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When Director of Athletics John Wildhack was hired in July 2016, he became Syracuse’s third athletic director in just over a year. For Wildhack, the expectation was simple: provide stability. 

Daryl Gross resigned in 2015 after the NCAA sanctioned SU following an eight-year investigation. The NCAA found that center Fab Melo had received an improved grade on a paper from a year-old class to restore his eligibility, among other violations. As punishment, head coach Jim Boeheim vacated 108 wins, SU lost 12 scholarships over four years and the football and men’s basketball programs received five years of probation. 

Mark Coyle, who replaced Gross, left after 311 days at Syracuse and took the same job at the University of Minnesota. By July, Wildhack — who’s in his fourth year at SU and signed a five-year contract extension on Aug. 20— was next.

“He seemed to be the perfect combination of somebody who can handle the public aspect of being an athletic director at a Power Five school, but also earning the respect behind the scenes,” said Brent Axe, ESPN Syracuse radio host. “There wouldn’t be any distractions with John.”

So far, Wildhack hasn’t made any significant missteps, guiding Syracuse to its most stable position in around 20 years, CNYCentral Sports Director Niko Tamurian said. And like every other athletic director, he’s navigating a program through COVID-19 this year. 

But in the coming years, he’ll likely have to make one of the biggest decisions during his tenure at SU: replacing Boeheim. 

“He didn’t hire Jim Boeheim, but he’s going to have to hire his successor,” Axe said. “What he’s got on his plate going forward is fascinating.”

As a Syracuse alumnus and Buffalo native, Wildhack’s local connections and the expertise he gained from 36 years at ESPN made him an appealing candidate for the job, Axe said. Since his hiring, Wildhack has navigated the launch of the ACC Network and affiliates, as well as renovations to the Carrier Dome.

While hiring Wildhack seemed like an “out of the box” decision to Syracuse sports fans, it made sense, Axe said. After Coyle left for his “dream job,” Axe figured Syracuse wanted somebody who had a strong connection to the school. 

People felt Gross “was a little too Hollywood,” Axe said, and Wildhack’s ability to work behind the scenes like he did as executive vice president for production and programming at ESPN made him a good fit.

Gross’ administration was plagued with financial and fundraising miscues, Axe said. To the ire of the fanbase, SU held home games at MetLife Stadium against USC in 2012 and Notre Dame in 2014 and 2016. 

The Ernie Davis statue outside the Carrier Dome was unveiled in 2008 with a Nike uniform and cleats —  even though the Heisman Trophy winner never wore Nike. Sculptor Bruno Lucchesi said SU had provided all the materials and approved his clay model before he began constructing the sculpture. 

The 2008 movie “The Express” which premiered in Syracuse and featured Davis’ time at SU, was a positive under Gross. But Gross’ tenure was largely mired with inconsistency, Axe said. 

“Wildhack is just steady,” Axe said. “He’s been right down the middle. Nothing too controversial either way, done his job well. (Gross) was an athletic director of extremes. He was either doing something really well or really poorly. There just never seemed to be any middle ground with him.”

Wildhack was able to unite a fan base divided over Chancellor Kent Syverud’s decision to set a retirement date for Boeheim following the NCAA violations, said Mike Waters, a sports writer with Syracuse.com. When Mike Hopkins left to become the head coach at Washington, Wildhack originally extended Boeheim’s contract through the 2021-22 season. 

His decision increased stability in the basketball program and is beneficial for recruiting, where players only plan to stay a year or two, Waters said.

The athletics director has also overseen the $118 million Carrier Dome renovations, which have remained on schedule despite the COVID-19 pandemic. That has been the biggest challenge for Wildhack so far, Tamurian said, because of how difficult raising funds for such an expensive project can be for private schools.

Wildhack was fortunate that his tenure coincided with Carrier Dome renovations, a project that SU athletic directors have been trying to execute since Jake Crouthamel, whose tenure ended in 2004. 

In four years, Wildhack has hired only four head coaches — Brien Bell for cross country and track and field, Nicky Adams for women’s soccer, Luke McGee for women’s rowing and Shannon Doepking for softball. Bell was already with the program for 13 years before being promoted to head coach in 2018.

Football head coach Dino Babers was hired in 2015, before Wildhack. Prominent SU coaches with postseason success, such as lacrosse coaches John Desko and Gary Gait and women’s basketball coach Quentin Hillsman, were all at SU before Wildhack.

But Wildhack hasn’t yet experienced an overly difficult decision, Axe said. 

After Hopkins’ departure, he faced a relatively easy decision to extend Boeheim’s contract. His Syracuse background gave him immediate support from the fan base, and he was hired after SU transitioned from the Big East to the Atlantic Coast Conference and the NCAA sanctions were imposed.

“What he’s done to this point has been noteworthy,” Axe said. “What he does in the next five years is going to be much more important.”

Published on September 7, 2020 at 10:21 pm

Contact Thomas: tgshults@syr.edu | @ThomasShults_