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Y! MyWebKissell still processing decision to retire
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
University of Dayton VP/Director of Athletics Ted Kissel speaks about his upcoming retirement after it was announced by President Daniel Curran at a press conference Tuesday afternoon, Aug. 19.DAYTON — Ted Kissell was feeling almost buoyant after formally announcing his decision to retire, but he didn't expect it to last.
The University of Dayton athletic director is still processing what it means to leave a flourishing career for the great unknown, and it hasn't hit him yet.
"Because of the public nature of this (job), I probably haven't allowed myself any of the emotional content," he said Tuesday afternoon. "At 7 o'clock tonight or 2 o'clock tomorrow afternoon, I'm going to be hit with a 2-by-4.
"I'm amused when people say, 'I knew it was the right time.' I love what I'm doing, I have no idea if it's the right time. But I do know that there are a lot of other things that haven't been attended to that I'd like to give my attention to."
Saying he wanted to spend more time with his wife and four grown children and pursue other interests, Kissell, who turns 63 in October, told a crowd of about 100 well-wishers in Boesch Lounge at UD Arena that he's stepping down from his job of 16 years on Dec. 31, 2008. He'll be replaced then by longtime associate AD Tim Wabler.
"This has been a wonderful decade of (UD) men's college basketball," school president Daniel Curran said. "And the last couple years across the board in athletics, we really have stepped up. We're a comprehensive program that's getting stronger. Ted has set a solid foundation, and Tim will build on that."
The men's basketball program was revived on Kissell's watch, while other sports have been bolstered with new facilities and additional scholarships. The women's soccer and volleyball teams have made multiple NCAA tournament appearances, and the women's basketball team set a program record with 25 wins last season.
Kissell, who will remain in his role as university vice president until June 30, 2009, also was instrumental in helping the Flyers find a league when they were dropped by the Great Midwest Conference, steering them into the Atlantic 10 in 1995-96.
"I feel I was handed the baton and did a few laps around the track, and I feel we're handing it off a little ahead," Kissell said.
Dayton left the Midwestern Collegiate Conference for the Great Midwest in 1993-94, but the men's basketball team had a two-year record of 1-23 in the new league while other sports also were faring miserably.
After finishing last or next-to-last in the all-sports standings during seven of their final nine years in the MCC, the Flyers were dead last both years in the Great Midwest and were left without a league after the Great Midwest disbanded to form Conference-USA.
"That was scary," Kissell said of the three months in limbo before joining the A-10. "Having been left out of the Great Midwest — for good reason — here's this once very proud program, and their peers don't even want them.
"There are those who say we never should have left the MCC, and they would prove their point by what happened in the Great Midwest. I would argue that as much as a disaster as our performance in the Great Midwest was, it held a mirror up to how far behind we were and that business as usual the old way wasn't going to get it done."
Xavier also was joining the A-10, making the league more appealing for the Flyers. But Kissell said there was still much work ahead for the program.
He remembers being somber at his press conference announcing the Flyers had found a league home.
"I chose rather than to take a celebratory tone, to say, 'Wake up, everybody. We've traded on our great tradition for the last time. We need to create a new tradition and create one that generations coming can relate to. We've spent our last time on our tradition,' " he said.
Former coach Oliver Purnell had just finished his first season at UD when the school was dropped by the Great Midwest and remembers Kissell being a source of strength.
"The darkest days were when we were without a league. But what does Ted do? He doesn't mope, he doesn't sulk, he rolls up his sleeves and goes to work diplomatically and politically and gets us into the Atlantic 10," Purnell said. "That was a big, big win right there. We had some big wins on the court, but that's as important as any win we had.
The UD men's basketball program has made three NCAA trips this decade and seven postseason appearances overall since 1997-98.
"We're proud of that," Kissell said, "but I'm even more proud of what we've done where we had no history and tradition, like (women's) volleyball where we're playing in the NCAA tournament and going 33-2 and women's soccer. The places where we said, 'Let's get after it in a few more sports,' that's where I feel proud."
Under Kissell's leadership, UD has raised more than $30 million for capital projects since 2000. UD Arena was renovated to include luxury suites, the Donoher Center was erected and the former PAC building was turned into a campus practice facility for all sports.
Baseball and softball stadiums, an all-weather track and a grass practice field for football also were built on the grounds around the arena.
Kissell also ushered in a new policy for Flyer basketball tickets that wasn't popular with fans. He introduced the Arena Seating Plan in 1997-98, requiring a donation for the right to purchase men's basketball season tickets. The fees range from $100 to $3,500.
But Kissell pointed out the grumbling has been surprisingly mild and the program has succeeded. And he thanked the fans at his press conference for their support.
Sixth-year UD men's basketball coach Brian Gregory said Kissell will be missed.
"If you evaluate leadership by the performance of the people under his watch, he's done just an unbelievable job," Gregory said. "The success on the fields and courts of his teams, the success of the student-athletes in the classroom, the impact athletes and coaches have made in the community, it's a dramatic change, and it's all come under Ted's leadership.
"Personally, we have a great relationship. He means the world to me. It's been great to me as I've started my career as a head coach. He's a tough guy to say good-bye to."
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2125 or at dharris@DaytonDailyNews.com
