Mr. Tiger
Mr. T
Hornets AD takes aim at Div. I-A status
Bell has worked at top level
BY KRISTIAN POPE / The News Journal
07/21/2005DOVER ? New Delaware State athletic director Chuck Bell said Wednesday he will dive into the position with several objectives, the most dramatic being the school?s pursuit of a Division I-A football program.
?I want to achieve the goal of I-A, that?s my No. 1 priority,? said Bell, who said he exchanged picnics with his family and retirement in Scottsdale, Ariz., for a job he believes could leave a ?historic? mark on college athletics.
The 60-year-old former AD at I-A Utah State and San Jose State is the first white athletic director at DSU, a historically black college. Bell said that would not hinder his ability to rebuild the struggling department.
Bell, who will be introduced today, signed a three-year contract for an undisclosed salary. After meeting with DSU president Allen Sessoms, he became intrigued with the possibility of helping direct the school?s efforts to build new athletic facilities and move from Division I-AA to I-A in football.
?I feel, with the years of experience I?ve had, there?s an opportunity to help Delaware State,? Bell said. ?They need the experience that I have. It?s how I want to finish my career.
?I want to use my experience to move (the football program) to I-A. There?s no one better equipped to lead us in that direction than I am.?
No historically black college has ever played at the Division I-A level. Florida A&M, also a member of the MEAC, applied in 2003, but rescinded the application a year later because of financial misdeeds in its athletic department.
In November, Bell ended a six-year stint as AD at San Jose State. While he said at the time he was retiring, Bell said he stepped down to protect the coaches he hired there from being fired. One of his hires, football coach Fitz Hill, was one of five blacks to coach in Division I-A at the time. Despite Bell?s decision, Hill stepped down after going 14-32 in four seasons.
Bell said it would likely take at least four years to prepare the football program for a move to I-A. That plan would include upgrading and building facilities and raising money for football.
?That?s what (Sessoms) wants,? Bell said. ?It would be a road map and plan of action. While I-A can be achieved, just the pursuit of excellence can be everything. When you do that you move forward. That kind of pursuit helps the university.?
Sessoms did not return a call requesting comment.
Mike Lude, a former athletic director at Auburn and Washington, consulted with Sessoms during the search. Lude said Bell was his top recommendation.
?Chuck was very open to idea of starting a new challenge and to hang with it and see it come to a conclusion,? Lude said. ?Bell is exactly what DSU needs. They don?t have to say we have a rookie who needs on-the-job training. Chuck has been there.?
Bell cited Boise State and Nevada, both I-AA programs that moved to I-A in the 1990s, as possible blueprints for DSU.
?Some have tried and failed,? Bell said. ?Pursuing it will only help the university in recruiting and getting kids in the state. It?s not about athletics alone. It?s designed to help the institution as a whole. Athletics is a tool to accomplish (Sessoms?) objective.?
The General Assembly recently turned down a request by DSU and the Delaware Civic Center Corp. for $75.1 million to begin construction of a combined football stadium and civic center on campus.
Bell said DSU would not immediately apply to leave the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, but would have to in order to move to I-A.
The athletic department has several open positions, including compliance director and associate director for facilities and development.
?Coaches don?t come without bringing their own assistants,? Bell said. ?He needs to bring in his own people. I don?t have to fire folks; it?s just an opportunity for me to bring in good people.?
At Utah State (1992-97) and San Jose State (1998-2004), Bell was known as a fundraiser. But he came under fire. At Utah State, the state audited his spending habits. Bell was not charged with any wrongdoing.
Bell defended his tenure at San Jose State, where he was criticized for balancing the budget at the expense of on-field success. In April 2004, the SJSU Academic Senate also tried to abolish football.
?Our directive and mission at SJSU was to balance the budget and bring the department into fiscal integrity,? Bell said. ?Winning was not part of the agenda. That?s no fun.?
But Bell, who has been both a coach and an administrator, said he was ready for the immense challenge at DSU.
?We all need to work together as a family. That?s a big part of my philosophy. We?ll pursue the facilities and the excellence that Sessoms demands. We?ll do it with dignity and integrity.?
This is interesting. Is the MEAC headed for trouble with Delaware State thinking about D-I football in the future, FAMU having financial trouble and the Southern Conference considering Hampton for expansion.
