Colorado University Athletics
Buffs AD George Talks Coach Prime, Facilities And CU's Future
April 15, 2023 | General, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — Over the last few months, the University of Colorado Athletic Department has enjoyed a prominent upswing nearly across the board.
The women's basketball team just finished an NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 appearance and has virtually every significant contributor returning for next season. The men's basketball team has one of the top-rated recruiting classes in the country and has been ranked in a number of preseason top 25 rankings for next year.
Meanwhile, CU's Olympic sports have also produced solid results on the recruiting trails and in the postseason, and should be poised for even more success in the coming year.
And, of course, the hiring of Deion "Coach Prime" Sanders has put Colorado football back on the map almost overnight.
It all adds up to what could be one of the most exciting and productive school years in a long while as Buffs fans look ahead to 2023-24.
CU Athletic Director Rick George has been the architect of the success. George has guided the Buffs through crises in his tenure (everything ranging from 100-year floods to worldwide pandemics) while still managing to put Colorado in position to emerge as an elite player on the national stage. He spearheaded major facilities improvements and has added or strengthened CU's support system for student-athletes in nearly every critical area — mental health, nutrition, academics and career leadership.
In short, he has made sure the foundation for CU's competitive success is in place.
George recently sat down with Learfield University Partnership Group Executive Vice President Mike Hamilton to discuss all things Buffs. The two talked everything from the hiring of Coach Prime to facilities, and George also hinted that he might be able to see the end of his career on the horizon.
The entire podcast — well-worth a listen — can be found here.
Meanwhile, we've included a few excerpts below:
On what attracted him initially to Sanders: "He was number one on my list from the start and there were others that were right there. We had a really good list of candidates for that role … His character and his values are what drew me to him, and his honesty and his attention to detail. When he and I sat down, he was far better than any others that I looked at."
On Sanders' coaching staff: "We sat down and he laid out who he wanted on his staff. And as I look back on that … it was almost to a person the people that he wanted, he got. I would say eight of the 10 or nine of the 10 were on that sheet that he shared with me when he and I met. So he was intentional. He knew who he wanted. He knew the people that he wanted around him. And again, I think every great leader has great people around them and I feel really confident about the team that he's put together."
On Sanders' mastery of social media: "I think it's really important as it relates to recruiting what he does on social media. Young people want to see that, young people engage and interact on that and, and he can send a message out through social media. He's been really good about utilizing that space to raise up our football program, our athletic department, our university and our community. So the impact that he's having is broad. And it's not just the football program. He knows how to use his platform to promote the things that are important to him in his program."
On facilities improvements and a timeline: "We have a plan in our mind about what we need to do long term, and long term for me is a few years from now because I'm getting towards the end of my career and there's a lot of things that I still want to do here … We have to fix the west side of our football stadium. That's a priority, something that we will wrap our arms around. We have to upgrade our Events Center … We're renovating our track this summer to host the (2024) Pac-12 championships. We're putting soccer lights in for the first time, which is really going to be beneficial for our soccer team. But we've got some (other) immediate needs. We need to build a tennis indoor facility and maybe some outdoor courts. Eventually we want to a lacrosse-soccer stadium. I think that's five to 10 years down the road. Somebody else will be leading that project but you know, there's a lot that we have to do … The facilities that we built are as good as any in the country and we also have great programs for our student athletes. But there's some things that we need to do from a facility standpoint, for us to continue to be relevant and at a high level."
On his leadership style: "I've been blessed and fortunate in my career … What I tie it all back to is it's all about relationships … It's about how you treat people, how you motivate people and hold people accountable to do the things that they need to do. You can do it in a way where it's not condescending, and more so where it's uplifting and motivational to get people to get outside of their comfort zone. The only way you get better is you have to get outside of your comfort zone and do things that you're maybe not used to doing but it helps you grow in this business."
Again, the entire podcast can be found here.
