GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- The wait and uncertainty of it all had finally taken a toll on Jeremy Foley. He needed to get out of the house to burn some of the nervous energy on perhaps the most important day of his career.
Instead of going for a run like he often does, the high-energy Foley by coincidence reverted to something he had done years earlier when his life was at a crossroads.
Foley went outside on that memorable Saturday morning in 1992 to do some landscaping in the yard, one of his least favorite chores. The neighbors figured something must be up since they never saw Foley outside wearing gardening gloves or holding a rake.
“I remember it being a very antsy time,” Foley said. “I remember that day like it was yesterday. I never thought it was a slam dunk.”
The whole week was tense for Foley as he waited to hear from then-UF President John Lombardi. The call from Lombardi was either going to be one of the best or worst of Foley's life.
If he got the job, a new challenge awaited. If he was passed over, well, a different kind of challenge loomed.
“I didn't know it would be so difficult,” he said.
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THE FOLEY WAY
In trying to capture the essence of why University of Florida Athletic Director Jeremy Foley is one of the most respected ADs in the country, GatorZone.com asked those who work with him on a daily basis. Here is what they had to say:
“I think one of the qualities that make him a great leader is he has a great sense for what is right and wrong. Sounds simple, but there is really no grey area with him and he makes his decisions and sets policy based on what is fundamentally right. It's a quality that is hard to describe but you can imagine with all of the decisions he makes how important this is. I think the entire organization takes his lead and incorporates this quality as best they can when performing their tasks. I also think the emphasis he puts on hiring really good people in every facet of the organization, top to bottom, is what makes the UAA a special place to work. Being a good person is rewarded and I think that can be rare in some businesses.”
--Chip Howard, Senior Associate Athletics Director, Internal Affairs
“There are so many wonderful things about working for the Gators. Working for Jeremy Foley ranks up at the top of the list of reasons. He cares deeply about people, and he always puts the University of Florida first when making decisions. He has evolved in so many ways as a leader and never stops self-evaluating. The fact that he is likely cringing at the very thought of this story is one of the things that makes Jeremy so great at what he does. He is always concerned about complacency, about feeling too good about ourselves. The moment that we believe in the positive press, we're headed for a fall, and that's why he is always so focused on getting better instead of reflecting back on our accomplishments.”
--Mike Hill, Senior Associate Athletics Director, External Affairs
“There are so many things that make Jeremy a great leader. One thing that I particularly appreciate about Jeremy and what I think is unique about someone in his position with his experience is that he not only challenges others to try to get better everyday, he takes that challenge personally. Jeremy looks to improve himself and improve his work everyday. That is a great example for all of us that work with him.”
--Lynda Tealer, Senior Associate Athletics Director, Women's Sports
“Jeremy puts the best interests of the institution first in any and all decisions. He would never do anything to cause any embarrassment to the institution. With his leadership we have won more SEC and NCAA championships during his time as athletic director than at any other time in our history. We won those championships with integrity and class. Jeremy would not want it any other way.”
--Jamie McCloskey, Senior Associate Athletics Director, Compliance
Foley arrived at UF in 1976 as an intern in the ticket office. He needed an internship to complete his master's degree in sports administration and the opportunity with the Gators was Foley's only offer.
He quickly developed a reputation as someone who got things done around the office, showing the kind of ambition that wasn't for everyone but produced results.
“It was written all over him,” said Richard Gianinni, a senior associate AD at UF from 1978-86 who recently retired after 13 years as AD at Southern Mississippi. “You knew he was going to be a success. He had a good understanding of the business and a good business background.”
Prior to an offer from ticket office manager Hardee McAlhaney, Foley envisioned an administrative career with a Major League Baseball team, sending more than 50 letters to professional sports teams asking for a job upon graduation from Hobart (N.Y.) College in 1974. All he got back in the mail was a stack of letterheads containing polite rejections.
During a period of uncertainty about his life's direction, Foley took a temporary job as a landscaper back home in New Hampshire as he searched for the next open door. Amid all those rejection letters was one from Cleveland Browns executive Peter Hadhazy suggesting Foley get his master's degree at Ohio University.
He took the advice and Florida offered a lifeline to Foley when he desperately needed one. Foley's friends weren't sure what to make of his unexpected detour into the land of alligators, palm trees and unfulfilled potential.
“Being born and raised in New Hampshire, his dream was to work in the front office for the Boston Red Sox,” said Jim Kraus, a lacrosse teammate and Kappa Sigma fraternity brother of Foley's at Hobart. “But at the time the offer to go to the University of Florida was the best one for him, and he took it, not knowing if it was really what he wanted to do.”
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No one questions Foley's venture south today.
Foley will be at New Orleans Arena on Friday when the Gators men's basketball team opens play in the SEC Tournament. He will root passionately for Billy Donovan's team to advance the way he roots for every Gators team.
