Watson a perfect fit as AD

January 29, 2007 —

Mike Watson has his priorities straight, and that was obvious from the minute he was introduced as SVSU's new Athletic Director.

As he came to the podium on Thursday, equipped with his 2003 MAC Championship ring, Watson immediately exuded confidence and showed those in attendance what was important to him both as an AD and a person.

He said the professionalism and the way the process of SVSU's nationwide search was conducted was "impeccable." He said SVSU was "an outstanding place to be."

But before long, he got into his reasons for coming here and his philosophy, and it was obvious that the search committee had made itself a hell of a catch.

Often, ADs and coaches will turn to academics for two reasons: as a last resort to fall back on, or when a poor track record is brought up. SVSU has a strong academic record, as about 45 percent of its athletes maintain a 3.0 grade-point average or higher. Yet, academics was one of two qualities Watson continued to hammer home when he spoke of SVSU.

Watson said the University's approach to teaching, where students are learning from professors instead of teaching assistants, was in line with his academic philosophy. He said the amount of SVSU's athletes with a 3.0 was "exciting to see." As he went down his list of choosing to come to Saginaw Valley, he concluded with this "last-but-not-least" bit of information:

"We are in the best Division II conference in the country."

Success is not new to Watson. As mentioned, he wore his championship ring. In speaking to reporters afterwards, Watson noted that it didn't hurt to have a quarterback named "Roethlisberger" on the team. Nonetheless, the football team, which Watson supervised, was successful.

SVSU is becoming more and more of a football school, fair or not. Almost every football coach, if not every one, was in attendance for the press conference. There were noticeable absences from other coaches, but for the most part, the room was filled.

But just because this school has a very successful football program and Watson, who played four years as an offensive tackle for the New Orleans Saints, is a football guy doesn't mean other programs will be suffer.

In addition to his football duties, Watson also supervised both cross country teams, women's indoor track, and both outdoor track and field teams. This school has seen several athletes make the national championships in both cross country and track the last several years, and boasts two national championships in cross country.

Yet, even in those sports, one school is better than the rest: Grand Valley. Watson, who was very impressive in his knowledge not just of the GLIAC but also the Saginaw Valley region (referring to the tri-cities area several times), made it clear he was aware of the Lakers' dominance.

"I want a piece of Grand Valley," he said. "I want to go after them in every sport we have."

Doing so might be easier said than done, considering the amount of money GVSU pours into its athletic programs, but Watson is cognizant of what accomplishing that will take.

"If we are going to get to the next level," he said, "Then I have got to be better than my counterparts in the conference."

And when it comes to being "better," Watson isn't just talking about wins and losses, either. He made it clear he does not want to sacrifice doing things "the right way" just for athletic success; his NCAA compliance record was one of the reasons he was hired, said Robert Maurovich, the University's vice president for student services and enrollment management.

Watson also expressed interest in making an impact in the community, something he implied would attract more talent.

"I bet that there are many student-athletes in the tri-city area who have no idea what this campus is about," he said.

There's that tri-city reference again. After listening to Watson speak and later hearing about his interest in working closely with the Vanguard once he begins on Feb. 26, I walked away from the Ryder Center on Thursday feeling pretty excited.

Watson made it clear he was speaking from his heart as he talked about his devotion to meshing academics with athletics - not the other way around. At this level, especially at this institution, that's all you can ask for as a fan ... and a student.