Schools
Georgia Tech Athletic Director Clemson Bound
Yellow Jackets' Athletic Director Dan Radakovich reportedly set to leave for rival ACC school. Some Tech fans wish the football coach would follow him out the door
Numerous media outlets are reporting today that Georgia Tech Athletic Director Dan Radakovich will leave the Midtown school to be Clemson’s new athletic director.
A Monday afternoon news conference has been called at the South Carolina school to announce the hiring of Radakovich, who will replace the retiring Don Philips. Greenville (SC) News writer Bart Wright was the first to report the hiring via twitter.
Radakovich, who has been at Tech for six years, is credited for planning and advancing many of the athletic facilities at the school. Included in that is the renovation of Alexander Memorial Coliseum into McCamish Pavilion, as well as projects involving a new indoor football practice facility, tennis complex and softball stadium.
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But critics have pointed to slumping program results from both football and men’s basketball, in addition to the school being saddled with NCAA probation on Radakovich's watch as a result of an investigation into improper benefits to a pair of football players among other allegations.
When the Georgia Tech football and men's basketball teams were fined $100,000 and put on four years of probation by the NCAA in July 2011, Radakovich said, "This is not a good day for Georgia Tech."
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Tech also had to give up all of its football wins in 2009, including the ACC championship game win.
Radakovich was initially praised for his 2007 hiring of head football coach Paul Johnson. But as of late, Johnson’s detractors have continued to grow. He’s already fired his defensive coordinator during the current 3-5 season that reached another low with Saturday’s 41-17 blowout homecoming loss to BYU.
It marked the third home loss this year in which the Jackets were favored and dropped Tech’s record to 5-10 over its last 15 games. Still, there are arguments to keep Johnson, who is 37-24 overall on the Flats, including 23-14 in conference games. Another plus for Johnson is his contract that currently runs through 2016. At a cost of almost $2.5 million per year, it would cost the school nearly $10 million to give Johnson the boot now.
On the hoops court, coach Brian Gregory’s first Jackets' squad last season struggled mightily to score in stumbling to an 11-20 overall record and 4-12 in the ACC. In the last five years, Tech is 74-86 overall and 25-54 in the conference in men's basketball.
What do you feel about Radakovich leaving Tech for an ACC rival and do you think Johnson should follow him out the door? Tell us is the comments below.
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