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We offer our deepest condolences to the Pitt-Johnstown community following the passing of AD/Men’s Wrestling HC Pat Pecora. President Jem Spectar: “For over four decades, Coach P built a monumental legacy of athletics excellence, transforming Pitt Johnstown into an unparalleled wrestling powerhouse that propelled legions of UPJ athletes to state, regional, and national championships while also elevating and burnishing UPJ's reputation. […] The GOAT, in so many ways, was the personification of the fighting spirit of our Mt. Cat athletes, infusing the arena of competition with his characteristic resilience, relentless optimism, and indomitable will to prevail and triumph! On and off the court, and even decades after his students graduated, Coach P guided, shaped, and transformed the lives of legions of UPJ athletes, turning boys into successful men, advising and guiding students to become successful, impactful citizens and leaders in all walks of life across the country.” (link)

Texas A&M-Kingsville AD Steve Roach will depart after six years leading the Javelinas to become the Deputy AD at Elon (DI). President Robert Vela: “I cannot emphasize enough Steve's vital role in the growth and success of Javelina Athletics during his tenure. His steadfast leadership and vision reinvigorated our historic athletics program while prioritizing the success of our student-athletes both in competition and in the classroom.” Football HC Michael Salinas will serve as Interim AD. (link)

More House Happenings:

+ Minutes from last week’s House hearing officially indicate the parties have been instructed to meet and discuss changes to the settlement and report back to U.S. District Court Judge Claudia Wilken by September 26. (link)

+ The NCAA “might figure it’s time to make a game-breaking gamble by trying to win House” in the U.S. Supreme Court, according to Sportico’s Michael McCann, who points out the NCAA already made sweeping concessions in the settlement: “It has accepted an arrangement that demolishes its longstanding fidelity to amateurism, converts the upper echelon of college sports into a pro sports model, and obligates the association and member schools to pay about $2.8B over a 10-year period.” Therefore, it “stands to reason that NCAA President Charlie Baker – especially if swayed by conference commissioners, prominent university presidents and influential athletic directors – could decide enough is enough. Don’t be shocked if he declares he’s willing to take his chances in court.” McCann goes on to submit that before the case even comes before SCOTUS, it’s “not a slam dunk the NCAA would lose a trial. Some jurors might find the commercialization of college sports problematic and off-putting. Some might regard the transformation of college sports into something akin to pro sports undesirable, especially if they believe it would reduce academic opportunities for athletes. Jurors are ordinary people. They’re not seasoned litigators who can instantly cite sports antitrust case precedent or Ivy League economists who conduct empirical analyses on fan behavior. They often go with their gut and follow their moral compass.” In the event the case does go before SCOTUS, McCann emphasizes that while the court ruled 9-0 in the Alston case, no other justices signed onto Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s concurrence. (link)

+ Georgia President/former DI Council Chair Jere Morehead discussed the latest in the House case with The Athletic’s Seth Emerson: “Well, it needs to be resolved, because we entered into a settlement and we expect that entire settlement to be accepted by the judge. She’s expressed some concerns, and hopefully those concerns will be addressed over the next three weeks. [...] I don’t think it’s back to the drawing board. The settlement’s the settlement. She’s got to decide whether she’s going to accept the settlement that’s been agreed to by the parties.” Headlining attorney Tom Mars comments: “UGA’s President doesn’t seem to understand that a class action adjudicates the rights of absent third parties, and settlements must be approved to make sure those third parties - college athletes, in this case - aren’t getting screwed. Don’t screw the athletes. Case closed.” (link, link)

@1QLeadership Question: Do the titles given during a career define the underlying skill?

Chris McFarlane is the Deputy Athletics Director for External Relations and Business Development at UCF. At a quick glance, his career arc would have him labeled as a fundraiser. With further study, McFarlane's career is actually rooted in building programs.