While the game is much more significant in Foley's eyes, the date is an important one in the evolution of the 59-year-old New Englander's career. On March 9, 1992 – two days after receiving good news from Lombardi in a phone call during a break from that stress-relieving yard work – Foley was officially introduced as Florida's new athletic director.
The former ticket taker climbed his way to the top.
Foley left a couple of days after the introductory press conference for the SEC men's basketball tournament, held that year in Birmingham, Ala. As he watched a young Shaquille O'Neal and his LSU team face Tennessee, Foley was quickly reminded of his more visible role.
Seated next to former Gators coach Lon Kruger, they watched as LSU coach Dale Brown charged onto the court during a now-infamous skirmish that ensued when Tennessee's Carlus Groves intentionally fouled the dominant O'Neal.
A melee broke out and 10 players were ejected. Brown didn't help matters by running onto the court and shoving Groves to protect O'Neal.
“I can remember turning to Lon and saying, 'Look Lon, I've been on the job for two days, I do not need you to do that,' ” Foley said.
Twenty years later Foley is currently the third-longest tenured AD in Division I and the architect of the golden age of UF athletics. The Gators have won three national football championships, two in men's basketball and 12 other national titles during Foley's tenure.
Florida's athletic department has never finished below seventh in the national all-sports rankings under Foley and the Gators have won 19 of 20 SEC all-sports trophies since Foley was hired to replace Bill Arnsparger.
Those who work closely with Foley understand why Florida is considered today one of the nation's premiere athletic departments and not the sleeping giant he inherited.
“His longevity in a very difficult position speaks to his ability and his passion and his commitment to the university,” SEC Commissioner Mike Slive said. “Jeremy Foley is one of the finest athletic directors in the country. That's not just my view. I think that's the view of many.
“He is passionate, he is knowledgeable and he is thoughtful. In addition, he is a consummate advocate for the University of Florida and the Gator Nation, yet at the same time, he understands the importance of the Southeastern Conference.”
University of Georgia Athletic Director Greg McGarity served as a close associate of Foley's for 18 years until leaving UF to return to Athens in August 2010. They are now friendly rivals.
McGarity witnessed Foley's passion for the job and tireless work ethic, legendary traits well-known to those who work in the offices on the west side of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. In his time at UF, McGarity was inspired to come to work with a plan each day and get something done, an approach he took with him back to Athens.
“I think what Jeremy has been able to do is create a mindset among student-athletes, coaches, staff, that mediocrity is not acceptable in college athletics,” McGarity said. “It's not OK just to be OK. Jeremy is just constantly preaching leadership, constantly preaching accountability, constantly preaching 'do your best every day.' ”
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The landscape of college sports has changed drastically since Foley capped his climb to Head Gator following stints in nearly every role imaginable. Foley has done everything from parking cars to raising millions of dollars for UF's athletic department.
He now runs a department with an annual budget of more than $100 million, which is more than the payroll of several major league teams. He also operates under a microscope much more intense than 20 years ago when the Internet was just waking up and Facebook and Twitter were years from being part of daily life.
“The basic tenets of the job are the same: graduate student-athletes, be successful on the field, do it with integrity and honesty, represent the institution the right way, balance your budget, keep track of your facilities, take care of your people – all those remain the same,” Foley said. “The money has gotten bigger obviously. The stakes have gotten higher.”
Passed over for the job in 1987 following a three-month stint as interim AD between the tenures of Bill Carr and Arnsparger, Foley said he interviewed for just one other job – a position at Minnesota in the mid-1980s – since he came to UF.
Instead of chasing other options, Foley found a home. He toned down his management style so that if he ever got another shot, there would be no questions whether he was the right person for the job.
And there wasn't according to Nick Cassisi, who headed the UF search committee that eventually forwarded Foley's name to Lombardi along with two others for final consideration, then-East Carolina AD Dave Hart and Iowa State's Max Urick.
“Without a doubt, he was the best person,” Cassisi said. “He had been here, he worked his way up from the bottom and he was a very loyal person. The thing that was really impressive to the search committee was the fact he loved this institution. He was very sincere. He had all the pluses and truly there were no negatives.”
Foley's love of the Gators is real, not a mythical creation to help him as the face of Florida athletics. Unlike some ADs who perform their CEO-like duties but tend to remain out of the spotlight at athletic events, Foley is omnipresent around campus and on the road, usually decked out in something orange and blue.
This past weekend he was at UF's lacrosse game against Syracuse on Saturday and cheered from press row during the Gators' loss to No. 1-ranked Kentucky on Sunday at the O'Dome, acting no different than if he had purchased a ticket.
The Orlando Sentinel's Mike Bianchi, perhaps the state's most prominent sports columnist, has known Foley for more than 25 years. While they have agreed to disagree at times during that span, Bianchi respects Foley's intensity and passion as the head of the state's oldest sports institution.
