FROM THE LEAD1 ASSOCIATION INSTITUTE TO THE CHAIR: ROCKY HARRIS FROM ARIZONA STATE IS ANOTHER GRAD ON THE RISE!

Rocky Harris is the new Chief Executive Officer for USA Triathlon, leaving Arizona State University, where he was Chief Operating Officer. Harris is now the fourth Institute grad from last year to be promoted, joining Mr. Harry Stinson III, who is now in "The Chair" as the new Athletics Director at Lincoln University; Mr. Edward Scott, who is now in "The Chair" at Morgan State University; and Ms. Monica Lebron, who is now the Chief Operating Office and Deputy Athletics Director for Tulane University.

This edition of the LEAD1 Experience, an interview series from across LEAD1NATION!, the 41 states in which its member schools are located,

features an interview with Mr. Harris. As such, submitted for your reading pleasure today is the following segment of the LEAD1 Experience:

LEAD1NATIONAMERICA: From The Institute to The Chair, Rocky Harris from Arizona State University!

Johnny Unitas, arguably the greatest quarterback of all time said that, “Success is never easy and it’s never because of luck.” How do you apply that to your current position and your future position?

 

I think success is a combination of persistence and a little luck along the way, at least in my case. My parents were raised in working families. My dad came from a farming family and my mom came from a military family, so grit is kind of a part of our DNA. I have found that the harder I work, the more results I drive and the luckier I tend to be in advancing my career. One of my favorite sayings is by Roman philosopher Seneca – “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity” – because it articulates a cause and effect relationship for luck.

 

Regarding success in sports administration, did you intend for that to be your career?

 

I wanted to be a coach early on because my dad was a coach. However, I found that the business side of sports came more naturally to me. Early in my career, my dream job was to work for an NFL team and I ended up working for the San Francisco 49ers and the Houston Texans. I also worked in corporate America and for a Major League Soccer club before joining collegiate athletics later in my career. From my experience, working in college athletics has more meaning because of the impact we make on student-athletes’ lives. To me it’s more than a job, it’s a way of life.

 

Tell us something that happened at the D1 Athletic Directors Association Institute that made you realize you did the right thing in choosing college sports administration as a career.

 

Seeing the shared values of the athletics directors and the senior administrators have me truly believing that college athletics has real value on student-athletes’ lives and can dramatically change the trajectory of their lives. It can turn them into leaders in society. The time at the institute reinforced my belief that we’re truly involved in a cause that matters because of the positive impact we can have on our student-athletes, our universities and our communities. Regardless of the change in the public perception or the environment of college athletics, we’re all aligned around why we do what we do, which is to benefit student-athletes and provide an asset for our communities.

 

How often and how many of your friends from school who are bankers, lawyers, etc., have told you they envy what you do in college sports and wish they could do the same?

 

I think that some people only see the “glamorous side” of the job like being on TV or meeting high-profile people and that’s all they equate with working in the sports industry. The business of collegiate athletics is one of the most complicated enterprises in the world with the number of constituents we have to please including donors, fans, alumni, faculty/staff and students, navigating NCAA legislation, the need to provide significant resources every year, manage and satisfy 26 sports and head coaches, and integrating with the campus and the community. While it is fun and I wouldn’t do anything else, I always let my friends know that we work around the clock, even though it may not seem like work to them. I went to an inner city high school where a lot of people didn’t go to college and didn’t become bankers or lawyers, and that makes me really appreciate my job that much more.

 

We are all going to die someday: what do you hope to accomplish by then?

 

I want my legacy to be defined by how well I treat my family and friends, respect my coworkers, and make a lasting impact on peoples’ lives.

 

How damaging would paying athletes be to your school and to college sports overall?

 

The unintended consequences are massive. It would hurt many schools that don’t have access to financial resources, and decrease resources for women’s sports and Olympic sports because the prevailing strategy is to cut sports to offset revenue losses. I philosophically disagree with treating student athletes as employees rather than students who happen to play sports and receive a free college education and the resources to be successful in school and later in life. Previously, collegiate athletics was not proactive about providing the fundamental resources our student-athletes need to have an enjoyable college experience. Now, I believe we’re on the right track to invest in enhancing the student athlete experience as a primary point of emphasis.

 

Athletes now are treated the best ever: how are they treated better than when you were in school?

 

Student-athletes now have a seat at the table, they’re stakeholders and have an influential voice in the decision making process. The NCAA is passing legislation to enhance resources based on feedback from the student-athletes themselves. This generation takes ownership of their lives and feels like they can make an impact individually. They don’t allow the constraints of the past to hold them back and they believe they can change the world. The generations that came before them helped pave the way for this sense of empowerment and it is exciting to be part of this cultural and industry shift.