• Hired to lead an athletics fundraising office in his mid-20s

• Purposely stepped away from a leadership role after successfully building a couple of fundraising programs

• Recent appointment leans into his building programs skill while using aspects of his fundraising experience

McFarlane continues to rely on the skills developed while working as a fundraiser but has always known that his superpower is building sustainable programs that help athletics departments focus on executing their purpose for existing. 🎧 on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.

More from D2.ticker’s Experts’ Roundtable with Central Missouri AD Matt Howdeshell, Colorado School of Mines AD David Hansburg, Kutztown AD Renee Hellert and Lenoir-Rhyne AD Kim Pate as the quartet dives into in-season communications with coaches and planning for their Football program’s future. While Hansburg and Pate have had to replace successful HCs, they both emphasized the need for their current HC to hire coordinators and ACs who could succeed them, with Pate stating: “I have asked the last three coaches to be intentional about recruiting at least one assistant who could potentially succeed them when they get their next opportunity.” The pair also offer incentives to retain HCs and have invested in other support programs, as Pate and Howdeshell point to their NIL support. Howdeshell states last year’s on-field success allowed UCM to ink HC Josh Lamberson to a new deal, adjust the assistant salary pool, launch the first fee-free NIL marketplace, upgrade coaches’ offices and more. During the season, Hellert has formal monthly one-on-one conversations with HC Jim Clements to discuss recruiting, retention, student-athlete experience and more, in addition to informal drop-in meetings for overall check-ins or immediate concerns. Howdeshell has more communication with biweekly meetings in his second year at the helm to discuss a bevy of department and program happenings. Hansburg, a former football coach, typically checks in early in the week, with more informal conversations. Pate states she tries to not schedule formal meetings once fall camp starts, preferring to check-in early in the week and “listen and offer support and to make sure I have a good understanding of where the program is and what, if any, challenges they may be dealing with (on and off the field).” Check out more on BOSCA. (link)

Deal Digest:

+ Wingate partners with Athletic Solutions to launch a new student-athlete NIL store. (link)

+ Augustana joins with KELOLAND Media Group to broadcast a trio of Vikings football games this fall. (link)

It’s Personnel:

+ Cameron Men’s & Women’s Tennis HC Josh Cobble has added Assistant AD for Administration duties to his role. (link)

+ Lewis Men’s Volleyball HC Dan Friend will add responsibilities as Asst. AD for Strategic Initiatives. (link)

+ Coaches.wire tracks every coaching staff move across the entire industry every 48 hours. Check out this morning’s edition. (link)

More Higher Ed:

+ Central Washington extends President Jim Wohlpart’s contract through July 2029. (link)

+ Cal State San Bernardino is facing a $21M budget deficit for FY25, with the California State University System looking at an approximately $1B deficit in 2025-26. CSUSB will review academic unit consolidations, travel cuts, staffing levels and more. (link)

Interested in advertising a job opening in D2.ticker? Click here to submit your position. Post your department-wide openings with CollegeSports.jobs, where thousands of administrators coaches get news and updates about the world of college sports.

(Posted from most recent over the last 30 days)

(NEW!) Director of Intercollegiate Athletics (University of Illinois at Chicago / Chicago, IL): Reporting to the University Chancellor, the Director of Intercollegiate Athletics will be part of an outstanding leadership team for the University focused on broad, far-reaching impact. (DI) More details HERE.The D1.dossier for this position is available HERE.

Assistant Athletic Trainer (The College of New Jersey / Ewing, NJ): Responsibilities of the Assistant Athletic Trainer include assisting in providing athletic training services to varsity intercollegiate athletes. (DIII) More details HERE.

Assistant Coach, Men's & Women's Swimming (Gannon University / Erie, PA): The assistant coach will assist in coaching, managing, and directing all aspects of a competitive, NCAA Division II, intercollegiate swimming program. More details HERE.

