I'll never understand those Stanley detractors, honestly. Not only did he, as manager, oversee a period of dominance in a major sport unmatched by the other two (football, basketball) in LSU history, but he, as athletic director, has overseen what most see as the "golden years" of LSU sports. Those who gripe about John Brady still pulling a paycheck are (mostly) the same who would have tarred and feathered Skip if he didn't extend Brady after the Final Four run. I could go on and on...in my book, Skip is right there with Jim Corbett for the greatest AD this school has ever known. Proof is in the pudding, results-wise.
he is the man behind the bobby petrino and rick pitino hiring, football team winning the orange bowl this year, moving from c-usa to the big east, louisville baseball in the CWS, one of the movers & shakers behind a new multi-million $$ downtown arena, and the man responsible for the upcoming expansion of Papa John's Cardinal Stadium. was voted the nation's best AD this year. he is a no-nonsense kind of guy with a vision. has really taken over a small to mid size program and made it one of the best all around. would love to see what he could do with all that LSU has to offer. http://uoflsports.cstv.com/school-bio/lou-jurich.html
Here is how I grade Skip... Football A (Never looked so good) W Basketball C- (Would be a B+ but he handled the Pokey incident horrific and should have never let her go) M Basketball D+ (CJB is no Dale Brown should have gotten Tim Floyd when he was available) Baseball C- (Smoke started out good but Skip stuck w/him for to long)
Overall I would have to say Skip has been a good AD, but not a great AD. Smoke just wasn’t up to the job of a major conference Division I head coach. However, he was hired and put in the Athletic Department before Skip was AD, although I fee confident Skip called the shot on that one and I think he based the hire more on friendship and loyalty than on qualifications. Brady is another story. Our basketball program under Brady has been very inconsistent and that is not what I would expect at a program at this level. I do not agree with Skip keeping him this long. All that said, I think football, women’s basketball, softball, men & women track and field and other sports are all in good or great shape and appear to be consistently successful and ranked nationally. The future looks bright in all of these sports. With the recent changes in baseball, the future looks bright there also. For me personally, (and I am a big baseball fan), I think Skip has been great for LSU as both a coach and AD. I also think he raised the level of play and competition in baseball in the entire conference. I am very glad Skip has been a part of the LSU family. If you want a grade, A-, but only because of the Brady situation and his loyalty to Smoke seemed to blind him to Smoke’s shortcomings. ldskule: ldskule: ldskule:
