Robinson made the choice he had to make with Sykes

Against the Grain:

By Vaughn Wilson

While not getting involved emotionally to the FAMU search for a new athletic director, I watched from the sideline.  I was not a member of the committee, not a decision-maker, so trying to interject into the process was fruitless.  For the most part, it was better for me as I knew several of the candidates and it was better for me to wait for an outcome.

Fortunately for me, that tough position has never been an interest of mine.  Watching the toll it took on my father to try and make ends meet for the university, I never wanted that stress.  Working as an associate athletics director was close enough.  I think the farther I climbed the ladder, the more I realized that it was not a desire of mine.

With that said, it doesn’t mean that I am not fully aware of the qualifications of a good athletics director.  Different situations call for different people to fill certain roles.

Milton Overton, whom I still maintain was the smartest athletics director I personally worked with, brought us the Investing in Champions model that we use today.  He was the first AD to jumpstart contributions to our athletics department in excess of just ticket and parking purchases.  While it had its share of bumps in fulfillment, this model is used by larger institutions and though it was grumbled at from the onset by FAMU faithful, it has proven to be tailor made for Rattlers to help bolster the athletics budget.

John Eason was an athletics director that many may not see the accomplishments of.  But, Eason is the AD who demanded the synthetic turf for Bragg Stadium.  He had previously been at schools with both turf and natural grass and decided that without FAMU having a dedicated maintenance department capable of totally maintaining the surface, artificial turf was the best alternative.  To this day, that has proven to be a wise decision.  Additionally, what I really like about what Eason did was his hiring of Willie Simmons.  There was no search committee, there was no wasted time…he chose Simmons, negotiated the contract, and got him here.  I am not a fan of the committee method.

Kortne Gosha was a marketing and facilities guru and during his tenure, he excelled at both.  The enhancing of the FAMU Athletics brand through all the methods he implemented was undeniably evident.  Branding of all athletics facilities took a turn for the better.  He added enhanced locker rooms for Olympic sports that previously just had nowhere to go.  Along with a state-of-the-art remodeling of the football locker room, the rich traditions of FAMU football were plastered on every blank wall of the Galimore-Powell Field House. Additionally, his energy on the Rattler Strike Tour elevated donations to a record $550,000 in Summer of 2021.

Now the Rattlers enter the era of Tiffani-Dawn Sykes, the new VP and Director of Athletics selected by Robinson.  There will be debate no matter who the selection was, but one thing for sure, Robinson made the selection his bosses, the Board of Trustees and Board of Governors, demanded.  The compliance and academic issues the department faced that came to light in late August were an embarrassment to FAMU.  They were well documented and broadcast in plain sight for the world to see.  The FAMU Board of Trustees were first in their condemnation of the practices that were failing in athletics. The Florida Board of Governors elevated that commentary, personally calling on Robinson to fix the problem and to never have it revisit FAMU again.  Both boards were stern and clear.  Robinson heard them.

Sykes comes to FAMU with an impressive resume of compliance.  Her experiences at HBCUs Norfolk State of the MEAC, the MEAC office and Grambling State of the SWAC, coupled with her experiences at Dartmouth, give her a well-rounded view of athletics.  Make no mistake about it, her main job is to fix FAMU’s compliance and academic processes.  There are a lot of areas that need attention at FAMU Athletics, but none more important than the compliance processes.

The NCAA has been lenient on schools because of the ramifications of the pandemic, but at some point, they will begin to monitor, evaluate, and punish schools with the full brunt of their authority in the near future.  FAMU must have its affairs in order as not to face a death penalty for its athletics programs.  We’ve simply not honored the promises we’ve made to the NCAA in their findings over the last decade.

With Overton came Elliott Charles as the Deputy Director of Athletics.  With his reputation for compliance and direct contact with the NCAA, I was a witness to the leniency they showed in allowing him to address the issues…and he did.  The highest ever APR FAMU’s football team achieved was during his tenure as the staff was bolstered with knowledgeable individuals that did things right.

With the hiring of Sykes, Robinson said to his bosses “I hear you.”  While fundraising, hiring of coaches, hiring of staff and other activities of the department must also be addressed, FAMU has selected a person with a tangible record of starting with what is the most dire need of the FAMU Department of Athletics.