East Lansing, Mich. - Michigan State University president Dr. Samuel Stanley had the right instincts and approach when he pumped the brakes last month on internal pushes for Alan Haller to become the school’s next athletic director.
But after being wowed by Haller during Haller’s interview this weekend, and becoming impressed on other levels while getting to know Haller as a man, Stanley arrived at the same conclusion that folks like Tom Izzo, Mark Dantonio and Mel Tucker have believed all along: Alan Haller is the man for the job.
The Detroit Free Press was the first to report on Monday that Haller would be hired as MSU’s next athletic director. Sources have told SpartanMag.com that an announcement from Stanley that Haller is his choice is likely to come on Wednesday. The Michigan State Board of Trustees will vote to pass Stanley’s choice soon thereafter.
The Detroit Free Press was the first to report, and SpartanMag.com confirmed, that Michigan State interviewed two candidates over the weekend - Haller and Auburn athletic director Allen Greene. Sources tell SpartanMag.com that University of Pittsburgh athletic director Heather Lyke and UCLA athletic director Martin Jarmond were candidates of interest, with Stanley especially interested in Lyke. Sources indicate that Michigan State reached out to them, and discussions took place, but neither interviewed.
Meanwhile, a source with direct knowledge of the interviewing process, told SpartanMag.com that Haller “hit it out of the ballpark” during his interview with Stanley and consultants. By the time Haller’s presentation was finished, this fight was over. The referee, the honorable Samuel Stanley, had seen enough. Early stoppage. TKO, with Haller’s hand raised in victory.
COMP’S TAKE:
I’m not surprised by Haller’s strong interview, and neither are those who have worked with him.
When it comes to issues and assignments - from legal, to financial, to contracts, to facilities, to the everyday duties of Spartan coaches - there’s no one on campus who can address athletic department topics from A to Z like Haller. Why? He’s been boots-deep in it for several years, with expert mentorship in the past from Mark Hollis. Haller has impressed those around him at every step. Plus, he’s worn the pads, and worn a badge. His qualifications go on for miles.
When Bill Beekman stepped down as athletic director on Aug. 5, Haller’s name quickly surfaced as a top candidate. Privately, Tucker and Izzo were in favor of his candidacy. Publicly, a long line of former Spartan players called on the university to hire Haller. The former players’ support for Haller was so loud, echoed by a 45-minute YouTube video, that their leaders felt it was better to change course and decrease their voices as the process continued. They didn’t want to appear to come on too strong and perhaps hamper Haller’s candidacy.
There were reports that Board of Trustees members had devised a plan to utilize Izzo as interim athletic director, as a bridge toward eventually elevating Haller as the full-time athletic director. Stanley respectfully disapproved of that approach.
Izzo didn’t seek the interim A.D. job. He might have accepted the assignment, if that’s what the administrators wanted. But when Stanley balked, Izzo diplomatically stood down, for the sake of the university.
If Izzo was offended by Stanley’s brake job, we never knew about it. Izzo would never want to turn this into Perles vs DiBiaggio II, even though Izzo had the power to wage that war, and win. But that’s not how he’s wired. He wants to build bridges, not reduce them to political rubble.
Meanwhile, those in Haller’s corner - from Izzo, to Tucker, to former players, and even Dantonio, who called for donors two weeks ago to support Haller - kept quiet in public and let Stanley go forward with the process, probably because they knew Haller’s merits would shine through in the end. And they did.