“He's protective of his program and he has the right to be,” Bianchi said. “He has built one of the best athletic programs in the country. The one thing I've always liked about Jeremy is that he will call you up and tell you if he thinks you have written something that is not right. I've gotten a call from Jeremy but I always respect him for making that call. He's always been accessible and always been very helpful with the media.”
Foley has also maintained strong ties with the fan base. He regularly communicates with the large donors who open their wallets to support the program financially as well as the numerous Gator Clubs around the state that help grow the Florida brand both regionally and nationally.
The most scrutiny Foley has faced during his tenure came during Ron Zook's time as football coach. The Gators eventually cut ties with Zook after three seasons and hired Urban Meyer, who led Florida to national titles in 2006 and '08. Foley experienced some difficult moments, but nothing compared to the scandal-ridden 1980s that saw Florida put on probation twice.
“Those are difficult times,” Foley said. “Looking back on it now, you look at some of the challenges going on now in intercollegiate athletics – that was us in the '80s. Maybe some fans remember that but I guarantee you a bunch don't. What I saw most of all is what it did to the institution. We never want to be there again. You want to be a program that does things the right way. We talk about that every day.”
Tampa Gator Club board member Sam Vranish recently attended the Gator Gala where Foley spoke. Vranish is impressed most by Foley's commitment to every sport on UF's campus. Football and men's basketball get the most attention, but Foley makes them all sound equal and proves it by contributing resources to each to win at the highest level.
“I think he has done a terrific job,” Vranish said. “When you go beyond [football] and look at the entire body of work across all sports, you have to consider that as well. That really measures the overall health and ability of the entire athletic program. They've got an AD who knows what he is doing.”
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Since that March day in 1992 when Foley took over the program, Donovan is arguably his best hire. While Kruger took the Gators to their first Final Four in 1994, the program dipped again by 1996 when Donovan came on board after two seasons at Marshall.
Now in his 16th season, Donovan has turned the Gators into a perennial Top 25 team and is one of the country's most-respected coaches.
The two maintain a close working relationship and are friends away from work. That's part of the Foley Way. He provides the resources to get the job done, and then clearly sets expectations but isn't afraid to bond with coaches on a personal level. Taking it a step further, he encourages the coaches to bond as a group for the greater good of the program.
That's not always the approach at other places.
“I don't think every person could work here,” Donovan said. “I think there are certain things that are important to him in terms of how he wants coaches to represent the institution; how relationships are going to be with his coaches, and that's not to say that you don't disagree or agree to disagree or have conflicts or are the opposite spectrum of some things, but you're never in a position as a coach where you're questioning whether this guy is giving you the things you need to be successful.
“He's been the same to me when we had two losing seasons in a row as when we won two national championships back-to-back as when we went to back-to-back NITs. There's a relationship, there's communication, there's a mutual trust.”
SENIOR STAFFERS
A look at the longest-tenured ADs currently at FBS Division schools:
Name, school/Tenure
DeLoss Dodds, Texas - September 1981 - present
Chris Hill, Utah - October 1987 - present
Jeremy Foley, Florida - March 1992 - present
Ron Wellman, Wake Forest - October 1992 - present
Morgan Burke, Purdue - January 1993 - present
Tim Curley, Penn State* - December 1993 - present
R.C. Johnson, Memphis** - February 1996 - present
Jim Weaver, Virginia Tech - September 1997 - present
Bob Stull, UTEP - March 1998 - present
Joe Castiglione, Oklahoma - April 1998 - present
Gene DeFilippo, Boston College - September 1997 - present
Tom Jurich, Louisville - October 1997 - present
* -- On administrative leave
** -- Will retire effective June 30, 2012
Foley said his leadership style has evolved considerably over the years and that he has learned that people are the greatest part of the equation. In the fifth year of an 11-year contract he agreed to in 2007, Foley appears at the top of his game.
But don't tell him that. Complacency is the enemy.
“You sit there and you wake up one day you realize you are almost 60 and you've been doing it for 20 years,” Foley said. “I'm still challenged. I still love it. I love working with the people. Obviously we've got some things we still haven't accomplished yet. As long as I have those goals I'll keep working hard to try hard to get them done. I think the famous saying is 'I've probably have more yesterdays than tomorrows as athletic director,' but I'm going to enjoy every one of those tomorrows and I'm going to get after them and we're going to try and win a few more championships.”
Kraus, Foley's former roommate at Hobart, remains close with his longtime friend. They talk nearly every week and Foley is the godfather of one of Kraus' sons.
Each year at the Florida-Georgia game in Jacksonville Kraus and a few of Foley's lacrosse teammates at Hobart – they won the 1972 Division III intercollegiate national title – reunite for a tailgate party with a banner that says “The Hobart Gator Club.” The club's origins date to 1976, the year Foley moved to Florida.
“We feel like we're part of the Gator family even if it's extended,” Kraus said. “Here we are 36 years later and apparently it's worked out pretty darn well.”
