Butler University’s athletics department is on “an island of its own.”

The budget is a mystery to the public. No one from the athletics department will discuss information about this year’s budget, and officials in other departments say they don’t know much either.

Butler athletics has the right to keep budget information private since the university is a private institution.

WHAT WE DO KNOW

The U.S. Department of Education requires colleges and universities to submit an annual report about participation, staffing, revenues and expenses.

Through that report—the Equity Athletics Data Analysis—students can access Butler athletics’ 2011-12 revenue and expenses. Some information can also be found on Butler’s 990 tax form.

Butler Athletic Director Barry Collier, through Sports Information Director Jim McGrath declined an interview regarding any questions about the budget.

He deferred any budget matters to Bruce Arick, vice president of finance.

REVENUE

According to the EADA, Butler’s revenue and expenses for last year were $14,738,745. This was a nearly $1 million increase from 2010. The Collegian reported in February 2012 that the 2010 revenue was $13.7 million, according to the EADA.

The report submitted to the EADA for 2011-12 lists the revenues for each sport at Butler. The three Butler sports that produce the most revenue are football and men’s and women’s basketball.

According to the EADA, men’s basketball revenue was $3,924,026, women’s basketball revenue was $1,194,883 and football revenue was $648,837.

Arick said these three sports bring in the most revenue for most universities.

He said men’s and women’s basketball bring in the most money at Butler. This is in part due to the revenue generated from the NCAA tournaments  being distributed to conferences and teams.

Arick said after the NCAA pays all their expenses, there are significant dollars left that are distributed back to the conferences. The biggest distributions go to the teams that participated in the tournaments. The money is allocated to those teams depending upon the number of games they played in the tournaments.

Arick said the disbursement of money is made to each team over the course of five years.

The offer of conference membership from Big East officials to Butler University was no surprise to Butler officials.

In his first interview with The Collegian since the conference switch, President Jim Danko said university officials assessed a second possible move when deciding to move to the Atlantic 10 Conference.

The move to the A-10 did complicate the decision to move again.

“There was discussion about the potential of a Big East invitation,” Danko said. “In this day and age of conference realignment, we knew that it was a possibility.”

The group assessed a 20-percent chance that the Big East would extend an invitation to Butler to join the conference.

Before coming to Butler, Danko served as the School of Business dean at Villanova—a Big East institution. He said the conference splintering was “a long time coming.”

“I was aware of frustrations at those schools even before I stepped onto Butler’s campus,” Danko said. “It wasn’t completely new to me, and I certainly think my background knowledge of the situation helped along the way.”

When the FOX Sports Network made its way into the talks, the chances that Butler would join the conference went from 20 percent to about a “70, 80 or 100 percent chance,” he said.

“The sports network would be very lucrative for the schools involved, or it would at least cover a lot of their expenses,” Danko said. “The problem with these sorts of things is that you never have enough to cover your expenses.

“But the television deal definitely made the conference move more viable.”

As the face value of a potential conference move continued to increase, the deal turned into a “no-brainer.”

“You think about the exposure, the media deal, the realignment with other schools,” Danko said, “it was obvious. The league was turning into a perfect fit.”

Realigning the university with schools to which Butler aspires was another force in the decision.

Costs of the switch are uncertain, Danko said. The A-10 has not finalized Butler’s early exit fee.

“We know what the higher limits are, but nothing has been set in stone,” Danko said.

There are also expenses that come with starting a new conference. Since the new Big East is starting from scratch, there are a lot more costs the university will have to split with the other institutions.

The Butler Board of Trustees, Danko said, was quick to “universally back” a move to the Big East.

Danko said 95 percent of the reactions from the university community have been positive.

“Those with negative responses seem to be operating on a fear of athletics,” Danko said. “And you consider those responses and reactions, and you move forward.”

Danko said the move will continue to make Butler more recognizable on the national stage.

Athletic Director Barry Collier, men’s basketball coach Brad Stevens and Danko all agreed in the discussion about whether to move, that it would only be wise if the basketball team would continue to do well.

“We wouldn’t be doing this if we weren’t going to continue to perform among those other schools,” Danko said. “We were only going to do it if we were going win.”

Butler University’s athletics department may employ numerous Butler alumni, but a prior relationship with Butler is far from a job requirement.

Athletics Director Barry Collier said he looks for five things above all else when evaluating a prospective  department employee.

“(I look for) somebody that has high integrity, has a high level of intelligence, is a great communicator, has a high work ethic with a high motor and, lastly, would be the relative experience they bring,” Collier said.

