Damon Evans' Legacy

It was pointed out to me recently that only two of Damon Evans' hires are still around: Mark Fox and head soccer coach Steve Holeman.  (h/t to Royorbisondawg)

Damon Evans

Think about that. He was AD for six years and five days. As of today, he has exactly two hires left. I run hot and cold about one and only know that the Soccer Dawgs made the NCAA tourney to lose the regionals in Durham to National Runner-Up Duke. It is stunning that only two of his hires are still around. Having said that, it is not hard to use hindsight to say the Damon Evans effect might also have been one of the contributory causes for the late '00's swoon in football.

Greg McGarity (Image: Red and Black)

I'm not willing to lay all of that on Evans, because the coaching staff has to want it, too. However, when the your boss is...busy...and not pressing excellence in the same way other ADs are, it isn't hard to get complacent. It also isn't hard to say the football program got very complacent, especially in recruiting, in the last year of Damon's tenure.

This didn't start out as an anti-Damon thing or a pro-McGarity thing. Other than McGarity's quick trigger retaining Perno this season, I haven't really questioned his moves (not that I explicitly question that move, but how quickly McGarity made the decision was interesting), as they all made sense in the context of the sport it happened in. In that regard, I dig the current AD's every year evaluation of the sport and the direction that sport is taking.

As for the current downward trend of Director's Cup Standings, that is something McGarity is going to have to take up with the new President if that doesn't change.

TD

Inside of 100 Days

Ok, now that May is past, we are working towards football season.  Freshmen report on Monday. Media days are now weeks, instead of months, off. South Carolina will playing on some random August Thursday night soon and proclaiming themselves pre-season National Champions. ESPN will proclaim this is the year Notre Dame will be back on top. The Dawgs will be ready to tee it up Between the Hedges.

And all will be right with the world.

TD