RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 1 sourcesCHICAGO – As his new boss spoke on stage in the Hilton Chicago ballroom for Big Ten football media days, Chris McIntosh was present while staying far from the spotlight.
McIntosh stood off to the side and toward the back of the room, listening to Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti’s press conference alongside a few others in leadership roles, whether that be in the conference office or a member school.
It was new in some ways for the Big Ten’s deputy commissioner for strategy, but it also familiar for the ex- Wisconsin athletic director who bolted from his alma mater in April . Nearly three months into that mix of new and old, Petitti praised McIntosh’s “great” work.
“We have great staff that have experience in lots of different places, but Mac’s leadership position at Wisconsin really made it an obvious choice,” Petitti said. “Really well respected by our athletics directors and our leadership.”
McIntosh announced his immediate resignation on April 13 after nearly five years as Wisconsin’s athletic director. His departure came after nearly five years of leading the Badgers and amid historic football woes. UW suffered its first back-to-back losing seasons since the early 1990s.
McIntosh said in an exclusive interview with the Journal Sentinel’s Lori Nickel after his departure from UW that he does not “feel like I’m abandoning Wisconsin” as he moved to the conference office.
“I will play a bigger role than I had as the athletic director in shaping a sustainable system in which the Wisconsins, and the Iowas, and the Michigan States, and everybody can prosper,” McIntosh said.
His move also came amid a time of consistent change in the college sports landscape. It was nine-plus months after the House vs. NCAA settlement took effect – and the College Sports Commission began its work. Conferences also have lobbied for Congressional action, and the NCAA’s five-in-five eligibility model gained approval in June.
“As we continue to evolve in the office and you face the kind of issues that we do on a daily basis in the conference office and so much that we did around establishing CSC, I think it just became really clear that having expertise from campus is critical,” Petitti said.
Adding McIntosh during this time has “given us a lot more depth,” Petitti said.
“He’s involved in helping us on these long-term issues every day and the strategic part in not only shaping it going forward, but bringing that perspective and [being] able to talk to ADs not only in our league, but across the country as well. … We’re facing unprecedented challenges, and we need campus experience in the office.”
McIntosh’s alma mater, meanwhile, has moved forward with the hiring of Shawn Eichorst as its next athletic director. Eichorst took the UW job earlier in July after eight years as Texas’ deputy AD. He also has been an AD at Miami and Nebraska.
The start of Eichorst’s time in the Wisconsin spotlight has come with positive reviews from UW’s head coaches. Football coach Luke Fickell has been impressed with Eichorst’s sincerity and authenticity . Men’s basketball coach Greg Gard said he has been a “breath of fresh air.”
“I couldn’t be more excited and more happy,” Gard said. “You know you got a guy that’s really got your back and understands what this is all about and wants to attack it head on. So I’m fired up. … Everybody’s through the roof on having him here, and Badger Nation should be, too, because he’s freaking good.”
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Ex-Wisconsin AD Chris McIntosh gives Big Ten valued 'campus experience'
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