Michigan athletic director Bill Martin will retire next year
Michigan athletic director Bill Martin will retire on Sept. 4, 2010, the university announced on its web site this morning. Martin made the move official with a letter to Michigan president Mary Sue Coleman this morning.
The date is the same day the Michigan football team opens a renovated Michigan Stadium, one of Martin's signature achievements in his 10-year tenure, in a game against the University of Connecticut.
Martin could not immediately be reached for comment.
Coleman's full statement can be found here.
He became Michigan's athletic director on an interim basis on August 1, 2000, replacing Tom Goss.
"Being the Michigan AD is not just a job, it's a way of life and one I have embraced full force," Martin wrote in his letter to Coleman. "It's fair to say the role also can have its challenges, but our exceptional coaches, students, support staff and administrators have made my job enjoyable every day."
Comments
MjC
Wed, Oct 21, 2009 : 4:53 p.m.
A round of applause to Bill Martin for taking on one of the toughest jobs in A2 (when you never really had to). All the best to you - and GO BLUE!
InsideTheHall
Wed, Oct 21, 2009 : 4:49 p.m.
There is one man who will distinguish and seperate himself from all other suitors....Fritz Seyferth. A M Man who played for BO, served many years as an Associate AD, and an accomplished businessman. Fritz has all the tools required to lead the M athletic department and in all likelyhood will gain the endorsement of The Victors Club.
751
Wed, Oct 21, 2009 : 4:04 p.m.
Fritz Seyferth knows business, knows sports, and knows true leadership. He would be an excellent replacement for Mr. Martin.
treetowncartel
Wed, Oct 21, 2009 : 3:18 p.m.
Lloyd Carr's retirment should have been kept under wraps until after all the bowl games. The fact he came out and announced it after the OSU game is what created the fiasco.
ShadowManager
Wed, Oct 21, 2009 : 3:06 p.m.
Michigan is all about prestige, valor, honor, integrity, and greatness. Theo212 Wrong tense. Lacking "Used to be" and "Before Bill Martin"...
LBH
Wed, Oct 21, 2009 : 2:28 p.m.
Prediction - new AD will be David Brandon CEO of Dominos. Reason for prediction - listening to rumors around town. Then again, they are just rumors. :-)
Salinegoblue
Wed, Oct 21, 2009 : 2:20 p.m.
The announcing of BM retirement is suspect. It has been a rough year, the mishandling and hiring of a football coach with all kinds of baggage and law suits. Sanctioned by the B10 because the University didn't take action against Mouton and more importantly, the on going NCAA investigation regarding the football team. Maybe his resignation is intended to soften the blow of the NCAA if we're guilty as Charged.
heartbreakM
Wed, Oct 21, 2009 : 2:02 p.m.
Well, I for one will be happy to see Bill Martin leave, for the simple fact that he presided while the football program's willingness to play the best, to be the best, and to demand the best all were tossed aside. They were replaced by App State (first Div IAA team we played, remember?), Toledo, many MAC teams on the schedule, UConn, UMass,no good road games, unwillingness to schedule home/homes, and a general erosion of football guts. Note, I am not blaming Bill Martin for the football team's competitiveness--that is on the coaches, but I blame him for scheduling down so obviously, after years of high expectations and high product. Pros: The improvement of the facilities, the securing of the Wilpon gift, the basketball arena, the new locker room, the stadium expansion, the Bielein hire, keeping Red Berenson in place, keeping Carol Hutchins in place, the NCAA women's softball championship, accessibility--he almost always responded to emails which I admire, even if I disagreed with him The Cons: Getting rid of competitive football schedule and showing no guts and leadership--essentially not demanding excellence; getting rid of MDen in favor of an out of state company; the football hiring fiasco--not the hiring of Rodriguez per se, but the whole process (I also blame Lloyd Carr partially for this since he gave the AD little to no time) Overall: I think it's time to get a new AD and hoepfully the new one will show guts and demand. I think Jeff Long of Arkansas should be considered--he is an ex-Michigan asst AD and has done good.