Collier said Ken LaRose, a Butler alum who was recently hired to an associate athletic director position, fit all of these qualities. His time spent with

Butler—as a player, assistant coach and head coach of the school’s football team—is a beneficial bonus.

“(LaRose) was someone who was a student-athlete,” Collier said. “He didn’t have to be a student-athlete, but that was certainly a positive thing. In this case he was also someone who was a longtime college coach. (He) didn’t have to be, but (it’s) another positive thing.”

Sonya Hopkins, academic support coordinator, graduated from Southern Illinois University. She said  making the transition from one school to another came with one particular challenge.

“I don’t ever feel like I’ve been at a disadvantage outside of one thing, and that was my unfamiliarity of how the inner workings of Butler worked,”

Hopkins said. “There was a learning curve I had to experience and deal with, but that in no way, form or fashion prevented me from doing my job.”

Hopkins said she believes  a transition period comes with any new job, Butler being no exception. Despite the growing pains, Hopkins said she has benefited during her time at Butler.

“It’s really been enjoyable to meet a whole new group of people who are like-minded to myself,” Hopkins said. “It’s been fun to meet and have a whole new network of people in my life.”

Collier said hiring searches are never done with a specific goal of choosing someone with or without a connection to Butler.

“The majority of people we’ve hired in my almost seven years here are not Butler grads,” Collier said.

However, Collier said a connection with Butler would hardly hurt a candidate’s chance.

“Those five qualifications are far more important, but the fact that a person went to Butler, competed at Butler or coached at Butler would likely be a favorable addition to their consideration,” Collier said.

LaRose, who is in charge of athletic development in his new job, said he believes his experience with Butler makes his job that much easier.

“I saw it as natural for me to come here,” LaRose said. “I can tell the story of Butler dating back four decades and beyond.”

As for reasons alumni decide to come back to work for Butler, LaRose offered his personal take.

“For me, it’s the people,” LaRose said. “It’s something that I continue to be proud of even to this day. Butler University is truly a special place.”

Ken LaRose has worn multiple hats at Butler. Now, the university welcomes him back as an associate athletic director.

Ken LaRose is replacing Bill Lynch as the associate athletic director of development.

“I absolutely love it here,” LaRose said. “It is an unbelievable opportunity for me.”

LaRose was a student-athlete for the Bulldogs, competing on the football team as an offensive lineman from 1976-80.

He was also an assistant football coach at Butler for eight years and the team’s head coach for 10 years.

Even after he left Butler, LaRose was still involved with many things at the university, said Mike Freeman, associate athletic director of external operations.

Freeman said LaRose is a great fit in Butler’s athletics department, and he is excited for a Butler alumnus to be back on campus.

“Ken is happy to be here and loves it,” Freeman said. “He raises everyone’s morale and raises the energy in the room.”

Freeman said once LaRose received the job, he didn’t waste any time jumping into his responsibilities, diving right into the Campaign for Hinkle Fieldhouse.

Athletics Director Barry Collier was the man who hired LaRose. Collier said he thinks LaRose is a perfect fit in the athletics department.

“Ken has the integrity and the intelligence to be very successful here at Butler,” Collier said. “He has a high motor and keeps a high energy level that allows him to be successful at anything he does in life, including this position.”

Collier said he is also excited LaRose is back because he knows what Butler is all about. LaRose has seen the university from a student-athlete’s and coach’s perspective.

Collier said he knows LaRose will be able to interact with students on Butler’s campus.

The position LaRose is filling was made available to people across the nation. Approximately 60 applications were sent before Collier offered LaRose the job.

“He can tell the Butler story,” Collier said. “He knows what Butler stands for and will be able to keep the tradition going.”

LaRose said he has settled in at Butler and wants to help bring the school to another level with regard to national prominence.

“I could not do this for any other university,” LaRose said. “My love and passion is here at Butler University.”

In March 2012, the Butler community was wondering if the school would move to the Atlantic 10 Conference and, if so, when it would occur.

Butler officials did not keep students, faculty, staff and other supporters waiting long when another opportunity to change athletic conferences came about this year.

Butler President James Danko announced Butler’s acceptance of an invitation to the new Big East via a pre-recorded video yesterday.

Butler will officially become a conference member July 1.

The clip was played before a small, but excited crowd of Butler community members mixed with Indianapolis media members.

