The Administration

The administrative structure of the Athletic Department in the early 1990s included the athletic director and three associate directors: one for men's sports, a second for women's sports, and a third for sports information. The associate director for men's sports also had responsibility for all campus sports facilities and served as Bob's direct supervisor. An assistant director supported each associate director, and all of the coaches within the Athletic Department reported to one of the two assistant directors for either men's or women's sports. The coaches oversee a wide variety of sports, most of which are played on Bob's turf. In addition to football, the athletic fields support baseball, softball, lacrosse, soccer, track and field, and a variety of club sports including rugby, cricket, and field hockey. Bob always felt that satisfying the coaches was one of his greatest challenges. His challenge was finding the resources to do what they wanted. For example, because of poor drainage, some fields didn't play well for days following a heavy rain. And because many of the fields didn't have irrigation, he was not able to sustain vigorous turfgrass growth during dry periods and provide the resiliency desired for optimum playing conditions. The demand for the resources needed to address these needs far exceeded the financial resources, and turf improvement had never been high on the priority list. Bob's communication with the football coach was usually through intermediaries. The exception was when the coach was dissatisfied with the field at Beaver Stadium and would directly and forcefully communicate his concerns. Bob usually accepted these comments and concerns without verbal response. At the Rutgers game in the fall of 1993, the coach was not happy. Bob knew this even before the coach walked over to voice his complaints.