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 Butler football team is playing the waiting game.

With 19 weeks remaining until they open their season at South Dakota State, the Bulldogs played their annual Blue and White spring game Saturday.

Quarterback Matt Lancaster, who will be a senior in the fall, was in prime form. He completed three of four passes on the Blue team’s opening drive, capping it off with a 30-yard touchdown run.

The Blue team went on to win 20-0.

“It’s fun to come out here and play a game and play against a real defense,” Lancaster said.

Alongside Lancaster on the Blue squad was junior running back Trae Heeter.  Heeter also scored a touchdown.

“The summer is the most important part of the season, and it helps us get ready going into fall camp,” Heeter said. “Once we come back in August, we’ll all be ready to go and get ready for the Jackrabbits on the 31st.”

Junior defensive lineman Jeremy Stephens anchored the White squad’s defense. Stephens said it felt good to get back on the field despite typical spring ball kinks.

“Spring ball is definitely a developmental thing as far as the team goes,” Stephens said. “It was good to get back out there in game situations.”

For the upcoming season, the Pioneer Football League champion will receive an automatic bid to the Football Championship Series playoffs.

Lancaster said the team’s yearly goal of winning the PFL will remain the same, but it has the added incentive of making the FCS playoffs.

“We won the conference last year, and that’s still our goal this year, except now we get to play for the tournament,” Lancaster said.

The Bulldogs open with the Jackrabbits on Aug. 31 and return home the following week to play against Division III Wittenberg. Two weeks later Butler hosts Ivy League school Dartmouth.

Stephens said the tough schedule should prepare them for PFL play and help them reach the FCS playoffs.

“(South Dakota State) is probably the biggest program we’ve played in the history of this program,” Stephens said. “South Dakota State and Dartmouth will definitely get us ready for those bigger schools that we would potentially play in the postseason.”

Coach Jeff Voris said reaching the playoffs is certainly a team goal, but as they did last season, the Bulldogs will be taking the season one game at a time.

“Our success last season came from the commitment and dedication of playing one-game seasons,” Voris said. “The biggest thing is to get ready for August 7 and have a good camp and attack the non-conference (schedule) one game at a time.”

The Bulldogs will spend the summer doing individual workouts with one date in mind, Voris said.

“If you worry about the playoffs and conference titles, you’re never going to reach your goals because you’ll lose focus,” Voris said. “Our focus right now is South Dakota State in August.”

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.”

The Butler volleyball and football teams have experienced great success this year, thanks in part to contributions from three transfer athletes.

Volleyball players Morgan Peterson and Erica Stahl and quarterback Matt Lancaster have helped lead their teams to conference tournament berths and a share of the conference title, respectively.

MORGAN PETERSON

Peterson, a transfer from Middle Tennessee State University, is in her first season as a member of the Butler volleyball team.

Early in the year, she was named most valuable player at the DePaul Invitational and made the All-Tournament team at the Pittsburgh Invitational.

“The one intangible that Morgan brings to the team is her competitiveness,” Clark said. “It’s pro level in terms of how competitive of a player she is, and that’s been a great addition for us.”

Peterson has also made strides in her offensive play. Her hitting percentage ranks fourth in the Atlantic 10 Conference.

As a junior, Peterson is one of the older players on the team. Peterson said she has experienced a major role change since coming to Butler.

“Here at Butler, I’m pretty much the oldest except for Rachel (Barber) so I have more experience and I am leading the other people instead of following,” Peterson said.

ERICA STAHL

Stahl transferred from University of Cincinnati last year.

The junior was recruited by Clark out of high school but chose Cincinnati over Butler. In an earlier interview, Stahl said she chose to come to Butler because of her respect for Clark and the rest of the coaching staff.

Stahl has had a dominant seson, especially in blocking. Her strong play has led to a team-high 153 blocks. This mark puts her second in the A-10 and 13th nationally.

“I’m here mostly just to keep the ball off the floor on our side and help out our defenders as much as possible,” Stahl said.

Similar to Peterson, Clark said Stahl is a fierce competitor.

“The thing that I think Erica will continue to get better at is being more of an offensive threat,” Clark said. “She’ll be a great blocker, but she will be able to raise the level of her hitting and make her more dominant.
“I think that (Stahl and Peterson) are both top all-conference players, and they will be next year.”