“Today, a new chapter is written (in Butler history),” Danko said. “This unprecedented opportunity will match Butler with a group of schools that represent an ideal fit for our university, both academically and athletically.”

Viewers were then treated to a live look-in of the Big East’s press conference in New York City, where Danko and Barry Collier, Butler vice president of athletics, were present.

Danko was the first of 10 school presidents introduced by sports commentator Gus Johnson prior to the start of the press conference.

In addition to Danko and the presidents of the ‘Catholic 7’ schools from the current Big East, Xavier University and Creighton University’s presidents were also present at the conference, signaling the schools’ decision to join the new Big East as well.

Providence College President Father Brian Shanley said he and the other Catholic 7 presidents were thrilled to offer invitations to Butler, Xavier and Creighton.

“You have great academic traditions, you have great leadership in your athletic departments in your commitment to student-athletes, and you play some really good basketball,” Shanley said of the three invitees.

Xavier, like Butler, will be departing from the A-10. Creighton will be coming over from the Missouri Valley Conference.

Butler is the only university in the 10-school conference that is not recognized as a Catholic school. Shanley said the Big East was never intended to be an all-Catholic conference, joking that Butler was not invited to join because it would be the “token non-Catholic school.”

Butler is departing the A-10 after a single academic year in the conference. The university will remain part of the conference through the rest of the 2012-13 school year.

Media reports have suggested Butler could have to pay as much as $2 million to the A-10 as an exit fee.

Danko said in a conference call that Butler has submitted a letter stating its intentions to the A-10 and that the school will now enter into a legal settlement with A-10 officials to discuss an exit fee.

The idea of staying in the A-10 for another year before switching athletic conferences yet again was something Danko said he and other Butler officials definitely thought about before accepting the Big East’s invite.

“The downside of waiting another year is that you’re not sure the opportunity is going to be there in a year,” Danko said. “It was such a compelling opportunity for us. You consider it, and you weigh the costs and benefits.”

Danko did not say when Butler was first contacted about potentially joining the Big East. However, Creighton President Father Timothy Lannon said he was first contacted Feb. 27 and that Creighton was officially given an invite on March 13.

An enticing benefit for any school considering joining the new Big East was FOX Sports 1 offering the conference a large television deal.

Georgetown President Dr. John DeGioia said during the press conference that the proposed 12-year, $500 million deal had been accepted by the new Big East schools. Randy Freer, FOX Sports co-president and COO, said the deal extends beyond covering men’s basketball, adding that FOX Sports 1 looks forward to covering such sports as women’s basketball, lacrosse and baseball.

“Despite the many successes we have achieved in such a short amount of time, we still have a great deal of work to do in this coming year,” DeGioia said.

One thing conference members must decide on is a commissioner. DeGioia said the Big East will receive assistance from Russell Reynolds Associates, a senior executive search firm, in finding a new commissioner.

The Big East will also receive the services of Dan Beebe, former Ohio Valley Conference and Big 12 Conference commissioner. DeGioia said Beebe will work with athletic directors to help ensure all new Big East schools are prepared for fall athletic competition later this year.

DeGioia said that, while negotiations amongst member universities are ongoing, the Big East expects to continue sponsoring all of the sports it currently does. He said the Big East may have to recruit and accept associate members for some sports, such as rowing, lacrosse and field hockey.

Butler’s men’s lacrosse club team has proven fairly popular on campus in recent years despite being dropped as a school-sponsored sport in 2007.

The Big East will consist of 10 schools for the next academic year, but Shanley did not rule out the possibility of more schools being invited down the line.

“For now, we’re very happy at 10 and we’ll see what happens going forward,” Shanley said. “We’ve discussed actively a number of schools that are really strong potential partners for us. We also believe the landscape of college sports has not stopped morphing.”

Danko said observers have to remember that, while extra revenue will be coming in to the university as a result of the move, the university’s expenses will also grow.

As reported in “After one season in the Atlantic 10, is Butler packing up and moving on?” in The Collegian’s March 6 issue, Butler’s 2011-12 athletic budget of $14.7 million was less than half the athletic budgets at three Big East schools.

“We realize our budget relative to some of the other schools is not at the same level,” Danko said. “It’s a matter of trying to be very disciplined about how we allocate our resources, having many internal conversations with our CFO and our athletic department and with our trustees.”

Come July, Butler will be part of a basketball-centric, student-centered conference, Shanley said.

