Boone steps down as athletics director

When Athletics Director Pete Boone said that Houston Nutt would be the last University of Mississippi football head coach he hired, he meant it.

With the lack of on-the-field success over the past two years, Boone recommended to Chancellor Dan Jones that Nutt be replaced. At the same time, Boone said that it was time for a fresh approach and that he would step aside as athletics director.

“The Ole Miss family has accomplished so much in the past decade, but we are poised to go even further, even higher,” Boone said.

Jones said Boone’s tenure has been “remarkable,” considering that the University has avoided the dark spotlight from the NCAA that has been shined down on other programs in recent years. 

“I’m grateful to Pete for his leadership of athletics, including his selfless decision to announce his plans for the future and facilitate a search process for a head football coach that considers his limited tenure,” Jones said. 

No timetable has been set for the athletics director search, but the search committee will be co-chaired by former Ole Miss quarterback Archie Manning and FedEx Executive Vice President Mike Glenn, who are also serving as co-chairs for the search for Nutt’s replacement.

Jones said the committees might be different, but Manning and Glenn would chair both.

“No one in America is more connected in the world of college athletics than Archie Manning, and no one is more trusted in the Ole Miss family,” Jones said. “And Mike Glenn is a well-respected figure in the world of sports, overseeing FedEx’s sports marketing activities.

“We are very fortunate to have them lead both searches, and I’m personally grateful for their willingness to take on this responsibility.”

Manning, Glenn and the committee will make a recommendation to Jones on the new athletic director, and Jones will make the final decision as chancellor. Jones said he would release more about the process as it develops.

During Boone’s two stints as athletic director, Ole Miss has made progress in athletic facilities and in planning for the next phase of development. Boone has been responsible for more than $150 million in improvements to facilities.

“I know we all recognize the significant progress in facilities we’ve made under his leadership and the vision that he’s provided for financing the next phase of facility improvement,” Jones said.

During Boone’s time here, annual expenditures have increased from less than $10 million in 1995 to approximately $50 million in 2011.

Jones said Boone will remain as the athletics director, and in charge, until a replacement is found or until December of 2012, when his contract expires. 

“He’ll have the full authority and responsibility of the athletic director, no question about that,” Jones said.

The Forward Rebels have been pushing an advertising campaign for the ousting of Boone dating back to the football team’s first loss to BYU in September, but Jones said outside forces, such as the Forward Rebels group, have not been a factor.

“The decision that you see being made today is the decision that should be made in the best interest of the University of Mississippi, with all the appropriate stakeholders operating in the appropriate ways involved in the decision,” Jones said.

Jones said he has spent a lot of time consulting with appropriate stakeholders, such including the Institutes of Higher Learning, the alumni association and the leadership in athletics.

“I’ve depended on all of those stakeholder groups to give me guidance through this process about what decision should be made about timing for the decision and what is in the best interest of Ole Miss,” Jones said.

Boone will not be a hindrance on raising the $150 million toward the Forward Together capital campaign, which is seeking donations to build a new arena and improve the football stadium, Jones said.

Jones said a lot is made of the people who would only give if their demands are met and that it is easy to calculate large figures for people who make promises on the condition that other people do as asked.

“I’ve been a member of a church for a long time, and I can’t tell you how many conversations I’ve been in with people who say I would give a lot of money to the church if the pastor would only…” Jones said.

Over the past few months, Jones said they have raised more than $43 million toward that goal and added that it was because Boone and his team have provided a vision for the future to improve facilities and the Rebels competitiveness in the SEC.

“I believe the vast majority of people in the Ole Miss family want to support that vision — I have every confidence that will take place,” Jones said. “And I believe Pete’s presence in the next few months will be additional to that and not subtractive.”

Boone said it is not about him, it is about Ole Miss.

“This is a great team here, and we’ve been successful at raising money,” Boone said. “We’ve been successful in changing some atmospheres, and it is not about me.

“I have very little to do with it, except maybe hiring some great folks.”

Jones also addressed criticism that he cares more about academics than athletics and said that both programs are important to him personally.

“Before I took on this responsibility, I certainly thought long and hard about my willingness and ability to take on this part of the leadership responsibilities,” Jones said. “I understand the role of athletics at the University of Mississippi, and I fully embrace my role and responsibly in that.”

Jones said that winning championships and giving his full support to Boone’s successor is something he will also embrace on a personal level.

“I’m not going to be making decisions to try to prove a point one way or the other to people,” Jones said. “I’ll simply ask people to look at my record, and ask the question, does he like to lose? Does he like to be second at anything?”

Boone said that anyone who questions Jones commitment to athletics has not been through a “Dan Jones evaluation.”

“His evaluation of not only the athletics programs but also that of the athletics director is thorough,” Boone said. “There is not a lot of fluff in that conversation — it is expectations, it is goals and that’s been since he has been here.”
Jones said his record is there for people to see. 

“I want us to be the best in athletics,” Jones said.