Peterson and Stahl have helped lead the volleyball team to a berth in the A-10 tournament.

The tournament will take place at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, where the Bulldogs will face Virginia Commonwealth Friday evening.

MATT LANCASTER

Junior Lancaster transferred from Illinois State University, where he played 16 games in two seasons of football.

He had a full ride scholarship to play at ISU but said it was not the right atmosphere and decided it was time for a change.

Butler was one of Lancaster’s options when he was in high school. Upon leaving ISU, he contacted head coach Jeff Voris, and two days later Voris said he was interested in having Lancaster on the team.

Lancaster redshirted last year when he transferred to Butler. He has one more year of eligibility remaining.

Lancaster led the team to at least a share of the Pioneer Football League title, compiling a 7-1 conference record and 8-3 overall mark. Coach Jeff Voris said Lancaster has been a big help to the program.

“He’s been a great teammate and a heck of a football player,” Voris said. “He has all the intangible qualities that you look for in a quarterback.”

Lancaster recorded several strong statistics this season. He completed over 60 percent of his passes for more than 2,700 yards. He has thrown 21 touchdowns to only three interceptions.

Voris said Lancaster’s work ethic has been a key to his success.

“What he brings to the team is a guy who loves football and (he) has a work ethic that’s unmatched,” Voris said. “He constantly works at his game and week-to-week gets better.”

Voris also lauded Lancaster’s enthusiasm and leadership.

“He’s enthusiastic about practice and games, and no question he’s been a big addition to our program,” Voris said.

Lancaster was effective running the ball, too. His 408 rushing yards is second only to starting running back Trae Heeter. Lancaster averaged over 37 yards per game and tallied eight touchdowns on the ground.

“I’ve always been kind of a dual-threat quarterback,” Lancaster said. “I think coach liked that part of me, and I like running the ball too.”

Lancaster was a part of many major plays throughout the season.

He threw three touchdown passes in the fourth quarter to cap a dramatic comeback against Morehead State.

He also commanded a 95-yard game-winning drive against Jacksonville and scored the winning touchdown on a fourth-and-goal with two seconds left.

“It was surreal,” Lancaster said. “To go 95 yards in the hail and on fourth-and-goal, to have coach call my number, it shows a lot about him.”

With the win over Jacksonville, the Bulldogs clinched at least a share of the Pioneer Football League title.

Despite losing to Drake last weekend, Lancaster said he will always remember the successes of the team this year.

“I hated losing and everything, but when we’re out of school 20 to 25 years, what we are going to remember is that we won a championship, and no one can take that away from us,” Lancaster said.

Butler will play for sole possession of the Pioneer Football League title on Saturday in Des Moines.

The title, which Butler already owns a share of is the Bulldogs’ first since 2009, marking a big turnaround over the past two seasons.

Redshirt junior quarterback Matt Lancaster’s outstretched arms were the difference-maker Saturday as Butler completed a 19-16 come-from-behind win over Jacksonville.

The victory, Butler’s first ever against Jacksonville, kept the Bulldogs (8-2, 7-0) undefeated in PFL play and secured them at least a share of the conference title.

“All three phases had their points in the game where they made key stops or stands or plays to get us to that point with the touchdown late,” Butler coach Jeff Voris said.

“It was a great team win and one that we need all hands on deck and a full 60 minutes to get it done.”

Lancaster’s final score capped a 95-yard drive and kept the Bulldogs’ perfect league season alive.

“It was wild,” Lancaster said. “We’ve had that the last couple games, and it just shows how much heart that we have as an offense and as a team.”

Lancaster finished with two touchdowns and 260 yards through the air.

The game marked the last home game for seven seniors, including co-captain and linebacker Jordan Ridley.

“Every senior wants to win on Senior Day, and the fact that we’d never beaten that team is an added bonus,” Ridley said.

The victory is Butler’s seventh straight and second-consecutive comeback win at home.

“This team never quits,”  Ridley said. “They always fight.That’s led to us pulling out a lot of victories that a lot of people wouldn’t think we’d be able to pull out.”