“What we celebrate today and relaunch today is the work of (first-ever Big East commissioner) Dave Gavitt,” Shanley said. “If we didn’t get together and form a conference that was basketball-centric, that was located in the best media markets, that played at the highest level, we would be left behind.”

After weeks of media speculation, it is now official: Butler University will be a member of the Big East.

Butler will enter the new Big East—consisting of the seven Catholic schools departing the current Big East—alongside Xavier and Creighton on July 1.

Butler President Jim Danko officially announced the school’s intention to leave the Atlantic 10 Conference after one academic year through a video in Butler’s Johnson Room this morning.

Ben Hunter, chief of staff, said school officials were delighted to receive an invitation to the Big East.

“For us, it creates long-term stability not only for the university’s athletics and academics, but it gives us greater control over the decisions that impact our sports program,” Hunter said.

Butler’s football team will remain in the Pioneer Football League, as it did when the school jumped to the A-10.

The women’s golf team will leave the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference and join the rest of Butler’s athletic teams in the Big East.

“Joining the Big East is an unprecedented opportunity for Butler and represents an ideal fit for us—academically, athletically and geographically,” Danko said in a press release.

Hunter said he was unsure how much it would cost the university to leave the A-10 on such short notice.

Previous reports from the Associated Press said Butler would be forced to pay a $2 million exit fee, for not giving 27 months notice before switching conferences.

Xavier will also depart from the A-10, while Creighton will jump from the Missouri Valley Conference.

The three schools will join the ‘Catholic 7’ in the Big East after those seven schools purchased the rights to the conference name.

The seven schools already in the Big East are: DePaul, Georgetown, Marquette, Providence, Seton Hall, St. John’s and Villanova.

“This new opportunity to compete against Big East universities—which have a rich tradition of excellence across a wide range of sports—will enhance the Butler experience for all our student-athletes,” said Barry Collier, vice president of athletics, in the release.

This is the fifth athletic conference Butler has been a member of since 1946, excluding a yearlong independent stint.

Butler was a charter member of what eventually became the Horizon League in 1979, and the school stayed there until leaving for the A-10 in 2012.

“The A-10, like the Horizon League, is an outstanding conference, and we were honored to be a member,” Danko said in the release. “After in-depth deliberations and analyses, we determined that joining the Big East was the right thing to do for our students and our institution, regardless of the timing of past conference transitions.”

Hunter said the move is a bold moment for Butler and is a culmination of Danko and past presidents’ leadership.

“This is writing the next chapter of Butler University,” Hunter said. “This is a truly momentous change for the university. I hope there’s great excitement around this, not only for the opportunities it brings in sports, but also in academics.”

Despite several media reports and anonymous sources saying that the university will change athletic conferences, officials are mum.

Butler University is one of five institutions rumored to be moving to the reorganized Big East.

A new move could mean more media exposure, less travel time, new competition and a larger athletics department budget.

Butler—along with fellow Atlantic 10 member Conference Xavier—is a heavy favorite that could join the conference as soon as 2013-14, according to media outlets, including ESPN, the Associated Press and USA Today.

A group of schools, collectively known as the Catholic 7, will begin their new league July 1.

BUTLER’S ROLE

Butler has not issued an official statement to address any conference switch.

President Jim Danko wrote in an email to The Butler Collegian that most of the media reports have been based on speculation.

“Obviously the media continues to speculate about how the splintering of the Big East will play out, but so far, most of what I have read has only been based on speculation,” Danko wrote. “It is flattering that Butler is receiving such positive attention since it is an indication of the respect others have for Butler’s approach to athletics and academics.”

Danko also said Butler has been “extremely pleased with the A-10, as this has proven to be a truly exciting season, as we have had the opportunity to compete with many outstanding basketball teams.”

Both Athletic Director Barry Collier and Sports Information Director Jim McGrath declined to comment.

Danko’s Chief of Staff Ben Hunter also declined to comment.

Atlantic 10 Commissioner Bernadette McGlade told reporters no schools had given a notice of withdrawal before the Butler-VCU game Saturday.

“I’m just like every other conference commissioner,” McGlade said. “We try to stay focused on our realignment concerns as we can be, but by the end of the day, institutions will still make the decision about what conference they affiliate with.”

The A-10 could lose four teams by 2014-2015 if ESPN and AP reports are correct. Dayton and Saint Louis are expected to join the Big East in the 2014-2015 season.

Rumors surfaced about Butler’s possible move from the A-10 after less than six months in the conference.

