GAINESVILLE, Fla. — When you're looking for the right "fit," a word that's thrown out a lot when it comes to filling high-profile jobs in athletics, you take a little longer.
The University of Florida and the committee charged with finding a replacement for iconic athletic directory Jeremy Foley did its diligence over the past nearly four months. They found their fit in Scott Stricklin and didn't have to leave the Southeastern Conference to do so.
Stricklin, athletic director at Mississippi State since 2010, was introduced Tuesday during a news conference at the Hawkins Center. The 14th AD in Gators history officially will begin Nov. 1. He'll arrive with a reputation as one of the most respected and innovative minds in the business. Scott Stricklin
"I think I'm good to people, good at building relationships and at the end of the day that's a big part of the job — to treat people the right away," Stricklin, 46, said. "You have to have vision, you have to be able to see down the road, you have to be able to make people participate, and when you need to make a mid-course correction on something all that stuff comes into play. At the end of the day, it's about putting a lot of good people around you."
Search committee chair Manny Fernandez said his group locked in on six candidates early on, back in June after Foley announced he was stepping down, then let the process take its course.
It was never going to happen overnight.
"There's an amazing amount of college ADs out there, but some of them would not fit here. They just wouldn't," Fernandez said. "This guy had that whole demeanor of being who he is and how he approached things and the answers to the questions."
Said UF President Kent Fuchs: "I was impressed from our very first meeting."
Everyone saw the "fit."
What does that mean?
"It means understanding how the Gators do things, how important these coaches are, how we all get along, our commitment to all sports, being in a fox hole together, and doing it all with integrity," Foley said. "Those elements are all part of the culture here and, to me, culture is the driver of our success. The more I was around Scott, I knew he'd be a perfect fit."
Stricklin arrived in town late Sunday afternoon and had dinner with Fuchs, Foley and executive associate AD Lynda Tealer. On Monday, it was a conga line of introductions and meetings with senior administrators and coaches leading up to dinner with members of the UF Board of Trustees. He was introduced to the UAA Board early Tuesday morning when he signed a six-year contract worth around $6.5 million.
Then it was off to make some phone calls.
And start building more relationships.
"There is one characteristic here that is really kind of interesting; every time I met with Scott, it got a little better," Fernandez said. "The guy checks his ego at the door before he comes in. He is a terrific down-to-earth guy, but with incredible breadth as far as understanding what we thought was important, the student-athlete, the idea of the multi-sport, multi-gender culture that Jeremy has amazingly done at this place. He was able to converse on that particular front, and at the same time he was able to take a look at the longer term technology and how that is going to affect college athletics in the future."