The Butler football team used running back Trae Heeter’s career high 231 rushing yards and two touchdowns to beat Davidson 31-20 on Saturday and remain undefeated in Pioneer League play.

“The win was good, because they’ve always given us trouble,” Butler head coach Jeff Voris said. “They play hard, and especially at their place, they’re really good.

The Bulldogs (7-2, 6-0) won their sixth straight game, while Davidson fell to 1-7 (1-4) on the year.

Butler was tied at 5-0 for the PFL going into the weekend, but Drake didn’t play Saturday and they took sole possession of first place. They now control their own destiny for the PFL championship.

Senior captain linebacker Jordan Ridley said they have tried to go 1-0 each week, and nothing was different against Davidson.

“We always take it one week at a time and treat each game like a championship,” Ridley said.

Heeter’s first touchdown came early in the second quarter to put the Bulldogs in the lead for good.

The PFL’s rushing leader scored his second touchdown on a 78-yard run late in the second half to give the Bulldogs momentum going into the locker room. At the time the Wildcats were making a push in momentum. Heeter said they needed the big play to get the momentum back in their favor.

“The offensive line made a big hole and I raced 78 yards to the end zone,” Heeter said.

Quarterback Matt Lancaster threw for two touchdowns and 277 yards and no interceptions. Lancaster has thrown just two picks all season, leading all PFL quarterbacks.

Davidson cut Butler’s early lead to 24-20 in the fourth quarter, but Lancaster’s 17-yard touchdown pass to Marque Martin-Hayes put the game out of reach for the Wildcats.

The Bulldogs host Jacksonville (6-2, 4-1) on Saturday, who was tied for the lead most of the season until losing to San Diego two weeks ago. The game is the Bulldog’s final home game.

The following week Butler travels to Drake for what could be a potential PFL championship game.

Ridley and co-captain Matt Storrey, an offensive lineman, were both a part of the 2009 PFL championship team.

Ridley said Saturday’s game against Jacksonville will be an emotional one.

“We’re lucky to be in the position that the last two games will mean something,” Ridley said.

Ridley said it would mean a lot to come in with a ring and go out with a ring.

“It would be amazing to do that,” Storrey said.

Storrey said it makes it a lot more exciting to end his career in the Butler Bowl being in the position they are in.

Butler will play for a trophy next Saturday after upending rival Dayton 21-11 Saturday afternoon.

Junior running back Trae Heeter led the Bulldogs with 159 rushing yards and two touchdowns.

The Bulldogs (3-2, 2-0) remain undefeated in Pioneer League play with the win. Butler has won three of four in the lifetime series with Dayton.

“From day one I was here, I always knew we’d be in a dogfight from the get-go against Dayton every year, and that’s what it was today,” redshirt junior defensive lineman Jeremy Stephens said.

Heeter put the game out of reach as he bounced off tacklers and went to the outside for an 80-yard touchdown on a third down  play with less than three minutes left in the game.

“They didn’t wrap up too well, so I kept my feet (moving) and hit it to the outside where there was room to run,” Heeter said.

Heeter injured his ankle after getting tangled up in a pile but said he is recovering well.

“It feels a lot better after that big win,” Heeter said.

Redshirt junior quarterback Matt Lancaster continued his dual-threat efficiency with 170 yards and one touchdown through the air.

Despite being sacked twice, he finished with 27 yards on the ground.

The Bulldogs have another rivalry game next Saturday as they travel to Valparaiso (0-4, 0-1). Kickoff is at 2 p.m.

Coach Jeff Voris said the Crusaders will be eager to improve off their 42-14 loss to Butler last season.

“(We’re) going to get their best shot because it’s a rivalry game, and I know they’re much improved, from what I’ve read,” Voris said.

“It’s going to be every bit of what we had (Saturday) and more,” Voris said, “because of the passion of the game, the Hoosier Helmet Game.”

The Butler football team upended rival Dayton 21-11 Saturday afternoon behind 159 yards and two touchdowns from running back Trae Heeter.

The Bulldogs (3-2 overall) remained undefeated at 2-0 in Pioneer League play. Butler has won three of four in the series with Dayton.

“From day one I was here, I always knew we’d be in a dogfight from the get go against Dayton every year, and that’s what it was today,” defensive lineman Jeremy Stephens said.