In December 2012, The Butler Collegian reported that Danko neither confirmed nor denied any of the speculation about a conference switch.
On Dec. 17, Danko sent out an email to the university community.

“In terms of the announcement by the Catholic 7 schools to separate from the Big East, I greatly respect—and agree with—their collective conviction that, if they do not control their own destiny, someone else will,” Danko wrote. “Butler, too, has controlled its destiny proactively, for example, when it made the decision to join the excellent Atlantic 10 Conference.”

THE SPLIT

At the beginning of the 2012-2013 school year, there were 16 teams in the Big East, with Temple contributing football.

Soon it will be official that seven of those schools, known as the “Catholic 7,” will depart from the current Big East to create their own league, taking the naming rights with them.

The Big East conference was established on May 31, 1979, and is typically characterized as a football conference in the media.

The seven teams leaving are better known for their basketball teams’ successes.

The schools made the announcement in December that they would be leaving the conference, and there have been negotiations and discussions ever since.

Despite all seven being Catholic institutions, the group is opening up its new league to non-denominational universities such as Butler, according to media reports.

Negotiations regarding the split are still ongoing and are likely to finish in the coming week, according to national media outlets.

THE MEDIA DEAL

A major incentive for Butler to join the new Big East is the Catholic 7 schools’ proposed television deal with FOX.

The media organization is planning to launch a new sports channel, FOX Sports 1, to replace the Speed Channel. The new network is set to debut Aug. 17.

According to an ESPN report, FOX has reportedly offered a 12-year, $500 million deal for television rights to the Catholic 7 schools’ athletic events.

Reports have the amount of money the seven Big East schools would earn ranging from $2 million to $5 million per year.

Butler and Xavier would split what is left over from the television deal after the Big East schools take their share. Regardless of what that amount is, they would end up making less money than the Big East schools.

A-10 schools earn approximately $440,000 per year in the conference’s current television deal.

MONEY

Most of the Big East’s negotiation has revolved around a $110 million reserve fund and determining how the money will be split among the 16 members.

The money comes from exit fees, tournament shares and conference reserve funds.

According to the AP, the Catholic 7 schools would receive $10 million of that to split among themselves, in addition to keeping the Big East name and the right to play conference tournament games at Madison Square Garden.

On the other side of the money ledger, Butler would be forced to pay a $2 million exit fee for not giving the A-10 at least 27 months’ notice before changing conferences, according to the AP. The fee would have been cut in half if Butler had given a year’s notice, according to Tom Eiser, Xavier’s associate athletic director for communication.

Butler’s 2011-2012 athletic budget of $14.7 million was less than half the athletic budget at St. John’s, Georgetown and Villanova.

TRAVEL

Butler would face, on average, slightly decreased travel distances and times with a move to the Big East.

According to Collegian calculations, Butler’s average trip in the A-10 is approximately 549 miles, straight from Indianapolis to the opponent’s home site. That number drops to 522 miles per trip with a move to the new Big East.

Not all of Butler’s athletic teams are able to take chartered flights like the basketball team, so that time on the road could become a reality for some squads.

A bus ride to Providence College would last longer than any trip Butler experiences within the A-10.

Providence is approximately 913 miles from Butler, or about a 14 and a half hour bus ride.

Still, it would not be much of a change from the school’s current longest trip, 895 miles to Rhode Island University.

Xavier in Cincinnati would still be Butler’s closest in-conference competition—assuming the Musketeers leave the A-10 as well—at 118 miles away. DePaul University in Chicago is about 184 miles from Butler, providing another reasonable drive for league action.

NEW COMPETITION

In general, Butler’s athletic teams faced tougher competition in the A-10 than the Horizon League. Despite this, many of the teams have had success.

The Catholic 7 schools offer a new slate of competition that is arguably even tougher than that of the A-10.

Georgetown and Marquette have both been ranked in men’s basketball this season. The bottom-tier Catholic 7 schools in men’s basketball have similar records to those in the bottom of the A-10.

The new conference would also offer multiple strong opponents in such sports as women’s cross country, women’s volleyball, men’s soccer and baseball.

ACADEMICS

A move to join the Catholic 7 would put Butler in a league with other well-performing and highly ranked institutions.

Butler, which is ranked No. 2 in the U.S. News and World Report’s Best in the Midwest list, would join the likes of Georgetown and Villanova—ranked 21st among national universities and first among regional universities in the North, respectively.

Butler has been ranked No. 2 for the past three years.

Butler would be the smallest school in the league by student enrollment.

