GREETINGS!
The past 24 hours have absolutely been a whirlwind for me, as you might expect. I am humbled and honored that President Foglesong has the confidence in me to be your next Athletic Director, and I am emboldened by the support and encouragement I have received from our staff and from the many phone calls, emails, and notes I have received from the Mississippi State family of fans and donors. Together, we will build on the achievements this program has attained in the past and grow it to even greater heights in the future. But it will take all of us, pulling this cart in the same direction.
I would be remiss if I did not thank Dr. Foglesong and his staff publicly for entrusting me with the Mississippi State University Department of Athletics. I have prepared myself for this position throughout my professional career and am ready to lead this program.
I'd also like to thank Vance Watson and his committee, which was charged with the arduous task of reviewing all of the resumes and supportive Athletic Director materials, and forwarding a list of finalists to Doc for his consideration.
And I won't miss the opportunity to thank Larry Templeton, who has headed this program for the past 21 years. He gave me the chance to return to intercollegiate athletics after a brief time in the private business sector. Any success this program has achieved during that time ultimately leads to Larry's doorstep. I look forward to working with him during the coming months as we make this transition seamless.
The Bulldog coaching staff, members of the administrative staff, and countless donors and supporters have expressed support along the way, and I thank them for their encouragement.
Of course, I wouldn't be here today without my Mom and Dad. In addition to being great parents, they are true business professionals in their own right, and I learned a great deal from both of them.
I also must acknowledge my mentor, Mitch Barnhart, Director of Athletics at the University of Kentucky . It was under Mitch that I matured professionally at Oregon State and Kentucky , and prepared me for this position.
Certainly not least, I want to thank my family. If you have not already done so, I look forward to you meeting my wife Regina , who is without a doubt my better half, and my two boys Nick and Davis.
Doc outlined to me during the interview process a set of goals that he held for the Department of Athletics [rules compliance, budget control, maximize revenue, unite fan base, define staff expectations]. Those goals closely matched the Five Defining Principles that I have crafted during my time in athletics. As we move forward, our staff coaches and administrators alike will operate with these five points in mind.
First, it is imperative that we follow the rules of the National Collegiate Athletic Association and Southeastern Conference. We have seen first-hand the devastating affect violating those rules has on an athletic program. We can win at Mississippi State without skirting the rules, and we will.
Our second goal will be to graduate student-athletes. It is why we are here. We must do everything within our abilities to assure that our men and women have the chance to graduate with a meaningful academic degree one that prepares them for life after sport.
The third principle reflects our respect for this institution. We will always be first-class in how we represent the university. We have budgetary challenges, for sure, but our teams and our people will be a terrific reflection of Mississippi State .
We will continue to have sound fiscal management and we will maximize our revenue opportunities. We have taken a lot of pride through the years, and justifiably so, in finishing in the black financially. And we will continue to do so. But for us to grow this program, we must find additional revenue streams to compete with the other schools in the Southeastern Conference.
And finally, we will compete for championshipsin all sports. Nearly as important to that student-athlete as achieving a degree from State, is his or her chance to compete for a Southeastern Conference championship. It will be a priority for us that we provide that to the young men and women who choose Mississippi State University .
As I mentioned, Larry was a wonderful leader for this department, with many achievements to his credit both individually and as a department. But when a change is made at the top of an organization, a change in operational procedure invariably occurs. There is often more than one way to reach your desired goals.
Our efforts will be to communicate better both within our staff and to our constituents outside the department. It has always been my belief that more communication is better, not worse. There will be a new expectation level among our coaches and staff. You have many great professionals working at Mississippi State athletics, many of whom need only more direction and some expectation goals. It will become incumbent on every member of our staff coaches and administrators both that we become ticket sellers and fund-raisers. For us to move to that next level that we all want to reach, we must increase our revenue base. Important to that goal is that we capitalize on our recent string of successes (NIT semifinals, College World Series appearance, and football bowl game). We will not take a back seat to anyone in the Southeastern Conference in what we can achieve. It is all about Mississippi State and our student-athletes.
We appreciate what you do for Mississippi State Athletics and want to encourage you to get others involved. There are three things you can do to help Mississippi State reach its desired goals
1. Buy Season Tickets
2. Financially Support the Bulldog Club
3. Get Others To Do The Same
Thanks for taking the time to read this Update. It is our goal to communicate with you on a more consistent basis.
Go Dawgs!