Bell has worked at top level
BY KRISTIAN POPE / The News Journal
07/21/2005DOVER ? New Delaware State athletic director Chuck Bell said Wednesday he will dive into the position with several objectives, the most dramatic being the school?s pursuit of a Division I-A football program.
?I want to achieve the goal of I-A, that?s my No. 1 priority,? said Bell, who said he exchanged picnics with his family and retirement in Scottsdale, Ariz., for a job he believes could leave a ?historic? mark on college athletics.
The 60-year-old former AD at I-A Utah State and San Jose State is the first white athletic director at DSU, a historically black college. Bell said that would not hinder his ability to rebuild the struggling department.
Bell, who will be introduced today, signed a three-year contract for an undisclosed salary. After meeting with DSU president Allen Sessoms, he became intrigued with the possibility of helping direct the school?s efforts to build new athletic facilities and move from Division I-AA to I-A in football.
?I feel, with the years of experience I?ve had, there?s an opportunity to help Delaware State,? Bell said. ?They need the experience that I have. It?s how I want to finish my career.
?I want to use my experience to move (the football program) to I-A. There?s no one better equipped to lead us in that direction than I am.?
No historically black college has ever played at the Division I-A level. Florida A&M, also a member of the MEAC, applied in 2003, but rescinded the application a year later because of financial misdeeds in its athletic department.
In November, Bell ended a six-year stint as AD at San Jose State. While he said at the time he was retiring, Bell said he stepped down to protect the coaches he hired there from being fired. One of his hires, football coach Fitz Hill, was one of five blacks to coach in Division I-A at the time. Despite Bell?s decision, Hill stepped down after going 14-32 in four seasons.
Bell said it would likely take at least four years to prepare the football program for a move to I-A. That plan would include upgrading and building facilities and raising money for football.
?That?s what (Sessoms) wants,? Bell said. ?It would be a road map and plan of action. While I-A can be achieved, just the pursuit of excellence can be everything. When you do that you move forward. That kind of pursuit helps the university.?
Sessoms did not return a call requesting comment.
Mike Lude, a former athletic director at Auburn and Washington, consulted with Sessoms during the search. Lude said Bell was his top recommendation.
?Chuck was very open to idea of starting a new challenge and to hang with it and see it come to a conclusion,? Lude said. ?Bell is exactly what DSU needs. They don?t have to say we have a rookie who needs on-the-job training. Chuck has been there.?
Bell cited Boise State and Nevada, both I-AA programs that moved to I-A in the 1990s, as possible blueprints for DSU.
?Some have tried and failed,? Bell said. ?Pursuing it will only help the university in recruiting and getting kids in the state. It?s not about athletics alone. It?s designed to help the institution as a whole. Athletics is a tool to accomplish (Sessoms?) objective.?
The General Assembly recently turned down a request by DSU and the Delaware Civic Center Corp. for $75.1 million to begin construction of a combined football stadium and civic center on campus.
Bell said DSU would not immediately apply to leave the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, but would have to in order to move to I-A.
The athletic department has several open positions, including compliance director and associate director for facilities and development.
?Coaches don?t come without bringing their own assistants,? Bell said. ?He needs to bring in his own people. I don?t have to fire folks; it?s just an opportunity for me to bring in good people.?
At Utah State (1992-97) and San Jose State (1998-2004), Bell was known as a fundraiser. But he came under fire. At Utah State, the state audited his spending habits. Bell was not charged with any wrongdoing.
Bell defended his tenure at San Jose State, where he was criticized for balancing the budget at the expense of on-field success. In April 2004, the SJSU Academic Senate also tried to abolish football.
?Our directive and mission at SJSU was to balance the budget and bring the department into fiscal integrity,? Bell said. ?Winning was not part of the agenda. That?s no fun.?
But Bell, who has been both a coach and an administrator, said he was ready for the immense challenge at DSU.
?We all need to work together as a family. That?s a big part of my philosophy. We?ll pursue the facilities and the excellence that Sessoms demands. We?ll do it with dignity and integrity.?
This is interesting. Is the MEAC headed for trouble with Delaware State thinking about D-I football in the future, FAMU having financial trouble and the Southern Conference considering Hampton for expansion.