The average student enrollment at the Catholic 7 schools is about 15,240, including both undergraduate and post-graduate students. Butler’s current enrollment is 4,771.
RECRUITING

Butler teams will, theoretically, be able to recruit athletes and students by having more conference contests in the East.

Plus, the chance to compete against well-known schools such as Georgetown, Villanova and Marquette could be a strong draw in Butler’s recruiting process.

TITLE IX

Butler could expand its athletics department if it went to the new league.

Currently, Butler funds 17 varsity sports. All of them are sponsored in the A-10—with the exceptions of football, which is in the Pioneer League, and women’s golf, which is in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.

The new Big East could bring the potential of adding teams, both in terms of revenue and venues for competition.

The Big East sponsors 21 varsity sports, including field hockey, men’s and women’s lacrosse and women’s rowing.

Butler’s football team will most likely stay in the Pioneer League. Only two of the Catholic 7 schools have football teams in the Big East.

Butler used to have a men’s lacrosse team that competed at the Division I level from 1993 until it was cut in 2007, along with the men’s swimming team.

Collier made the decision in his first year as athletic director.  He said it was due to finances and not being able to properly fund 21 varsity sports with a “bottom-of-the-barrel financial aid budget.”

Because of Title IX, Butler did not cut any women’s programs.

The men’s lacrosse team continues to be a popular club sport at Butler.

The team plays in the Central Division of the Central Collegiate Lacrosse Association, and Butler employs head coach Kyle Mates.

The Big East would have four other men’s lacrosse programs with Providence, St. John’s, Georgetown and Villanova. Notre Dame also has a program if it chooses to stay in the Big East for an additional year before moving to the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Even with potential changes, Butler has to be vigilant of Title IX restrictions and regulations.

Just this past year the athletics department came under review by the Office of Civil Rights of the U.S. Department of Education.

Title IX requires the ratio of women in sports to be substantially proportionate to the undergraduate enrollment.

During the 2010-2011 school year, women made up nearly 60 percent of Butler’s full-time undergraduate students and only around 37 percent of athletes.

In September 2012, Beth Goetz, former associate athletics director for administration, said the department believed it was in compliance with Title IX.

“We believe we offer every sport in which there is an interest and ability on campus,” Goetz said.

She said that met one of the required exceptions of the legislation if the percentage was not proportionate.

Butler also has a women’s lacrosse club team, though it is not as popular as the men’s team.

The Big East would only have two remaining women’s lacrosse programs.

Butler might be able to add women’s scholarships or sports to be compliant with the Big East and Title IX.

BUILDING A LEAGUE FROM THE GROUND UP

One of the biggest differences in this speculated move for Butler is the foundation of what it’s joining.

The A-10 was an established league with a foundation for tournaments, scheduling and monetary issues.

While the Big East has been around for 34 years, Butler would essentially be helping to build an entirely new conference.

The league that is scheduled to begin on July 1 still needs to find a commissioner and league officials.

This becomes an issue when sports such as soccer and cross country start their seasons just a month after the league start date.

The conference will have established schools with rich athletic histories. Butler would be joining a group of experienced Division I schools.

The fact remains that there are still many uncertainties.

AS TALKS CONTINUE

Officials from the NCAA could not be reached for comment on Tuesday afternoon.

Officials from Georgetown and Providence declined to comment when contacted by The Collegian.

The Collegian did not receive a response as of press time from Villanova, DePaul, Seton Hall and St. John’s.

Big East negotiations are expected to be finalized tomorrow.

The Collegian will continue to update this story online as more information becomes available.

Jim McGrath wanted to be a pharmacist.

Butler University’s sports information director of 31 years never intended to become involved in the sports information field.

A 1971 graduate of Augustana College in Rock Island, Ill., McGrath considered attending the University of Wisconsin-Madison, among others, to study pharmacy.

“When I got to Augustana, I found out they didn’t have a pharmacy school,” McGrath said. “To get into a pharmacy school, the stuff that I was taking at Augustana was not going to help me.

“So I said, ‘OK, we’ve got to do an about- face, change where we’re going.’”

McGrath decided to move in the direction of a law career. His interest in political science and history prompted him to sculpt his time at Augustana with law school in mind.

It was not until his later years as an undergraduate that his first opportunity in sports information presented itself.

“I was looking for a job at the school, and I noticed they had an opening for a student sports information director,” McGrath said. “I had no idea what that was, but the word ‘sports’ intrigued me.”

