NC CENTRAL ATHLETICS

Ingrid Wicker McCree's departure from North Carolina Central University has created an opening for a new athletics director.

North Carolina Central’s athletic director vacancy is now official. It has been posted and is open for resumes.

I saw the job on the National Junior College Athletic Association’s website. The description is 10 miles long, but one thing it doesn’t say is “thick skin required” cause Eagle fans don’t play.

However, despite the intense pressure and scrutiny, and the unreasonable demands of alumni and fans, the job is a good catch. I know who I’d like to see get it, but I’m biased.
NCCU’s former athletic directors have been an interesting cast of characters over the years.

When I arrived, there was the hated William “Bill” Lide (1995-99). You couldn’t find one Eagle to say a nice thing about the man. He ran more folks out of the athletic department than a losing record ever could.

Then there was Lin Dawson (2000-03). Poor Lin. He had the misfortune of being a North Carolina State alumnus; folks hated him on sight. Although attitudes have changed, back then, HBCU alumni didn’t want to see graduates from predominately white institutions taking top jobs at their schools.

So that was one strike against Dawson. Then he tried to change too much too fast. Second strike. Three years later, he was gone.  

Alumnus William “Bill” Hayes (2003-07) was next. Hayes had his critics but one thing the man could do was fundraise. He guided NCCU to Division I status and trained Ingrid Wicker McCree to take over the helm before leaving for Florida A&M.

McCree, NCCU’s first permanent female AD, has lasted longer than anybody (2008-22) in program history.

The only thing scarier for coaches than losing too many games is their AD leaving. The job is so high profile that newbies usually want to make a statement right away.

Even a winning coach sometimes has no more security than anybody else. If the newbie and the coach don’t get along, it doesn’t matter how many Ws are in the win column, somebody is leaving.

As part of the state system, NCCU has to create a search committee for all openings. But, like many state agencies, the committees are just for show. Sure, they weed out the candidates, interview the finalists and give their recommendation but, ultimately, the chancellor or president makes the final decision. I can think of a couple of instances where the person hired wasn’t even on the committee’s list.

That said, someone sent me the 11-member search committee. The person thought there should be more athletic staff on the committee. Personally, I don’t see why you need 11 people for anything other than to play football, but here they are:

• Kevin Holloway, chairman, NCCU board of trustees

• Courtney Crowder, vice chairman, NCCU Chancellors Board of Visitors

• Arvis Bridgers Epps, Eagle Club president

• Angela Coleman, vice chancellor of student affairs

• Deborah Fortune, faculty athletic representative

• Antonio McDaniel, administration and finance

• Marcus Manning, CEO, Durham Sports Commission

• Michael Bailey, NCCU transportation chief

• Harry Stafford, NCCU chief medical officer, athletics

• Joshua McLean, NCCU Student Athletic Council

• Corey Best, NCCU Foundation

Bonitta Best is sports editor at The Triangle Tribune in Durham.

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