 

What don't people realize about how well colleges care for and nurture today's scholarship athletes?

 

College athletics scholarships are second only to the G.I. Bill in providing an education for those who otherwise wouldn’t have access. We invest millions each year to provide our student-athletes with the appropriate levels of support, including tuition, meals, gear, housing, books, travel, spending money, etc. Providing top-tier resources for all our student-athletes and ensuring their future success is our top priority at Arizona State.

 

Some critics of today's university athletics say they are "indentured," others say they are spoiled: you can't have both.  What are the critics and cynics and haters missing about college sports?

 

The one thing that surprised me the most in my transition to college athletics was how remarkable these kids are. I am in awe of how well they manage their time, from their performance on the field, to academics, to community service and commitment to helping each other be successful. If people saw how impressive these young people are, they’d have a greater appreciation for these student-athletes and what drives them to succeed. I don’t feel like our student-athletes are as entitled as many people assume, because I see them day to day. I don’t pay much attention to the outliers.

 

When a recruit visits your school, what happens?

At Arizona State we try to differentiate ourselves through articulating our unique value proposition as an institution on what makes us special and stand out from other universities. We spend a lot of time focused on individualizing the experience, promoting our academic success, the fact that we were named the most innovative university in the country, living in a metropolitan area, and ASU’s investment in providing opportunities for our student-athletes after graduation. Sun Devil Athletics differentiates itself through our Championship Life program where we focus on student-athletes’ personal development and ensuring their success later in life.

 

What does a college pay for athletes that most people don't realize?

I think many people don’t realize that athletics departments actually pay the university tuition for its scholarships.

 

The Athletic Director has been described as the "front porch of the university."  That is clearly working as most of the top ranked universities in the world are American, which is no surprise.  But many such as Stanford,  Duke, Cal Berkeley, UNC, Virginia et al... and others have great athletic departments.  Does that surprise you.  How does a sports program contribute to the overall greatness of a school?

 

The best universities want to be successful in everything they do, with athletics being a component of that success. When many people think of universities, the first thought is of the sports programs. Sports can connect you to a university like nothing else can. In addition to great academic institutions, when I think of Stanford, I think of their Rose Bowl appearances, and Duke’s successful basketball program. Today’s athletics departments need to focus on promoting what is great about the university academically and socially, so the relationship and benefits are reciprocal. An example of a great institution is the University of Chicago. They were in the Big 10 Conference and decided to cut football back in the late 1930’s. Even though they have a strong academic brand among the educated, they are not a well-known brand by the masses even though they have a Top-5 ranked business school. I bet that wouldn’t be the case if they stayed in the Big 10 and had a visible football program.

 

The Greek ideal is a "healthy mind in a healthy body."  What does your school do to create that in its scholarship athletes?

 

We invest the resources to help our student-athletes be competitive in their sport, excel academically, develop healthy lifestyles, and provide physical, emotional, psychological and nutritional support. The amount of resources we devote to developing well-rounded and holistic student-athletes is staggering. We really take a proactive approach to enabling our student-athletes to be leaders in society.

 

What do you miss most about when you were playing ball in college?

 

I grew up playing sports year-round and played club Rugby in college and I always loved the competitive nature of sport. Now, I try to find other avenues for competition whether it be participating in triathlons or long-distance cycling. The competitive nature of sport always exists. If you compete the majority of your life, you can’t just remove that element of your life completely. There is nothing like overcoming obstacles to achieve success.

 

How many luxury suite tickets can you get us for that game?

 

Since we just renovated our stadium we have a great luxury box you can invest in at a cost of a mere $10M. In all seriousness, I’m always willing to provide access to our event, games and day-to-day operations for people to see our best practices and learn from theirs as well.

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The LEAD1 Association represents the athletic directors, the programs, and the student-athletes of the 130 universities which comprise the NCAA Division 1 FBS, who will be holding their annual meeting in Washington, D.C. for the first time on September 26. This event will feature the "Celebration of College Sports" to honor great moments in college sports history. Key to the LEAD1 mission are influencing how the rules of college sports are enacted and implemented, advocating for the future of college athletics and providing various services to the members. The mission statement of LEAD1 Association is, "Supporting the athletic directors of America's leading intercollegiate programs in preparing today's students to be tomorrow's leaders!"

For any questions, please contact Jonathan Yates, Director of Communications and Public Affairs for LEAD1 Association, at 301-807-2523, by email at [email protected], or visit the website, www.lead1association.com.