Even during his two years in the position, McGrath still anticipated attending law school. It was not until just after his graduation that Augustana’s athletic director approached him with an offer to be the school’s first full-time SID.

“I took the job thinking, ‘I could still go on to law school a year or two down the road if I don’t like this,’” McGrath said. “That was 41 years ago, so law school is still on the back burner.”

McGrath spent his first 10 years in the profession at Augustana. While there, he served as the host SID for five NCAA Division III national basketball championships and acted as the director of communications for the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin for five years.

“It turned out to be just a blessing,” McGrath said. “I’ve loved every minute of the job. I could’ve seen myself staying at Augustana forever, but there was a desire to move on and get into a Division I atmosphere.”

After he made the decision to look elsewhere, McGrath wrote to 50 NCAA Division I schools. Among the schools McGrath sent letters to were UCLA, Pepperdine, Florida State and Arizona.

He also included many schools in the Midwest. Butler was among them.

“I really didn’t know a whole lot about Butler at the time,” he said.

Of the 50 schools he contacted, 48 responded to McGrath’s letter. All 48 thanked him for his time but expressed no interest in bringing him aboard. He never heard from the other two universities.

“I thought, ‘Well, it was worth the exercise, and I’ll consider other options,’” he said.

About two weeks later, McGrath received a phone call from former Butler athletic director and football coach Bill Sylvester. Sylvester asked McGrath to become the school’s first full time SID in 1981.

“When I first got to Butler, I thought this would be a good place to springboard my career in Division I,” he said. “I thought I could see myself working here three to five years, then maybe moving on to the Big 10.”

Five years into his career at Butler, McGrath got a call from a friend living in Chicago. There was an opening in the Chicago White Sox public relations department, and McGrath’s friend encouraged him to take a look at it.

McGrath and his wife, Judy, are both Chicago natives.

“I’m a lifelong Chicago White Sox fan,” McGrath said. “I went home that night and asked my wife what she thought about going back to Chicago.”

She did not have the reaction McGrath anticipated.

“My wife said she really liked it here,” he said. “And I said, ‘You’re right, I like it here too.’”

McGrath never applied for the position and has never pursued any other job than the one with the White Sox, a testament to his love for Butler athletics.

“I’ve been a Butler person through and through since then,” he said. “As she’s been throughout our marriage, my wife was right.”

Under McGrath’s watchful eyes, the Butler athletics department has grown to heights never before anticipated.

The greatest amount of growth has come in the last five years, during which the men’s basketball team has experienced success.

“He’s responsible for covering everything that we do, and he’s seen a lot of growth,” Athletic Director Barry Collier said. “Jim knows Butler and knows his role better than just about anybody. He provides leadership.”

During McGrath’s time at Butler, he has served as the host SID for four NCAA Division I men’s basketball Final Fours and one women’s Final Four.

Butler has also hosted the first and second rounds of the NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament nine times. Since Butler hosted these games, McGrath was responsible for behind-the-scenes operations during each event.

McGrath also was recently inducted into the Butler sports Hall of Fame.

Many of Butler’s coaches have expressed appreciation for all that McGrath does.

“In the 12 years that I’ve been here, Jim’s been that one steady figure,” volleyball coach Sharon Clark said. “He’s so knowledgeable. He’s seen so much of the evolution of where the athletic department is now.”

Football coach Jeff Voris has worked with McGrath during the entirety of his Butler career and says he would not have it any other way.

“He is class, professionalism, everything rolled into one,” Voris said. “There’s not a job that we request that he doesn’t complete with enthusiasm, and he’s provided everything we’ve needed.”

One of the things Butler coaches like best about McGrath is his ability to stay involved in virtually every program while giving each one so much attention.

“He cares as much about our program as he does about the rest of the programs,” Voris said. “He’s hands-on with every program. He truly is Butler athletics.”

While so much of his time has been spent on advancing the Augustana and Butler athletics departments, McGrath has also found ways to get his name known on an international level.

During his 41-year career, he has served in press operations for United States amateur national championships in boxing, swimming and track and field.

He also held a press officer position at the 1986 Olympic Festival and at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. At those games, McGrath sent a young and tattoo-less Mike Tyson to fetch him popcorn at a boxing event. The now infamous boxer was a team alternate at the Los Angeles games.

McGrath also worked for the 1987 Pan American Games when Indianapolis hosted them.

McGrath and his wife have three sons—Chad, Scott and Christopher.

While McGrath has said nothing of retiring, he will eventually leave a void not easily replaced, Voris said.

