Publication Date: Friday, November 04, 2005
Walsh is fine just being Stanford's temporary A.D.
Walsh is fine just being Stanford's temporary A.D.
(November 04, 2005) by Rick Eymer
Bill Walsh returned to the hot seat on Tuesday but his new job won't last very long and that's just fine with him.
Walsh was named Stanford's interim athletic director on Tuesday, a job that will last as long as it takes to name a replacement for the departing Athletic Director Ted Leland, who will step aside as of Jan. 1 to pursue an academic opportunity at the University of Pacific.
"It's an honor and privilege to at least temporarily represent the university as athletic director," Walsh said. "My job to continue as best I can the program Ted Leland has developed over a period of time."
Stanford will name a search committee for Leland's successor this fall, but Provost John Etchemendy said he expects the search could take several months. The university plans to have a new athletic director in place by the beginning of the next academic year.
"Bill's experience and skills as a coach and business manager are without parallel," Etchemendy said. "But even more important, his tenure at Stanford has shown that he places a high value on the critical importance of academics in the success of our athletics program."
Walsh teaches a class at Stanford's Graduate School of Business and has served as a special assistant to Leland since 2004.
"I'm here, I'm of course familiar with the university," Walsh said. "It appears, most people agree, I would be the logical person until we can name a permanent AD, and that's going to be a tough job. There are a myriad of expectations. It's the largest athletic program in the country. It will take some time to locate the person ideally suited for it. I think I'll be involved."
Walsh has been a member of the Stanford community on and off since 1963, when he was an assistant coach at the school. His first job as a head coach also came at Stanford in 1977. He moved onto the San Francisco 49ers and future NFL greatness in 1979 before returning to Stanford to coach in the mid 90s.
Walsh served the 49ers as vice president and general manager from 1999 to 2001. He was elected to the Professional Football Hall of Fame in 1993.
"We have to be the best recruiting institution in the nation because of the level of competition and academic requirements," Walsh said. "We just can't miss an athlete. Our recruiting program has to be the very, very best. I'll be more involved in overseeing part of it."
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