Greg Byrne
[email protected]
The past 24 hours have absolutely been a whirlwind for me, as you might expect. I am humbled and honored that President Foglesong has the confidence in me to be your next Athletic Director, and I am emboldened by the support and encouragement I have received from our staff and from the many phone calls, emails, and notes I have received from the Mississippi State family of fans and donors. Together, we will build on the achievements this program has attained in the past and grow it to even greater heights in the future. But it will take all of us, pulling this cart in the same direction.
I would be remiss if I did not thank Dr. Foglesong and his staff publicly for entrusting me with the Mississippi State University Department of Athletics. I have prepared myself for this position throughout my professional career and am ready to lead this program.
I'd also like to thank Vance Watson and his committee, which was charged with the arduous task of reviewing all of the resumes and supportive Athletic Director materials, and forwarding a list of finalists to Doc for his consideration.
And I won't miss the opportunity to thank Larry Templeton, who has headed this program for the past 21 years. He gave me the chance to return to intercollegiate athletics after a brief time in the private business sector. Any success this program has achieved during that time ultimately leads to Larry's doorstep. I look forward to working with him during the coming months as we make this transition seamless.
The Bulldog coaching staff, members of the administrative staff, and countless donors and supporters have expressed support along the way, and I thank them for their encouragement.
Of course, I wouldn't be here today without my Mom and Dad. In addition to being great parents, they are true business professionals in their own right, and I learned a great deal from both of them.
I also must acknowledge my mentor, Mitch Barnhart, Director of Athletics at the University of Kentucky . It was under Mitch that I matured professionally at Oregon State and Kentucky , and prepared me for this position.
Certainly not least, I want to thank my family. If you have not already done so, I look forward to you meeting my wife Regina , who is without a doubt my better half, and my two boys Nick and Davis.
Doc outlined to me during the interview process a set of goals that he held for the Department of Athletics [rules compliance, budget control, maximize revenue, unite fan base, define staff expectations]. Those goals closely matched the Five Defining Principles that I have crafted during my time in athletics. As we move forward, our staff coaches and administrators alike will operate with these five points in mind.
First, it is imperative that we follow the rules of the National Collegiate Athletic Association and Southeastern Conference. We have seen first-hand the devastating affect violating those rules has on an athletic program. We can win at Mississippi State without skirting the rules, and we will.
Our second goal will be to graduate student-athletes. It is why we are here. We must do everything within our abilities to assure that our men and women have the chance to graduate with a meaningful academic degree one that prepares them for life after sport.
The third principle reflects our respect for this institution. We will always be first-class in how we represent the university. We have budgetary challenges, for sure, but our teams and our people will be a terrific reflection of Mississippi State .
We will continue to have sound fiscal management and we will maximize our revenue opportunities. We have taken a lot of pride through the years, and justifiably so, in finishing in the black financially. And we will continue to do so. But for us to grow this program, we must find additional revenue streams to compete with the other schools in the Southeastern Conference.
And finally, we will compete for championshipsin all sports. Nearly as important to that student-athlete as achieving a degree from State, is his or her chance to compete for a Southeastern Conference championship. It will be a priority for us that we provide that to the young men and women who choose Mississippi State University .
As I mentioned, Larry was a wonderful leader for this department, with many achievements to his credit both individually and as a department. But when a change is made at the top of an organization, a change in operational procedure invariably occurs. There is often more than one way to reach your desired goals.
Our efforts will be to communicate better both within our staff and to our constituents outside the department. It has always been my belief that more communication is better, not worse. There will be a new expectation level among our coaches and staff. You have many great professionals working at Mississippi State athletics, many of whom need only more direction and some expectation goals. It will become incumbent on every member of our staff coaches and administrators both that we become ticket sellers and fund-raisers. For us to move to that next level that we all want to reach, we must increase our revenue base. Important to that goal is that we capitalize on our recent string of successes (NIT semifinals, College World Series appearance, and football bowl game). We will not take a back seat to anyone in the Southeastern Conference in what we can achieve. It is all about Mississippi State and our student-athletes.
We appreciate what you do for Mississippi State Athletics and want to encourage you to get others involved. There are three things you can do to help Mississippi State reach its desired goals
1. Buy Season Tickets
2. Financially Support the Bulldog Club
3. Get Others To Do The Same
Thanks for taking the time to read this Update. It is our goal to communicate with you on a more consistent basis.
Go Dawgs!
Greg Byrne
[email protected]
