Mark Hollis : All posts

MLive: U-M, MSU athletic directors join forces to promote physical fitness

The teams from their respective football programs will be fierce opponents Saturday, but off the field, University of Michigan Athletic Director David Brandon and his Michigan State counterpart Mark Hollis have found a new way to work together.

Dave Brandon and Mark Hollis share mutual respect, and insist they're not trying to one-up each other

Michigan athletic director Dave Brandon and Michigan State athletic director Mark Hollis insist the competition between their respective schools stays on the field, and isn't between them as individuals.

Jeffrey Smith | AnnArbor.com

The Spartans have scored four straight wins in football, the Wolverines have started to become a player again on the basketball court and both departments seem to be churning out far more good than bad these days -- cranking up the intensity of an already fierce battle.

Some argue that rivalry also floods off the field and into the athletic director offices of both Michigan's Dave Brandon and Michigan State's Mark Hollis, two of the most respected leaders in the industry when it comes to innovation.

But Brandon and Hollis insist that's not the case, saying there is no rivalry between them as individuals.

"The competition is on the playing field, the court and all the things we do -- if we ever get to where the competition is between Mark and me, the world's upside down," Brandon said Tuesday at the B1G AD Golf outing. "Like Mark, I have great respect for Michigan State. They make us better with this great rivalry that's special for our coaches and our kids and it's special for us."

Round 2: Brandon vs. Hollis golf match coming to Ann Arbor area on July 24

Michigan athletic director Dave Brandon and Michigan State athletic director Mark Hollis pose for a photo before the start of a their B1G AD Golf Challenge at Eagle Eye Golf Club in Bath last July. The Spartans won in a playoff.

Melanie Maxwell | AnnArbor.com

The rematch is set.

Web-savvy athletic directors Dave Brandon (Michigan) and Mark Hollis (Michigan State) appear to have worked out the date for their second head-to-head golf match via Twitter.

Brandon and his five-person Wolverines team will be looking to even the score on Tuesday, July 24 at a to-be-announced course in the Ann Arbor area.

MLive.com: Michigan State AD Mark Hollis apologizes for Trey Burke tweet, but not the message it contained

Michigan State athletic director Mark Hollis is sorry for tweeting at Michigan basketball point guard Trey Burke.

But he doesn't regret the message he intended to deliver.

Updated: Saga continues: Mark Hollis says he regrets tweet to Trey Burke

This story has been removed from our site after 30 days as required by our digital use agreement with the Associated Press.

Michigan athletic director Dave Brandon responds to Mark Hollis' tweet to Trey Burke

Update: Mark Hollis says he regrets tweet to Trey Burke

Hours after Michigan State athletic director Mark Hollis offered up some Twitter advice to Michigan basketball point guard Trey Burke, Dave Brandon weighed in.

The Michigan athletic director described Hollis' action as inappropriate, but not totally harmful.

Michigan's Dave Brandon, Michigan State's Mark Hollis nominated for AD of the Year award

Michigan and Michigan State are at it again.

This time in the athletic director's office.

Michigan athletic director Dave Brandon and his Michigan State counterpart, Mark Hollis, were both nominated for the 2012 Sports Business Awards Athletic Director of the Year award on Monday.

Michigan athletic director Dave Brandon says paying student-athletes is 'absurd'

NOVI — Dave Brandon isn’t just against paying student-athletes, he finds the whole idea "absurd."

While serving as a co-guest speaker Monday at the Marketing and Sales Executives of Detroit’s summer luncheon in Novi, Michigan’s second-year athletic director got right to the point when asked his thoughts on the pay for play debate.

“I’m flatly opposed to this notion of paying student-athletes,” Brandon said. “I don’t think you could possibly coach a team where part of them are being compensated and part of them are not.

“Once you start paying them as if they were employees, then you’re going to be 1099ing these folks, bringing in accountants and lawyers to work through tax issues which leads to contract negotiations and probably even a union. It’s just absurd.”