Dannen leaving UNI without ‘any holes’ and with ‘no regrets’

CEDAR FALLS — As the season of staffing changes hits its high point — namely for football — in college athletics, Northern Iowa finds itself thrust into the middle of it as well.

UNI Director of Athletics Troy Dannen was named to the same position at Tulane with a Friday news conference in New Orleans. His final day at UNI is Dec. 31.

The announcement caps a whirlwind month or so for Dannen, who interviewed for the Tulane job over the last 'month, maybe six weeks,' while also consumed with duties through football, the Iowa high school state football semifinals and finals at the UNI-Dome, the start of basketball and other things.

Dannen, a 1989 UNI graduate and Marshalltown native, ventures out of his home state with an eye toward building something new.

'In many respects, if you're going to leave your alma mater, you don't want to leave any holes. And from a timing standpoint, I was really proud of where we're at now,' Dannen told The Gazette Wednesday afternoon. 'Competitively, (UNI is) at a high-water mark across the board, academically we certainly are. Fiscally, you always live on the edge at an institution like Northern Iowa, but we're in as good of shape as we're ever going to be in.

'Everything is in place and I can leave with no regrets. While there are things to do going forward, there's always something to do, something next. This was the right time for an opportunity like Tulane if it presented itself, and it did. Frankly, someone's going to walk into a really good situation with an opportunity to do some things going forward immediately that are very tangible and impactful.'

Dannen was named to his position in 2008, and has overseen growth and tremendous program success in football, men's basketball, volleyball, wrestling and track and field, among others, with 39 All-Americans, 13 Coaches of the Year and nine MVC Players of the Year. He's negotiated multiyear marketing deals with Learfield Sports (for multimedia rights) and Nike (apparel and equipment).

He's also spearheaded changes in athletics facilities, with $12 million in upgrades that include the videoboard in the UNI-Dome, administrative offices, suites in both the UNI-Dome and McLeod Center, West Gym renovations and men's and women's basketball, volleyball and wrestling locker rooms.

'Troy has really taken UNI's athletic program to a new level,' said UNI President Bill Ruud. 'He has done a great deal to enhance athletics at UNI, from improving our facilities to increasing the number of scholarships for student athletes. We are grateful for Troy's leadership and support, and we wish him and his family the best at Tulane.'

He's also overseen academic, fundraising, business operations and marketing achievement. As a result, Dannen was honored by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) as Under Armour AD of the Year (ADOY) in 2014.

'Troy has demonstrated outstanding leadership and success in every job, at every level,' Tulane University President Michael Fitts said in a news release. 'His dedication to his student-athletes and his goal to win championships in every sport are testament to his enthusiasm and his dedication to his profession.

'On a personal note, I know that Troy's engaging personality, warmth and tremendous energy level will endear him to our student-athletes and fans.'

Relationships are what have come to define Dannen's tenure in Cedar Falls. Those with current UNI coaches are well-documented, particularly with men's basketball coach Ben Jacobson. When Jacobson signed a 10-year contract extension this spring, he cited his relationship with Dannen as one of the key reasons he was comfortable in his position and felt secure in his future at Northern Iowa.

But Dannen also pointed to that with football coach Mark Farley, who served as interim AD in the lead-up to Dannen's hiring in 2008. That unique relationship, Dannen said, made telling the 15th-year head coach the news perhaps the most difficult of anyone.

'It will go underappreciated, the work he did when he was interim AD for six months that really allowed me to come in and be in a position to be successful from Day 1,' Dannen said. 'Obviously that first year we had baseball (being cut) and a lot of tough things, but had Mark not done the work he did during that part (before), I probably would not have been able to come in and hit the ground running in the areas I was able to. It was tough talking to him just because I knew how impactful he was on my opportunities here.'

As close as the two are, any speculation that Farley would be in line to join Dannen in New Orleans to take the vacant Tulane football head coaching job was snuffed out in short order.

'I joked with him and I said, 'Mark, I'm not even going to ask you.' Mark is a UNI guy,' Dannen said. 'Mark is exactly where he should be, and Mark is coaching his son. Mark's certainly not going to be a candidate at Tulane, nor should he want to be. He's right where he belongs. He needs to concentrate and hopefully continue to win on the road to a national championship.'

President Ruud is expected to conduct a nationwide search for Dannen's replacement, and an interim AD will be named while that search takes place. Strong sentiments within the UNI community point to a desire for that replacement to be promoted from within. Chief among those with that feeling is Dannen.

If that's the route Ruud chooses, Dannen said each of his four Deputy Athletic Directors should be candidates. Deputy Athletic Director/Senior Woman Administrator Jean Berger, Deputy Athletic Director for Development Steve Gearhart, Deputy Athletic Director for External Operations Steve Schofield and Deputy Athletic Director for Internal Operations Justin Schemmel were all promoted to those positions in July.

Dannen won't be part of that hiring process, but his feeling they're all viable candidates is part of what makes him confident he's leaving at an opportune time for everyone, and that UNI will be in good hands.

'It depends on what the president looks for. I have four deputy ADs. Each of them are qualified in their own certain way,' Dannen said. 'I would say, with those four deputies, it's a can't fail. They're all ready to be an athletic director.

'There are many options that are viable, which is another thing I'm proud of. When you walk away and everything is in place to continue with the things you're proudest of, that probably is the achievement I'm happiest about.'

l Comments: (319) 368-8884; jeremiah.davis@thegazette.com