Jenny Simon-O'Neill, Jay Larson step in as Cal's new co-athletic directors
Cal is under new leadership in its athletic department. July 1 marked the end of the Jim Knowlton era in Berkeley with Jenny Simon-O’Neill and Jay Larson appointed as co-athletic directors.
Knowlton announced his retirement as the Bears’ athletic director on June 16 after seven years at the helm. At the time, chancellor Rich Lyons said that Simon-O’Neill and Larson would be elevated to a new role.
Previously, Lyons announced that Simon-O’Neill and Larson would remain in their new post for the upcoming academic year. That was confirmed again Thursday as the school officially introduced the duo. The new Cal athletic directors wrote Thursday in a letter to fans that it will be a 12-month appointment.
“Chancellor Lyons approached us with his vision for this innovative leadership structure in the midst of what is proving to be a period of dramatic change in college athletics,” Simon-O’Neill and Larson wrote. “He drew on his experience with leadership development and how organizations can benefit from a paired leadership approach. As long-time students of organizational excellence, we were intrigued and excited to maximize this opportunity to lead together.”
The future of Cal’s restructured athletic department
The Bears are moving full speed into a new look for the athletic department under Lyons. The Cal chancellor is reimagining the department in the post-Knowlton era, and that will feature more hands involved in making decisions.
The arrival of the restructured department coincides with the arrival of the revenue sharing era and other recent significant changes in college athletics. Cal is getting creative with how it plans to approach all the current and future changes.
“This is, again, a transformational time in college athletics,” Simon-O’Neill said in a video released by Cal on Thursday. “And, what he is doing is trying something new that’s based on what’s happening in the world right now. Having someone that’s solely dedicated to overseeing football and working in collaboration with us to get football to the highest level.
“And, at the same time, making sure that we have enough leadership opportunities to oversee the other sports.”
Immediate challenges facing Cal athletics
There is already a list of tasks on the desks for Simon-O’Neill and Larson. The House settlement is bringing about the next wave of change in how athletes are compensated following the NIL era. Revenue sharing will be a key topic for the future and determine quite a bit about how athletic departments operate.
That is at the top of the list for the two new co-athletic directors at Cal.
“We really want to partner with Ron, and elevate the football program. Continue to elevate that program,” Larson said. “That’s a top priority for us. I think the financial situation, there are challenges there. And, we want to tackle those challenges.
“We know we need to generate more revenue, and there are some creative ways that we think we can do that. Then, I think a third priority is really this House settlement. Implementing this House settlement. We have a plan for the 25-26 year, but we’re already working on 27-28 and beyond.”
Ron Rivera’s role as Cal football GM
The most intriguing aspect of the new structure for Cal athletics is how recently appointed football general manager Ron Rivera fits into the picture. Rivera returning to his alma mater as the GM certainly made waves in the spring, and he will be a big part of the restructuring within the department.
Moving forward, all football personnel and budget decisions will go through Rivera as he works directly with Lyons. That will allow Simon-O’Neill and Larson to focus on the other sports.
This certainly puts plenty of power and control in the hands of Rivera, which is what fans pushed for with the “give Ron the keys” campaign that spread throughout social media this offseason.
“We’ve developed great relationships with Ron over the last couple of months,” Larson said. “… With him overseeing football and Jenny and I overseeing the other 29 sports and the 20 support units, we’re really, really excited to partner with him and work with chancellor Lyons.”