Assistant Women's Tennis Coach (University of South Carolina / Columbia, SC): Assistant coach will support the women’s tennis program at the University of South Carolina by assisting with coaching, recruiting, and providing essential logistical support. (DI) More details HERE.

Vice President for Athletics (Hanover College / Hanover, IN): The vice president for athletics at Hanover College oversees all aspects of Hanover’s NCAA Division III athletic program. (DIII) More details HERE.

Associate Athletic Director of External Relations (Lewis University / Romeoville, IL): The Associate Athletic Director for External Operations position will collaborate with internal and external constituents for strategic planning of the athletic department and university. More details HERE.

Assistant Director, Athletic Development and External Affairs (Texas A&M International University / Laredo, TX): Assists Development Officers and Institutional Advancement in securing philanthropic support for athletics. More details HERE.

Athletic Trainer (Texas A&M International University / Laredo, TX): The Athletic Trainer prevents, cares and treats injuries to athletes using necessary knowledge of injury patterns and modern principles of athletic training. More details HERE.

Head Women’s Lacrosse Coach (Grand Valley State University / Allendale, MI): Position serves as the leader of the NCAA intercollegiate women’s lacrosse program that recruits and retains quality student-athletes who achieve student-athlete success on and off from the field. More details HERE.

Director of Athletics Communications (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) / Kansas City, MO): The Director of Athletics Communications is responsible for the leadership and oversight of the department's day-to-day operations. (NAIA) More details HERE.

Director of Athletics Media Relations (Coker University / Hartsville, SC): Director of Athletics Media Relations. More details HERE.

Assistant Athletic Trainer (University of Texas at Dallas / Richardson, TX): UTD seeks experienced and energetic athletic trainer who will provide education, assessment, treatment and prevention services for athletic-related injuries and illnesses. More details HERE.

Assistant Men’s and Women’s Swimming Coach (Grand Valley State University / Allendale, MI): Reports to the Head Swimming and Diving Coach and assists in all aspects of the program, including and not limited to, coaching, recruiting, camps and swim lessons. More details HERE.

Director of Advancement & Stewardship (Rose Bowl Stadium / Pasadena, CA): The Rose Bowl Legacy Foundation, the 501c3 of the Rose Bowl Stadium, is recruiting for a Dir. of Advancement & Stewardship to support the preservation, protection and enhancement of America's Stadium. More details HERE.

Head Softball Coach (Adelphi University / Garden City, NY): The head softball coach is responsible for the recruitment and retention of quality student-athletes. More details HERE.

Director of Intercollegiate Athletics (University of Indianapolis / Indianapolis, IN): The University of Indianapolis (UIndy) seeks an experienced, relational, and strategic leader to serve as the Director of Intercollegiate Athletics (AD). More details HERE.

Director of Athletics (Knox College / Galesburg, IL): Reporting to the President and serving on the President’s, the Director of Athletics oversees operations of the College's intercollegiate athletics program, as well as campus recreation. (DIII) More details HERE.

Ticket Sales & Service Manager (Pepperdine University / Malibu, CA): The Ticket Sales and Service Manager is responsible for managing the Pepperdine Athletics Ticket Office needs for indicated sports regularly, while managing postseason ticketing needs for all sports. (DI) More details HERE.

Assistant Athletic Director for Partnerships & Fundraising (Northwest Missouri State University / Maryville, MO): Position is responsible primarily for building the corporate sponsorship base and running fundraising events for the department and individual sport programs. More details HERE.

Deputy Athletics Director / Chief Revenue Officer (University of California – Los Angeles – UCLA / Los Angeles, CA): Lead our revenue-generating efforts & bring your strategic thinking skills, deep understanding of the industry, proven leadership success, & strong constituent engagement abilities to UCLA’s program. (DI) More details HERE.

Assistant Softball Coach (St. Mary's University – Texas / San Antonio, TX): This position teaches and instructs on the technical and motivational aspects of softball. As well as develops, coordinates and supervises the practice and training of student-athletes. More details HERE.

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