Butler led the Flyers (1-4, 0-2) 7-3 until Heeter scored his first touchdown on a long run late in the third quarter.

Dayton cut the lead to 14-11, but Heeter sealed the game for the Bulldogs as he bounced off tacklers and went to the outside for an 80-yard touchdown on third down with under 3:00 left in the game..

“They didn’t wrap up too well, so I kept my feet [moving] and hit it to the outside where there was room to run,” Heeter said.

Quarterback Matt Lancaster continued his dual-threat efficiency with 170 yards and one touchdown through the air. Despite being sacked twice for 25 negative yards, he finished with 27 yards on the ground, including a 28-yard run.

DePauw University fired its head football coach Robby Long early last week after the team started the season 0-2.

“Long was dismissed due to his failure to fully comply with the school’s policies and administrative expectations,” according to a press release from the university.

While an interim head coach has been named, the opening for a full time coach still exists.

Butler coach Jeff Voris is a DePauw football alumnus.

Ken Owen, DePauw executive director of media relations, said that there have been many rumors in the Greencastle area about who the future coach may be, including Voris. He also added they are not considering anyone at the moment.

When asked, Voris said he knew nothing about the DePauw job and is happy at Butler.

“I’m ecstatic to be here, and I have the best job I’ve ever had,” Voris said.

The Tigers promoted assistant coach Scott Srnka to interim head coach and plan to begin a nationwide search at the end of the season.

Srnka had been serving as defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach for the Tigers.

DePauw Athletic Director Stevie Baker-Watson said in a press release that the decision was not based on football and the team’s performance this season.

“We have been working with Coach Long since spring to resolve several administrative issues under his control,” Baker-Watson said. “We made this decision to terminate Coach Long’s employment because he failed to take corrective actions in a timely manner.”

Baker-Watson said the Division III school has not yet thought about future coach candidates.

“We are focusing on our student-athletes in this time of transition,” Baker-Watson said.

Owen reiterated what Baker-Watson said, that DePauw will not begin the search until the season is over.

He also mentioned Bill Lynch, former DePauw coach and current Butler associate athletic director for development, in a local radio interview, but later clarified that it did not mean he was a potential candidate.

Baker-Watson left the idea of the Tigers contacting Voris open.

“[The decision] would be up to Jeff,” Baker-Watson said.

Voris held the all-time passing yards, attempts, completions and total-offense records for the DePauw football team until 2009 when they were broken by Spud Dick.

Voris has the Bulldogs at 2-2 on the season after winning Saturday’s Pioneer Football League opener against Campbell.

DePauw is currently 0-3 on the year.

Butler junior running back Trae Heeter had a career-high 204 rushing yards to lead the Bulldogs to a 35-14 victory against Campbell in their Pioneer League opener.

Butler (2-2, 1-0) avenged last season’s 38-23 loss against the Camels (1-3, 0-1).

“Campbell got to us last year, and they beat us pretty bad,” Heeter said. “So we just talked about going out there and getting revenge on them and making it a redemption game.”

Heeter said his effort wasn’t done by him alone.

“The O-line did a great job opening holes all day, the receivers blocked well on the outside and there were running lanes everywhere,” he said.

Redshirt junior quarterback Matt Lancaster went 15 for 21 through the air for 168 yards and a touchdown. He added 61 rushing yards and two touchdowns.

Butler coach Jeff Voris said the team played well for all 60 minutes and played more complementary football than it did in last week’s loss at Dartmouth.

“The offense and defense had to work better off of each other,” Voris said. “It was a great win against a really good football team.

Senior linebacker Jordan Ridley finished the game with nine tackles.

“We were definitely inspired the whole game just to come out and prove that we’re going to be a tough team to beat in this league,” Ridley said.

Butler stays home this weekend to take on PFL opponent Dayton, which the Bulldogs beat on the road last season with the help of a last-minute field goal.

“This week is as important as any because it’s the next one on the schedule,” Voris said. “And it just so happens to be Dayton, and you know they’ll be ready to play us.”

Annual meetings with Dayton have turned into a competitive rivalry since Voris began coaching Butler six years ago.

The Flyers (1-3, 0-1) lost their PFL opener against Jacksonville 21-17 last Saturday.