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Movement underway on AD front?
Bonesville.net Staff Report
©2004 Bonesville.net
As George W. Bush has followed
his father into the Presidency, so may Rick Hart follow his father as
director of athletics at East Carolina.
WNCT-TV 9 cited two sources on the ECU board of trustees as saying they
believed that Hart had emerged as incoming chancellor Steve Ballard’s choice
for the job. Brian Bailey, the station's sports director, reported the
development on the station’s Friday edition of the 6 p.m. news.
The basis for the trustees'
opinions was not clarified in the report.
Bailey is also a columnist for
Bonesville.net.
A fax issued last night to
several media outlets supported the notion that personnel moves might be
underway at ECU. The fax stated that Nick Floyd, the school's interim AD,
has withdrawn his candidacy for the permanent job but quoted him expressing
his willingness to serve in his current capacity as needed.
The distribution of such news
solely by fax is uncustomary for ECU athletics, which typically sends out
press releases by e-mail as well.
Ballard has scheduled May 19 as the deadline for making an official
announcement of his choice to fill the AD position. He interviewed three
finalists selected by a 14-member search committee — ECU graduate Jeff
Barber, who directs the Gamecock Club at South Carolina; interim AD Nick
Floyd and former Air Force AD Randall Spetman — before extending the time
frame for his decision.
Hart’s father, Dave Hart, Jr.,
was the AD at ECU from December of 1987 to February of 1995 and is currently
AD at Florida State. The elder Hart’s hires included Steve Logan, who has
more wins (59) than any football coach in ECU history and Eddie Payne, who
guided the Pirates to their last NCAA Tournament berth in 1993.
Dave Hart Jr. was known for
his outgoing personality and enthusiasm. Members of the ECU AD search
committee who interviewed the younger Hart last winter said he exhibited
similar qualities. Some committee members had reservations regarding his
youth and degree of experience.
Hart, who graduated with a
degree in physical education, health and sports sciences from North Carolina
in 1994, is associate AD for marketing at Oklahoma. Under Hart’s direction,
annual licensing revenues at Oklahoma have grown by almost 500 percent to
$1.8 million annually.
Hart and wife Allison have one
son, Trevor Andrew (4), and a daughter, Caroline Abigail (1).
Floyd, a senior associate
athletic director at ECU since June of 2001, has directed the school's
athletic department through a period marked by what many observers perceive
as relative stability since controversy-plagued
former AD Mike Hamrick resigned last August to accept a job as athletic
director at Nevada-Las Vegas.
Prior to joining the Pirates,
Floyd was an associate commissioner and chief financial officer of
Conference USA for three years after serving 12 years in athletics
administration at Southern Mississippi and other schools.
Copyright 2004
Bonesville.net. All rights reserved. This material may not be
published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
02/23/2007 11:47:50 AM
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