Jan. 7, 2008

Name: David Williams
Institution/Organization: University of Wisconsin-Parkside - Division II ADA
Number of years in your position: Eight as Athletic Director at UW-P - Two as Division II ADA President
Alma Mater: Augustana College - Rock Island, IL
Hometown:Prospect Heights, IL

Your role in NACDA: D2ADA President
Why you became involved in NACDA: Dave Huffman (retired AD from University of Indianapolis) encouraged me to become involved. He was moving toward retirement and I was in my second year as an Athletic Director. I was seeking ways to meet more people in the profession and also learn as much as possible about athletic administration. Dave suggested NACDA as the ideal organization for both.
Favorite part about being in NACDA: The friendships that have been made with colleagues... Our association is made up of four officers along with a representative for each conference in Division II. NACDA and the D2ADA are the reason I can refer to those 30 plus people as friends. Every athletic director in the country can get absorbed with the day to day activities on our own campuses; it is a nice break to gather with friends and colleagues with the premise of making all of our jobs better.

Biggest challenge to working in athletics: Spinning all the plates... A coach I used to work for used the analogy of the plate spinner that performs at halftime of basketball games. The key to the performance is to keep all the plates spinning fast enough so that they don't fall. Just as the plate in the left hand needs an extra spin, the plate on the right shoe begins to slow down. The performer at a basketball game may be spinning up to twenty plates; an athletic administrator has to spin at least that many on a daily basis.
Greatest accomplishment to date: The DII ADA has accomplished so much in the six years I have been involved. I am proudest of all the professional development opportunities we have provided our membership from grants to attend conferences to the "Model Athletic Department" document authored by our association. As a relatively new AD, I recognize the importance of professional development to the success of athletic directors around the country and am glad that our association can be a resource for growth.
Most important skill you have developed in your career: The art of being a good listener...sometimes you have to listen beyond what a person is saying to understand what they are trying to tell you.
Best advice you were ever given: "Stay in your role." I make an effort to focus my energy on the things that I can control and not worry about the rest. In addition, I try to encourage our student-athletes, parents, fans and staff to understand their role within an athletic department and to stay within it. Problems occur when fans try to become coaches, coaches try to be officials, or student-athletes try to become staff...
Most influential person in your career: Jeff Rutter, now the assistant basketball coach at Iowa State. Jeff has the work ethic of a mule and the integrity to treat every person he contacts with respect. I have tried to keep those two values as core principles in my life because of Jeff's influence.
Where you see yourself in 10 years: Working in an athletic department that keeps the student-athlete experience at the forefront of every decision. UW-Parkside is one of those athletic departments so that is a possibility, but if that institution is on a coast overlooking the ocean, my wife would be thrilled.
Advice for those looking to get into athletics administration: UW-Parkside has a sports management major so I get this question frequently. An interesting phenomenon I have noticed within athletics is the tendency to hire from within a division. Administrators get stigmatized as specialists within a certain division. I have been stigmatized as a "D2 guy" that somehow makes me unqualified for a D3 or D1 position. UWP is guilty of this as well; we usually advertise DII experience preferred when seeking new employees and have made hires based on this criteria. My advice to those that ask has been to understand the different divisions/levels/associations within athletics and make a best guess as to where you want to end up. It is much easier to advance within rather than change later in your career.

Dream Job: Professional golfer...you asked for "dream" right?
Hidden Talent: The few talents that I possess are out in the open.
Current cell phone ring: One Shining Moment - From the NCAA Final Four. The song is a reminder of the passion involved with college athletics
One item you cannot live without: Coffee - with the blackberry a close second.
Who would you choose to switch places with for a day: Barry Alvarez (AD at Wisconsin). In theory the AD at Wisconsin and the AD at Wisconsin-Parkside are similar jobs. I think a day in his shoes would help me understand the differences. My hypothesis is that there would be more similarities than differences.
If you could spend a week anywhere in the world, where would you go: Hawaii with my family. Have not been there before and we all love the ocean.
If you could attend one sporting event this year, it would be: The Masters as Tiger's Caddy.
Four people you would like to have dinner with: Will Farrell, Jim Carrey, Robin Williams and my wife, Suzanne. We love to laugh at dinner and these guys would be hilarious.

My favorite ...
Place to eat: Panera
Flavor of ice cream: Twist Cone from Dairy Queen
Sports memory: Being an assistant coach of the 1992-93 Augustana College Men's Basketball team that lost in the NCAA Division III national championship game. Those student-athletes were great players but even better people.
Movie I've seen this year: Bourne Ultimatum
Pro Team: Chicago Bears
TV Show: Lost
Musical group/artist: Bo Deans
Childhood memory: Little league baseball games. I peaked athletically in the eighth grade so most of my success as an athlete happened early!
Holiday: Christmas
Gift I've received: My three children
College campus: UW-Parkside's of course! Augustana College, University of Wisconsin-Madison...any campus that values the role of athletics at an institution of higher learning.