Randy Eaton is nearing the six-week mark as Maryland's interim athletic director. With no campus president in place yet, it seems likely he will preside over the Terrapins' athletic department for at least a good chunk of the football season.
The straight-shooting Eaton, whose served as Maryland's chief financial officer for about two years under former athletic director Debbie Yow, sat down Thursday for a wide-ranging interview about the department he is shepherding through an acutely turbulent time in College Park. It will be presented in three parts --- a little more digestible for readers --- rather than one giant transcript.
In the first segment, Eaton talks about how Ralph Friedgen is handling his tenuous position, his role on game-days at Byrd Stadium and the state of football season ticket sales.
PS: So, how much fun is two jobs at once?
RE: Some days more fun than other. We're in the middle of --- and the whole campus is doing this --- putting together a kind of review book for presidential candidates. In athletics, it takes on a little bit bigger sense because we're doing a little more in-depth detail, especially of our financials. Because it's not just for our new president coming in, it's for any candidates for the athletic director's job. We're putting together a history and a projection of where we're at.
It's time-consuming. Myself and [associate athletic director/business] Jon Palumbo met with Julie Phelps who is the associate vice president and comptroller. We spent three and a half hours this morning going over financials. I'm still spending a lot of time on finances as it relates to that.
Then the other 12 hours of the day spending on AD-type stuff. Obviously, as you can imagine as we get closer to the season starting, I spend a lot of time with Ralph [Friedgen] and his staff. I think in the last week we've had three MGN events. ... Three of the last seven nights, I spent with MGN folks, and I just spent an hour with Ralph before you walked in.
You know, in his defense, he's got a lot of stuff he has to do before Sunday. Kids start showing up and his whole world changes for six months. I have to be flexible and meet with him when he's got time.
PS: How do you think he's faring right now knowing that he's probably on as insecure ground as he's been since he's been here?
RE: I think extremely well, because I think everybody closely associated with that program thinks they're really going to surprise people. He's made the comment publicly on more than one occasion that the last time they were picked to finish last, they were in the Orange Bowl. I think they're all doing well. Everybody's put last year behind them. It's a clean slate. It's a proper way to approach things.
PS: Obviously you're spending a lot more time over there. I know one of your favorite things to do on actual game days is to tailgate in the garage after games. I'm guessing that's something that won't be an option this year?
RE: We'll spend a lot more time --- I didn't have to do the meet-and-greet and thank people and reach out to people. That was not my role in past years. Prior to the last couple years, what I tried to do was really use football games to build relationships across campus. We'd tailgate and invite people and their families from across campus to join my wife and I. This past year, what we did was postgame, we tried to use it for the people who work the games. Have a quick bite, have a quick drink, whatever.
This year, I'll change my focus again. It'll be getting out, reaching out to our fans that are in the parking lots prior to the games. Going through all the suites during the games, thanking them for their support. Being at the game. My role, three consecutive years I'll have different roles.
PS: So you'll be getting around pregame?
RE: Pregame, I anticipate probably working with our development staff and going out and meeting different groups of folks out in the parking lot. Once we get into the tower, going through. I'll try that first game to get to every suite. Realistically, because a lot of times people want to talk to the athletic director, so maybe what I think is 'I'm going to try to get to every suite' winds up being 'I get through one floor to every game' and it takes me three games to see everybody. Which is OK, too, because I don't want anyone to feel rushed when I walk in there.
If they want me out in five minutes, I'll be gone. If they want me there for half an hour, I'm there for half an hour. ...
It's just a different philosophy. Debbie was very much into watching the game and very analytical about what was going on on the field. She was a former coach. I'm not a former coach, so my role will be much different from that. My role will be going and talking to everybody, talking to all of our supporters. If they've got questions for me, I want to sit there and talk to them. If they want to sit there and watch the game and 'Hey, Randy, how are you doing? Thanks for stopping by.' and they're done, I'm done. Give everybody their own time.
