"It would have been a mistake on my part, and those of us charged with this responsibility, to bring in somebody who felt they had to come in and show how smart they were or how in charge they were by moving things around," Cottingham said. "People who get hung up on reorganization or showing their power or doing things like that aren't the right fit for us."
All Marquette coaches contacted for this story praised the hiring of Cottingham for the continuity they felt it would bring to the Marquette athletic department.
Head men's soccer coach Louis Bennett called Cottingham a "strong, purposeful leader."
Head women's basketball coach Terri Mitchell said she felt comfortable with Cottingham, in large part because she felt integrity and character were "a big part of Steve's life."
Over the past year, Cottingham better acquainted himself with Marquette's coaches, student-athletes and athletic department staff while working with them on a day-to-day basis as interim athletic director. Several coaches said that time period was invaluable and made Cottingham a more suitable option to fill the athletic director position.
"Anytime someone comes in from the outside, they have to take a while to transition and know the culture of the program," Mitchell said. "That doesn't mean that's a bad thing if you bring someone in from the outside, but I think we had someone who was very qualified right within our own boundaries here, so why go outside?"
For the most part, the coaches said the 14-month void between permanent bosses never became reason for concern. Women's soccer head coach Markus Roeders likened the process to searching for a new college dean, university provost or CEO of a company.
"It has to be a thorough job, and Steve, more than anybody, will make sure it's a thorough job; it doesn't happen overnight," Roeders said. "I don't know, maybe Steve could have been selected a long time ago, but I don't think that was his mindset at the time. Maybe the more it came to the forefront, the more he realized, 'This is a great opportunity for me.'"
Cottingham takes over an athletic program that offers 14 Division I teams and generated $21.8 million in revenue in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2007.
Cords said the athletic program currently is in a very good situation, something that is unusual when an athletic director vacancy opens. Cords said when he was younger and looking for athletic director jobs at the high school and collegiate level, "it was always a tough place because good jobs don't open very often. This is an exception."
Coaches revealed a varying level of inclusion in the athletic director search process but none considered it a critical issue.
"Being that athletics is so very important, the coaches didn't think they should have or wanted to be involved in the decision-making process," Bennett said. "I had confidence they would find the right athletic director, and they did."
