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Great Sport

Involved in just about everything Athletic Director Ian McCaw '87 brings optimism and drive to the job

Ben Barnhart

IN HOT PURSUIT of the holy grail of college sports programs: Ian McCaw '87 at the Mullins Center(photo by Thom Kendall) WHEN HE WAS A YOUNGSTER, Ian McCaw played whatever sport was in season in his hometown of Burlington, Ontario, just outside Toronto. Even now, with his clean-cut boyish face, youthful smile and unwavering enthusiasm, he might have just skated off a frozen pond in the Canadian heartland. At 40, he’s still young for an athletic director at a major university. “I didn’t excel at any particular sport, but I was involved in just about everything,” says McCaw. Like many North American boys, he dreamed of a pro sports career. But he learned early on that it wasn’t going to happen, so he “segued into administration.” McCaw may have given up his dream, but he’s never lost his competitive drive. Since receiving his master’s degree in sport management at UMass in 1987, he has rocketed to the upper echelons of college sports administration. After stops at the University of Maine, where he worked in media relations, marketing and corporate sponsorship, and Tulane University, where he became acting athletic director, McCaw was hired to oversee athletics at Northeastern University in 1997, making him then one of the youngest athletic directors in NCAA Division I. Last July McCaw was named the fifth permanent athletic director at UMass since the position’s creation in 1911. He returns to the university at a pivotal time. Like the rest of the university, athletics has suffered budget cuts, as well as the elimination of seven programs during the past year. Morale is low, as is attendance at games, and the department’s main revenue-generating program, men’s basketball, has fallen on hard times competitively. But if anything tops McCaw’s drive for success, it is probably his optimism. “We have a great athletic tradition here and we’ve had successful teams in a lot of different sports,” McCaw says. Whether to potential recruits, fans, corporate sponsors or alumni, McCaw sees selling the university and its sports programs as a big part of his job. Of course winners are easier to market, so McCaw’s main priority is to find resources and support – both athletically and academically – that teams need to win. He envisions an upward spiral in which winning teams bring fans and financial support, which improves morale, improves the ability to recruit and gives coaching staffs more resources to create winning teams. One of Chancellor John Lombardi’s first hires, McCaw echoes many of the chancellor’s sentiments about the need for active fund-raising. Because the state and the institution won’t totally fund athletics, McCaw sees the need to be “aggressive on the external side” with fund-raising, corporate sponsorship, ticket sales and merchandise licensing. Income from merchandise sales has fallen from a high of almost $400,000 yearly during basketball’s heyday in the mid ’90s to about $100,000 per year. McCaw is considering some changes to the athletics logo which he hopes will inspire new generations of fans wearing UMass sweatshirts and baseball caps. But, he points out, the most effective merchandiser is a winning program with lots of television appearances. MCCAW ALSO WANT TO re-energize the fan base here. “Students bring a lot of energy, excitement and noise to our home contests,” he says. He and his staff spent much of the fall talking to fraternities and sororities, clubs and campus organizations. He says that the student-athletes have often taken the lead, knocking on residence hall doors and leafletting the dining commons because they understand the benefits of a large, vocal fan base. In October McCaw went before the faculty senate, which has criticized his department’s spending priorities in the past, to explain his vision for UMass athletics and to seek their support. “I think our faculty in general want to see the athletic programs do well, and they certainly can remember what successful athletics did for the university in the ’90s. In my view, successful athletics and academics go hand-in-hand,” he says. McCaw emphasizes that creating a successful sports program is not just about winning but also about supporting athletes academically and developing their life skills. Recent graduation figures released by the NCAA show that UMass has done well in balancing sports and studies. According to the NCAA, 71 percent of student-athletes who entered UMass in the ’95-’96 academic year graduated within five years. The graduation rate for student-athletes nationwide was 60 percent, while the general student body rate at UMass was 59 percent. McCaw adds that an NCAA-mandated “life skills” program to encourage leadership development and community service for athletes has been successful at UMass and will most likely be expanded by giving each team a local community service project. “These young people are really blessed to have an educational and athletic experience at UMass,” says McCaw. “They’re all healthy and able-bodied and I think it’s important that they see that not everyone is as fortunate, and that they have an opportunity to give back.” McCaw says the winning formula that mixes athletic, academic and social success for student-athletes is the holy grail of college sports programs. “Obviously everyone is searching for that formula,” McCaw explains. “They’re investing significant dollars and they’re looking for results and we’re no different in that respect. We just have to work harder and work smarter than our competitors.”

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Involved in just about everything

McCAW: Larger image

SCORE BOARD

SCORE BOARD: More images

UMass women take to the ice

UMASS WOMEN: More images

Educating the Chancellor

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