“He doesn’t have an offseason,” he said. “The pride he puts into Butler and our programs, I can’t say enough about him.”

By his own admission, McGrath doesn’t have any favorite moments or athletes, just years of good memories and positive experiences.

“My favorite moments,” he said, “pretty much always come back to the athletes.”

Bill Lynch’s career path has come full circle.

He played football and basketball at Butler, and after a series of football coaching jobs, he finds himself back at his alma mater.

After 33 years of coaching football, including 18 as a head coach, Lynch has now been serving as one of Butler’s associate athletic directors since March 2011.

Lynch is the associate athletic director for development, as well as the football sport administrator. He helps manage the Bulldog Club, which provides annual donations to athletics.

The Bulldog Club gets gifts from alumni, faculty and community members to help provide benefits to athletics, such as the current Hinkle Fieldhouse renovations.

Lynch said he considers himself to be a “point person” for the campaign, as he helps the fundraising process.

Lynch began his coaching career as an assistant football coach for the Bulldogs before becoming the head coach in 1985. He led the team to four conference championships in five seasons before going to Ball State as an assistant.

Lynch’s successor as head coach at Butler was former football teammate Ken LaRose, who is now the radio color commentator for Butler football.

“He’s a winner ever since I knew him,” LaRose said.

Lynch’s first head coaching position was with the Cardinals from 1995 to 2002, where he led the team to one bowl game and two division championships.

After one season as head coach at DePauw in 2004, Lynch served as an assistant at Indiana University for two seasons. He then became head coach of the Hoosiers for four seasons, earning a trip to the Insight Bowl in his first season.

Lynch came to Butler in  1972 as a student and played both football and basketball. Lynch said he took a lot away from his playing days with the Bulldogs.

“I think it’s like anybody that looks back at a playing career,” Lynch said. “It’s the relationships you’ve built and the friendships and the ones that have lasted throughout the years.”

Lynch played right after Tony Hinkle retired, during a transitional period, but he said it was a great experience. He said the team played to a degree of success, but it pales in comparison to the recent success of the men’s basketball team.

Butler Athletic Director Barry Collier played basketball with Lynch for the Bulldogs and said Lynch was the first Butler student he ever made contact with.

In the summer of 1974, Collier received a recruitment letter from Lynch, who was a member of the Lambda Chi Alpha chapter at Butler, and Collier eventually became Lynch’s fraternity brother.

Collier, who transferred to Butler as a junior, said he was impressed how easily Lynch made the transition from football season to basketball season.

“He was a leader on the team immediately,” Collier said. “He was kind of a ‘player-coach’ on the floor, because of how he relied on experience and knowledge to succeed as much as he did physicality.”

Collier said a lot people think Lynch and Butler are synonymous.

“Whether that makes him ‘Mr. Butler,’ I don’t know,” Collier said.

LaRose said he likes the title of Mr. Butler for Lynch.

“He is the perfect ambassador for Butler in the position that he is in,” LaRose said.

“When you think of Butler, many people think of Bill Lynch,” Collier said. “And when you mention Bill Lynch, many people think of Butler.”

Butler is losing an associate athletic director to a New York university.

Tom Crowley, Butler’s current associate athletic director of internal operations, was named athletic director for the Niagara Purple Eagles last week.

“His experience as an administrator, fundraiser and coach will play a critical role in the continued success of our athletics department,” the Rev. Joseph Levesque, president of Niagara University, said.

Crowley said he became aware of the opening this past summer and decided it was an opportunity he could not pass up.

“It has always been a dream to be a Division I AD,” Crowley said. “This is just a great match for me.”

In his position at Butler, Crowley was responsible for the day-to-day, nuts-and-bolts responsibilities of the athletics department.

“He has had such a hand in the strategic planning of our department,” Butler Athletic Director Barry Collier said. “He is definitely leaving a void to be filled.”

At this point, Collier said he is not sure exactly how the position will be filled but hopes to have a plan in place within the next week to 10 days.

“One thing is for sure: that the day-to-day operations have to continue in order for us to function efficiently,” Collier said. “Virtually everyone in our department will be stepping up to make sure the transition is smooth.”

Options going forward include naming an interim associate athletic director—whether that is internally or through outside hiring—or just having everyone pick up extra duties within the department.

Crowley will be starting at his new position in the next month.

“It’s bittersweet,” Crowley said. “I’ve cherished my time at Butler, but I am excited and ready for this opportunity.”