PS: I seem to recall 41 suites was the number from last year that were sold for the full season?
RE: With everything altogether, because it probably included single-game sales and stuff of that nature, on a season basis it's like 36 or 37. Then we have individual sales and that's up five from last year. I think last year we were at 31 or 32 and this year we're 36 or 37. But we have increased the number we've sold.
PS: Is that surprising, given what the season was last year? Or do you think given some economic recovery has made a difference?
RE: I think it's a combination of the economics and the value. Look what they're getting. It's a lot of money, don't get me wrong. But it's a great deal compared to suites in the area or at other schools. I don't really see it as being a big stretch. Yeah, people are going to say, wouldn't you expect those sales to go down because of the record? Not really. Is there a record factor when it comes to purchasing a suite? Absolutely. But I don't think it's as critical to the suiteholders in some respects as it is to the general fans.
PS: Season tickets. That probably is not up.
RE: We're down. We're down probably about 20 percent.
PS: That would be down to 18 or 19 [thousand]?
RE: [Looks up data]. 18,292 as of I think Monday. Down from 22,792 last year. So we're down [calculates numbers] 19.74 percent. Just shy of 20.
PS: You look at the home schedule Maryland plays (Morgan State, Florida International, Duke, Wake Forest, Florida State, N.C. State), and it's going to be a tough sell regardless.
RE: Yep. No question. It's a fine line. We happen to be looking back a couple days ago. A few of us were sitting in a room and if you go back and some might call it the Yow Effect. You look at '93, '92, '91, we were playing Syracuse and West Virginia and Pitt and then the ACC in the same year. But we weren't getting to any bowl games, so what do you do? I don't know if I've got the answer.
PS: It's not like you can do a whole heck of a lot since those schedules are set for the next couple years, right?
RE: For the next couple years we can't, because we're booked through '13, I think.
PS: Next year, what, Temple comes on?
RE: Temple, Towson, Notre Dame, West Virginia.
PS: Has Ralph been involved beyond the high-level folks in drumming stuff up? I know he's done some radio and television.
RE: I think he's been more vocal in the opportunities he has. Whereas in the past years he hasn't talked about tickets, he is this year. Radio. TV. These MGN events. We actually have a fan appreciation day on the 14th which is something new for us. It'll be open to the public. It'll be in Byrd. There will be an autograph session afterwards. We will have seats marked that are available, and people can take a look at what they can buy. Then we'll have a Q-and-A with me and Ralph with the crowd afterward. That'll be interesting.
PS: You've had the chance to talk to some fans in the last month and a half. What sort of reception have you gotten?
RE: It's kind of funny because the range of questions I get ... somebody stopped me last night as we were walking out of the MGN presentation and we probably talked for 20 minutes about TV. 'Why aren't we on TV more?' I said, 'I'll be honest. If you're asking about home games, if it was up to me we would never have a home game televised. Ever. Until we sell the stadium out. Because the $20 for that ticket, I don't want you going to buy pizza and a 12-pack and sitting at home watching on HD.' If you're a fan, your butt is in the stands on Saturdays. End of discussion.
Road games, I kind of see their point, and that becomes political outside of our control. Our rights with ABC and ESPN, and now that Comcast and NBC are negotiating for Comcast to purchase NBC, now Comcast becomes a competitor of ABC/ESPN even moreso. It's going to be harder to get our games on ABC, ESPN 1 or 2 on television. Even when we get permission, we still have to pay to produce them and have to buy the airtime. It would be tens of thousands of dollars to show a road game.
Although I have heard ESPN3 is making a push to get on more dish and cable [systems]. I'm sure they'll be on expanded cable. They're not going to be on basic, but they're going through with ESPN3 what the Big Ten Network went through to try to get on. It'll happen. It's not quick enough for some people. They wanted it yesterday. Big business, politics. Things take time.
(In Part 2, Eaton discusses looking for input from fans on what is both good and bad in Maryland's athletic department)
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