It is with a very heavy heart that I communicate with you
today. It is one I never imagined writing, but must be exchanged
between friends. I am leaving Mississippi State in the near future for a
Director of Athletics position at another institution.</p>
As we have discussed many times, intercollegiate athletics is a very
emotional industry. It is why all of us are so invested in this
business, whether it is as administrators, coaches, student-athletes, or
fans. We all have strong feelings about what happens here. My
emotions today range from the highest highs to the lowest lows. While I
am excited about a new opportunity, I am heartbroken to be leaving a
lot of friends. Our job here is not done, but the pieces are in place
to bring success to Mississippi State athletics. An aggressive athletic
administrative team and a solid coaching staff will continue working
hard for you. Much has been accomplished, and plans are underway to
make an even bigger statement on this campus. I will observe your
collective accomplishments from afar with much interest. I will always
have a warm place in my heart for Mississippi State, and will cheer its
athletic successes.</p>
One of the absolute truths in college athletics is that you can not
dictate the times and places in which opportunities present themselves.
As I have done in the past, I review those opportunities from a myriad
of different viewpoints. Center-most in those items I consider is the
affect a professional decision would have on my family. There is little
question that this decision is a good one for my family. It places us
back in a part of the country with which we are familiar, one that
returns us near family and life-long friends. But this decision was more
than just family. My new position offers many of the same challenges
we faced here at Mississippi State. We will attack those challenges in
the same way we did here.</p>
It is important for me to convey to you that I did not pursue this
opportunity. In fact, my initial reaction was to discourage any future
interest. It took several conversations, and much prayer on my part,
but their overwhelming interest was apparent as time moved along. The
combination of a professional challenge and a personal commitment to my
family made this position very attractive to me.</p>
It is difficult to leave Dr. Mark Keenum and his staff. I really
believe the university is in great hands, and Dr. Keenum and I had a
very solid working relationship. There are truly very few jobs for
which I would leave Mississippi State. This just happened to be one of
them.</p>
In closing, on behalf of my wife Regina, and my boys Nick and Davis, I
want to thank you for bringing us into your family. We will never
forget you, nor the time we spent in Mississippi.</p>
Go Dawgs!</p>
