Colorado University Athletics
With Outstanding 2016-17 In Books, Buffs AD George Looks To Keep Success Rolling
July 10, 2017 | General, Neill Woelk
GREELEY — Having just put the finishing touches on one of the more successful overall years in Colorado Athletics history, CU Athletic Director Rick George is already looking forward to what he firmly believes will be another banner year for the Buffs.
George made that clear at his annual media "roundtable" at Monday's Casotti Classic, named in honor of former Sports Information Director and Associate Athletic Director Fred Casotti, who served at CU for 50 years.
The Buffs are coming off a year in which 14 of their 16 varsity programs either finished the season ranked in the nation's top 25 or were nationally ranked at some point in their season. That includes dramatic turnarounds by the soccer program (from 12th in the Pac-12 to second) and the football team (from last in the Pac-12 South to first).
But along with the on-the-field performances, George noted that CU's student-athletes recorded a 2.994 grade-point average in the spring semester, the best since CU began tracking the overall performance in 1994 — and the sixth straight semester the Buffs have eclipsed the 2.9 mark. CU athletes have only had seven semesters of 2.9 or better since the department began keeping track.
"Probably the thing I'm most excited about is that our academics continue to excel and get better every year," George said.
The just completed fiscal year also marked the third straight year the department's overall budget finished in the black — something that George made a priority when he took the job four years ago.
"Our fiscal situation is still really good," George said. "It's something that we made a commitment that we would do."
George also noted that CU will host the first-ever Pac-12 women's lacrosse championship next April; and that CU has made changes in its student-athlete meal service that will result in athletes being able to keep more of their stipends while still providing service to all athletes (including walk-ons).
George also commented on the new state law about to come into effect that will allow the athletic department to award contracts to as many coaches and administrators as they see fit. Prior to this law change, CU was limited to six long-term contracts for the entire school. George said he will begin meeting with the school's legal team to map out a strategy.
"We'll obviously put it in front of the regents for their approval and we hope to start that process this fall," George said. "It's a big deal. It's a game changer in a lot of ways and I appreciate the support we got from the regents and that we got from the state legislature to get that approved. I think it's really important for us to be competitive that we're able to offer multi-year contracts to more than just five people. The other part that is really good and helpful is that campus gets their six back and campus can use those for distinguished faculty or however they feel fit for those. That's a real positive thing and I think people forget about that aspect of it."
George and several members of CU's coaching staff, including football coach Mike MacIntyre, men's basketball coach Tad Boyle and women's hoops coach JR Payne, along with a number of CU administrators, recently finished a statewide tour. The message on the tour was loaded with optimism, and George reiterated that feeling on Monday.
"We have great expectations for all of our teams and our student athletes this year," George said. "One thing I really enjoy about our department is our student-athletes and our coaches really push each other. When they see one being successful, they want to have that same kind of success."
Other topics George touched upon Monday included:
On the football team: "We have big expectations for our football team. We had a great year last year at 10-2 in the regular season. I know a lot of people think we lost a lot of players and we did — we lost a lot of really good football players, but we've got a lot coming back. …
I know Mike likes his team and while we may be a little bit younger on defense we've got some guys that can really play. Offensively I'm really excited to see what this corps of receivers and (quarterback) Steven Montez does."
On men's basketball: "Listening to (Boyle), there's an excitement in his voice about this team this year. They are going to be young, but we've got some good veterans coming back. Our expectation is that we'll improve on what we did this year."
Facility improvements: First on the list, George said, is to finish the fundraising goal to help pay off the Champions Center and Indoor Practice Facility. CU has now reached close to $101 million in its "Drive For $105 Million," but George said realistically he would like to see that number hit about $115 million.
As for future improvements, he knows that a sound system at Folsom Field is high on fans' wish list. "We got rails in for them last year (at Folsom and the Events Center) and we changed the sound system in the Coors Events Center a year ago. That (Folsom sound system) is one of the priorities. But it's a couple million dollar project we don't have right now."
Still, George said, CU is beginning the process of putting together a long-term facilities plan. The plan would include making structural repairs and improvements at Folsom and an upgrade of Balch Fieldhouse. "We've got some thoughts about that, and that's something we'll work with campus on," George said. "While that facility is great, where it sits on campus, it kind of connects academics and athletics. There's a lot of things we could do there."
Also on the long-term agenda is an upgrade to CU's lacrosse facilities. "We're playing on a rec field," George said. "It's been great and it's been a great partnership with campus, but we need to upgrade some of those things. If we're going to host Pac-12s, do we do that on Kittredge or do we do that on Prentup? That's something we have to think through. …. There's a lot of things we need to do, but it's a 5- to 10-year to-do list."
Naming rights: CU officials are also continuing the process of shopping naming rights to a number of CU's athletic facilities, a move that could add some significant money to the coffers. "We're looking to name the Champions Center, potentially the stadium, not the field; our indoor facility and renaming the Events Center," George said. "Definitely something that we're working on."
Non-traditional revenue: For the second straight year, a pair of shows by the Dead and Co. produced some significant revenue. George said CU isn't likely to improve the number of concerts at Folsom each year, but could add one in the fall at the Events Center, and the possibility of other events is also something that is always under consideration. Still, he added, "We don't want to stray too far from our core operations."
Strategic plan: With the first three-year strategic plan implemented by George after his arrival just completed, the Buffs will soon announce the second three-year plan. While the vision of producing a continued culture of excellence will not change, George said the new plan's mission will be more student-athlete oriented and have less focus on budgetary concerns.
"There will be a heavy focus on student-athlete personal development that will be everything from health and wellness to academics to their career and where they go afterwards," he said. "Our vision's still the same on where we want to be in 15 years, but this will be more focused on student-athlete development, and you won't see as much about the budget because we feel we've made great strides in that regard."
Gulbrand replacement: CU is already in the process of searching for a replacement for Kurt Gulbrand, the Associate Athletic Director for Development. Gulbrand announced earlier this summer that he has accepted a position at the University of Tennessee.
"That's going to be a big loss for us," George said. "He oversaw a lot of our fundraising efforts in the Buff Club and did a great job. But we have a great team in place and we're in the process of searching for his replacement. … We hope to have that hire by the middle of August so when we get into the football season we're ready to move full speed. We'll miss Kurt; he's done an amazing job for us. The last three years we've had historic highs in our fundraising every year and a lot of credit goes to him and his team."
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
