AP PHOTO/TED S. WARREN
and the proper place in higher education,
when all I should have been worrying
about is how many games we’ve won.”
As he reviews his experiences at Vander-
bilt and Washington, Turner says he gleaned
a more subtle lesson about university politics.
“If there’s one thing I’ve learned, when your
boss who’s the president or chancellor says,
‘I’ve got a new vice president, vice chancel-
lor, coming to work, loves athletics, going
to be a huge help to you,’ you need to get
The administrators who stepped in to
replace Turner atop the athletics pyramid
are still on the job at Vanderbilt and
Washington.
‘It’s gotten out of hand’
Turner’s consulting firm, Collegiate
Sports Associates, is in its second year.
Based amid golf country near Pinehurst, he
has worked with universities as diverse as
New Mexico, Valparaiso, Western Carolina and Duke. The firm was considered
by UNC to perform its athletics director
search last year but was not chosen.
“He thinks about things deeply [and is]
‘Have I been that naive all this period of time? I have been spending
all my time on the student-athlete experience and trying to create better lives
for people and the proper place in higher education, when all I should have
been worrying about is how many games we’ve won.’
Todd Turner ’ 73