LRTROJAN
Wed, Oct 21, 2009 : 1:43 p.m.
A lot of good points were made on here but I disagree that we need a "Michigan Man". Were Yost, Crisler or Bo Michigan Men before they came here? No. I'm tired of that notion being thrown around for anything. I don't think it helps at all. Just find a person that will respect the tradition that we already have. Other than that Martin has really done a great job. Say what you will about the Miles fiasco but we are doing alright in the long run. Maybe he didn't fire TA soon enough but basketball is in fine shape. He did a great job with the financial side of things here and we have many great new facilities. I'd give him an A for the job he has done. I don't want an "up and coming" AD. I want someone from a major institution that knows about big time college athletics. I also want someone with a strong history in business because that's what this is. It doesn't matter where he himself has picked great coaches in the past. When I was coaching I always said pick an aspect that you will know inside and out and surround yourself with experts in other areas. Any AD should seek guidance from a great advisory board about any coaching hires. But in the end remember this folks, it all boils down to money. That's what big time athletics are about, money. It's a business. To be fair I wouldn't even begin to make a suggestion on a possible AD. It's not my area of knowledge so I won't pretend that it is. All I know is what that person needs to be.
81wolverine
Wed, Oct 21, 2009 : 1:35 p.m.
BillMK: Agree. Fritz Seyferth was the guy I thought would be the logical successor to Bo, and probably would have made a great AD. Maybe they thought he was too young at the time, I don't know. All I know is the interim AD's and Tom Goss didn't work well. Martin accomplished way more than they did and had to undo mistakes that were made. Did Bill Martin do everything right? Of course not. Few AD's do. But bottom line: the athletic department is in MUCH better shape at the end of his tenure than when he came in. Just my opinion.
rwshas
Wed, Oct 21, 2009 : 1:31 p.m.
Brad Bates would be an excellent choice. He's a true Michigan man.
Allin4michigan
Wed, Oct 21, 2009 : 1:24 p.m.
On the business side, Mr. Martin has done a great job. The athletic infrastructure is set for years to come. The athletic department is a money making machine (Tom Goss lost money during his tenure). From the sports side, we must do better! The list of faux pas is a matter of public record: botched FB coaching search, keeping TA as BB coach for way too long, extending the contract with ND for 30 years, etc. I agree that Brad Bates is a very strong candidate - he did a lot with a little at Miami (OH). Warde Manuel is another strong candidate. Getting a Michigan Man shouldn't be the main requirement, but getting one of these two guys would go a long way in uniting the fan base. If the new AD wants his own FB coach, expect more years of transition like the one we had last year.
BillMK
Wed, Oct 21, 2009 : 1:10 p.m.
BM has not been perfect but has done well in an extremely challenging position. Remember, he did not need a job, least of all this one! Facilities have been upgraded into the 21st century, good coaches have been hired. The building phase is over for now, given the mass of new facilities and the state of the economy. A Michigan man could consolidate things. Warde Manuel might be very good, if he is ready to handle a BIG business. I hope they consider Fritz Seyferth, an M-man to the bone who has succeeded at everything he has done.
treetowncartel
Wed, Oct 21, 2009 : 12:54 p.m.
Bruce Madje woulld be an excellent replacement.
chapmaja
Wed, Oct 21, 2009 : 12:16 p.m.
I agree with some of the post on here. It has been a rocky, road road under Martin, BUT things were not better under the previous AD's either. Being a major college AD is not a simple job. Martin has done a pretty decent job considering the issues he faced. He took over when the basketball program had recieved several black eye's already and they got several more from issues before he arrived in the AD job. Martin has done plenty of good as the AD. The facilities are better overall than they were prior to his arrival, mostly for the minor sports. As for a replacement. I would like to see a Michigan Man take over, either a former assistant in the AD's office, or someone with a background at the school like a former player turned AD. If it can't be someone with a history at Michigan, one possible person is Tim Selgo, the AD at Grand Valley State University. Selgo has had a major impact in growing GVSU from a small regional school in Grand Rapids with a mediocre athletic program, to a major school in the state and in the Great Lake's region, that is nearly ready to make a jumnp to Division 1. Most importantly Selgo turned an athletic program that was between decent (football) to awful (track and cross country), by hiring coaches with a proven track record and yet that were still young up and coming coaches. He does have experience coaching and working as an administrator at the D1 level with Toledo.
a2miguy
Wed, Oct 21, 2009 : 12:10 p.m.
