SMU's $350 million gamble

D Magazine, Jan 01, 1998

THE RESURRECTION: Rebuilding the athletic program

SMU ALUM GERALD FORD BUILT A BANKING FORTUNE BY KNOWing whom to hire. Charged by his fellow trustees in 1994 with the job of resuscitating SMU's athletic program, Ford knew he faced one of the great hiring challenges of his career. The whole effort would depend on a new athletic director with the leadership and experience to inspire confidence and attract talent. Yet, here was an athletic department that was in debt at an institution that did not have a president. Rigorous admissions standards hindered recruitment. The athletic facilities were cramped and dated. The Southwest Conference, which SMU was a charter member of since 1914, was dissolving. And the athletic program had yet to outgrow its sullied reputation after the NCAA sanctioned it for pay-for-play violations.

So when Ford first heard about Jim Copeland, he was bottomline realistic, but crossed-fingers hopeful. Copeland, then the athletic director for the University of Virginia, was in the top flight of potential candidates, but was not immediately pursued. "Everyone said we couldn't get him," says Frank Beaudine, the recruiter Ford brought in to help. So they continued to search elsewhere.

But the search found no one as qualified as Copeland. The program at Virginia was highly respected for its athletic and academic accomplishments, and the reason was Copeland. From 1987-94, while Copeland was AD at Virginia, the Cavaliers went to six football bowl games, six NCAA men's basketball tournaments. won four NCAA championships in men's soccer and two in women's lacrosse. Copeland increased the athletic endowment at Virginia from $3 million to $7 million. He had also been AD at the University of Utah for two years. so he had experience with the competition in the Western Athletic Conference, SMU's new conference affiliation. Beaudine figured it was worth a call just to see if he was interested.

And at first, his interest was slight. Copeland had no reason to leave, and his ties to the area were strong. Born and raised in Charlottesville, Copeland went to school at the University of Virginia, played football there, met his wife there, and after playing eight seasons with the Cleveland Browns, returned there to coach, working his way up from assistant football coach to athletic director. Who would want to move from a successful program to a troubled one?

Jim Copeland would. And it was because of--not despite--the challenges that SMU's athletic program posed. "I think there is unlimited potential here," Copeland said when he came to SMU. "There are not many athletic directors who have the chance to build or rebuild a program and move it after the 'death penalty.' That was a huge motivation in my taking the job."

At 6-feet-2-inches, Jim Copeland is big, but not intimidating. His handshake is strong, but not unfriendly. When he walks, he lumbers, as if his bones ache. His stiff joints are thanks to more than a decade of football. The man is a competitor. Where others saw problems, Copeland saw opportunity. Sure, the program was languishing at the time, but it had promise. It had potential based on a strong tradition in a great city with local talent. The program could be rebuilt. Maybe. If the right guy took it on.