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Published Sep 8, 2021
Haller vows to 'listen to the fans' as part of his 'dream responsibility'
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Jim Comparoni  •  Spartans Illustrated
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East Lansing, Mich. - Calling it a dream job is not strong enough phrasing.

For Alan Haller, being athletic director at Michigan State is, as he said on Tuesday, his “dream responsibility.”

Haller gained a standing ovation from Michigan State coaches, trustees, athletes and dignitaries after a 20-minute address at Breslin Center during an event which formally introduced him as the university’s 20th athletic director.

“I work for you,” he told student-athletes after asking them to stand in the audience. “I am not the athletic director. I am your athletic director.

“My student-athlete experience at Michigan State was transformational. I want all of you to have that same experience.”

Haller tied together his roots in the Lansing area as a graduate of Sexton High School, his early introduction to the Michigan State campus as a youth, told stories about his time as a football player at Michigan State, things he learned under George Perles, conveyed his appreciation for mentors such as Dr. Clarence Underwood and former track coach Jim Bibbs. He thanked Bill Beekman, Michigan State president Dr. Samuel Stanley, his former teammates, his family, and the support he has received in recent years from Mark Dantonio.

“This is my dream responsibility,” he said. “This is not a job. This is my dream responsibility.”

Tom Izzo nodded in approval.

"That speech was phenomenal," Izzo said. "He not only is good, he gets better every day. Not only was he good when he was interviewing, I see him growing right in front of my eyes."

Haller made statements directly to athletic department staff members, the university community, fans and alumni.

“To my department, staff and coaches: I plan to listen, learn and be engaged.

“Together we will create a culture of excellence, with a foundation of integrity, honesty, transparency, diversity, equity and inclusion. Together we will support each other during challenging times. We are going to do incredible things together. And we’re going to have a little fun while doing it.

“To the Michigan State community, and this great university, we will be a valued partner and member of this institution. Spartan athletics exists to add value to this great community. So we will be an extension of Michigan State. We will be an extension of Michigan State’s values, purpose and mission.

“I promise current and former student-athletes, we will work extremely hard to make sure you are proud of your athletic department.

“To our alumni, fans and supporters, we will make all of you proud to be affiliated with Michigan State. I guarantee that.”

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'I WILL LISTEN TO OUR FANS'

Haller was hired as Michigan State’s athletic director last week. On Friday in Evanston, Ill., he attended his first Spartan football game as the school’s athletic director. He was moved by what he experienced at the tailgates, and in the postgame locker room when head football coach Mel Tucker presented him with a No. 20 Michigan State jersey.

The players chanted “A.D.! A.D.! A.D.!”

“They went crazy,” Tucker said.

Haller loved it.

“Coach Tucker, what you did in the locker room and that chant, I can’t describe what that means to me,” Haller said from the podium on Tuesday.

During pregame tailgating at Northwestern, Haller began to learn what it feels like to be the Michigan State athletic director.

“Before the game, I went out and walked through all of the Michigan State tailgates,” he said. “I was surprised that a lot of people recognized me. It was a really cool experience, getting to know the fans and listening to them.”

In true Alan Haller form, he made a mental note of it, and an idea formed.

“I was so energized being out there, walking through the tailgates, listening to them,” he said, “so I’m going to bring that to this year. Every home football game, I’ll be outside, walking through the tailgates, staying close to the community and learning from our community because this is about all of us together. This is going to be a community effort in terms of what we do moving forward. I will listen to our fans and supporters and community members.”

INSPIRATION AND MOTIVATION

He listened to his daughter, Allison Haller, on Aug. 5 when Beekman stepped down as athletic director. Allison, who is a student at Michigan State, asked her dad about the job opening while they talked in the kitchen of Haller’s DeWitt home one day after he came home from work.

"Yeah," Haller said to his daughter. "It's going to be a national process. It's going to be competitive."

She interrupted her father.

“She stopped me right there and she said, ‘Dad, why can’t you be the athletic director? You should be the athletic director.’

“I said, ‘You know what, honey? I’m going to compete and go after it.’”

She was on a long list of people he thanked on Tuesday.

Haller had to pause and gather his emotions while speaking about his parents.

"My parents went to every single one of my events and games," he said.

They dropped him off at Michigan State's football camp as a little leaguer. They watched him play for the Spartans as a collegian, and they attended his games when he spent four seasons in the NFL.

"My dad is an incredible person," Haller said. "I learned my serving leadership from my dad - how to treat people and make an impact on people that cross your path.

"My father is at home. He couldn't attend today.

"My mom is not with us anymore," he said, while leaning forward and taking a few seconds to collect himself.

Then he smiled.

"I used to get really, really nervous before football games and track events," he said. "And I would come out into the stadium and I would look up and I would find my mom and she would be looking at me and that would calm me down. So mom, I know you're here today. I feel your presence. Thank you for everything you've done. I'm calm. I'm ready to go."

Mr. and Mrs. Haller delivered their son to Michigan State in the fall of 1988 as a football playing freshman. Perles helped shape him from there.

“I learned a lot of lessons from Coach Perles," Haller said. "Work hard, be on time, carry a flashlight cause it’s going to be a looooong day."

That statement drew laughter.

This one drew gasps and smiles:

“My freshman year, I learned the value of forgiveness from Coach Perles," Haller said. "My freshman year, I was on the punt block team at Michigan. We had a punt block on. We blocked it. John Miller picked it up and ran for a touchdown, but I was off-sides. So it was called back.

“But he (Perles) forgave me and to this day that was one of the traits and values I learned from Coach Perles.”

Haller conceded that before he began viewing the athletic directorship as his dream responsibility, he indeed looked at it long ago as a dream job.

“I was asked if this has always been my dream job,” he said. “And yes it has been. Yes. And you know why? That person is here today: Dr. Clarence Underwood.

“Dr. Underwood was an assistant athletic director when I was a student-athlete here. He kind of took me under his wing and made me feel special and was always there as a person who gave me advice and guided me.

“I was his young apprentice. I learned during that time how to treat people and how to conduct yourself and how to look to the future.

“Dr. Underwood went on to be the 16th athletic director at Michigan State.”

Haller was inspired by Underwood’s example.

“I said, ‘You know what? I’m going to go through this life and try to have an impact on young people the way Dr. Clarence Underwood had an impact on me," Haller said.

Haller looked into the audience at Underwood, who was seated in the third row.

“And here I stand in front of you as the 20th athletic director in large part because of your leadership and your guidance in my life,” Haller said to him. “So thank you Dr. Clarence Underwood. You taught me well.”

That remark drew strong applause from the gathering of more than 200 people.

Haller turned to the group as a whole, and Michigan State supporters watching live on the Big Ten Network, for his final point.

“Michigan State athletics is positioned to do something special,” he said. “That’s why I took this responsibility. But it’s not just my responsibility. I can’t do it alone. I need all the student-athletes, all the staff, all the coaches, university leaders, the donors, the letter winners, everyone. We have to do this together.

“I love this great university. We are going to do great things together.”

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