I'm a big supporter of Rich Rodriguez... but I find it interesting that Bill Martin has decided not to stick around to see if the most important hire of his career succeeds. As for BM's successor, read between the lines... "Martin made the move official with a letter to Michigan president Mary Sue Coleman this morning." Guarantee you they've been talking about this for a long time, and a replacement is already in the works. Any kind of public job search will be a formality.
Newzdog
Wed, Oct 21, 2009 : 12:07 p.m.
Who is the AD at West Virginia?
81wolverine
Wed, Oct 21, 2009 : 12:04 p.m.
Townie: I agree. Warde Manuel would also make a good candidate. I've met him before and he seemed very bright and classy. It shouldn't be too hard for Michigan to find a top-notch AD, since the U-M athletic department is one of the most prestigious programs nationwide.
D21
Wed, Oct 21, 2009 : 11:57 a.m.
ritadewliar: "Well, I wonder when he will fly to Toledo under the cover of darkness to sign a new AD under contract at another University. The drama continues. He should put Mike Brown in charge of the search committee". Yep, UM will use their famed WVU pipeline to hire away WVU's current AD.
sam
Wed, Oct 21, 2009 : 11:54 a.m.
This can not be good news for RR. If a new AD comes he would want his own coach. Im sure the Loyd Carr fans will be lobbying to the new AD to fire RR.
GoblueinNE_PA
Wed, Oct 21, 2009 : 11:50 a.m.
Thank God!!! He has been a certifiable disaster. Just because he was able to get 2 good coaches in to take over the BBall and FBall programs does NOT forgive him of his horrible work before Beillien and the RichRod hiring fiasco. I only hope they hire a person that is a true Atheletic Director. We need someone that understands that college sports are a business but keeps the kids in mind as well. We don't need another guy treating Michigan likes it's his fantasy football team. Michigan "Fans" need not apply. I want a true professional in place.
townie
Wed, Oct 21, 2009 : 11:34 a.m.
I nominate Warde Manuel. He was associate AD in charge of football and basketball at UM until 2005, when he took over the AD job at Buffalo (State University of New York at Buffalo). He played for Bo back in the 80's. Good Michigan man with experience and a great attitude. http://www.ubathletics.buffalo.edu/headlines/news/uba07-22-2005-Manuel.shtml
ShadowManager
Wed, Oct 21, 2009 : 11:32 a.m.
This Spartan is really, really, really sorry to see this fine gentleman finally lose his job...er, "retire". Sad day in Spartan Country.
ritawedaliar
Wed, Oct 21, 2009 : 11:15 a.m.
Well, I wonder when he will fly to Toledo under the cover of darkness to sign a new AD under contract at another University. The drama continues. He should put Mike Brown in charge of the search committee.
Macabre Sunset
Wed, Oct 21, 2009 : 11:12 a.m.
I only wish there were a way to make this move effective ten years ago.
81wolverine
Wed, Oct 21, 2009 : 11:04 a.m.
I think this was a good move, so that we have plenty of time to find a great new AD. Overall, I'm pretty positive about the job Martin has done in his tenure. The succession of people after Bo and before Martin really set us back. It'll be interesting to see what names pop up in the coming months. Here's a good potential guy: Brad Bates AD at Miami of Ohio since 2002. He's a former Michigan football player under Bo, who spoke very highly of Bates in his book Bo's Lasting Lessons. Here's his bio: http://www.muredhawks.com/school-bio/mioh-ad-bio-bates.html Apparently, Bates has done a very good job down there.