Athletic director Del Conte leaves Rice for TCU

By Yan Digilov     10/22/09 7:00pm

Chris Del Conte, who has served as Rice's athletic director since June 2006, was introduced as the new athletic director of Texas Christian University Wednesday. President David Leebron has asked David Sayler, fourth year senior executive athletics director, to serve as Interim Director while the university undergoes a nationwide search for Del Conte's replacement.

"[Del Conte] is the best fundraiser I have ever worked with," Sayler said. "He was just so visible. I hope that in my new role I will be able to do that, but the challenge for me is that I still have to do my other job in the short term."

According to Sayler, the news came as a surprise to most members of the athletic department staff, who were unaware that TCU had offered the position to Del Conte. His departure closely follows that of former TCU Athletic Director Danny Morrison in September, who became the team president of the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League.

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Sayler said TCU had approached Del Conte several times in the past to offer him a position with their athletic department.

"I think TCU asked him numerous times, and he said no," Sayler said. "They just kept coming at him, and they finally made him an offer he couldn't refuse."

Though the exact dollar amount of the contract remains undisclosed, Del Conte stated in his introductory press conference at the Fort Worth campus that, after a week of negotiations, he signed a contract for five years. It also included a two-year option that Del Conte could exercise if he wished to return to TCU after his initial tenure ran its course.

"Before we talk about TCU, I want to make sure and acknowledge some folks at Rice," Del Conte said at the press conference. "They have been very dear to me. This decision was never about Rice. It was always about TCU. . I am going to miss them dearly, but [they] gave me the opportunity to be here. I thank them."

The surprising move came after Del Conte oversaw one of the largest expansions of Rice athletics in the history of the university. The renovation of Autry Court and introduction of Tudor Fieldhouse, upgrades to Rice Stadium and Reckling Park and the recent opening of the Barbara and David Gibbs Recreation and Wellness Center were just some of the projects undertaken under his watch. Those projects have cost a combined $78 million.

Del Conte's departure also comes almost three years after Rice's former head football coach, Todd Graham, abruptly moved to the University of Tulsa. Hiring current head football coach David Bailiff as Graham's replacement was seen by many as one of Del Conte's crowning achievements, especially after Bailiff led the Owls to a Texas Bowl win last year, the program's first bowl game victory since 1954.

"I'll really miss him," Bailiff said. "He was not just a boss - he was a dear friend, somebody that I knew was with me every step of the way. And I relied on him and bounced ideas off him and he bounced them off me on building Rice and building that athletic department and trying to keep momentum."

Bailiff worked as defensive coordinator and assistant head coach for TCU from 2001-03, and Del Conte credited his conversations with Bailiff among the deciding factors in making the move.

"Our discussions about TCU were long and extensive, starting with the day we hired him," Del Conte said. "He talked about how [TCU is] the benchmark of what we needed to do at Rice. He has been a wonderful coach for [Rice], and [TCU] was the beacon in his eye."

His departure drew mixed responses not only from fellow staffers, but from numerous student-athletes who had come to Rice during his tenure.

"The thing is that when people see success at Rice, they kind of expect that this person can be successful at a bigger school than Rice," senior Toren Dixon, a wide receiver on the football team, said. "If you can do it at a small school, then you can do it at a school that is more predicated on athletics. . I'm happy for him. I'm sure it's a situation that financially improved. It's part of the business."

Some of the younger players that were more closely recruited by Del Conte were more deeply impacted.

"I am in shock," freshman Tamir Jackson, a member of the men's basketball team, said. "When I met him, I thought he was the coolest guy. He had a vested interest for the athletic program to be on the rise. We are still going to try to bring the athletic program up, but it is going to be hard without him. He was all of the vision."

Jackson was close to Del Conte, speaking with him nearly every day about the direction of the program and the team. According to Jackson, that vision was based upon creating an atmosphere of success, being a top team in the conference and earning invitations to national championship tournaments.

"I thought he was going to be here for my whole career," Jackson said. "Especially for us freshmen, it is going to affect us a lot. We still have to keep working. I don't know how it is going to affect the coach. What if the new athletic director wants to bring in his own coaching staff? You never know. We just have to work hard every day."

While men's basketball Head Coach Ben Braun said he understands it can be difficult to move beyond the close relationships Del Conte had with his players, he said the team will survive the move.

"I am like everybody else," Braun said. "I am disappointed not to have the experience of going through what we were doing with Del Conte. I was looking forward to that, but at the same time the support is still in place."

Braun said he has received numerous phone calls from donors and alumni reaffirming their dedication to the program in the wake of the news of Del Conte's departure.

Leebron sent a clear message in conversations with the coaches and Sayler on Wednesday that his Vision for the Second Century would be unchanged, and that Rice will continue to strive for a nationally recognized athletic program.

"The president has indicated to me that he is going to continue to support us the way that he has," Sayler said. "I don't think it is a setback. I think it is a sidestep. But we are going to keep going."

Bailiff and Braun, the two head coaches who were hired under Del Conte's administration, also reaffirmed their commitment to the institution.

"I don't think anybody needs to look at our program and say there is going to be an exodus," Braun said. "I came to Rice not just for one person. I came to Rice for everything that it had to offer, what it stands for. I came because of the infrastructure, for the commitment from the top from Leebron and because of people like [former men's basketball player] Bobby Tudor," for whom Tudor Fieldhouse is named.

Bailiff also stated that he is very comfortable at Rice, and despite his team's winless season, the future of Rice football is bright, a sentiment that was echoed by his players.

"I can't really imagine [Bailiff] going anywhere until he finishes his contract," Dixon said. "I don't foresee any decline in Rice athletics. They're still going to have that vision. Rice athletics will still be on the rise. Even with the departure of Del Conte, Coach Bailiff will be successful."

And while the news caught some staff off guard, the day-to-day dealings of the department are set to continue as usual.

"The only thing I can say is that he's done great things at Rice, helped raise a lot of money, helped improve a lot of our facilities and we really wish him well," Efe Ustundag, an assistant men's tennis coach, said. "I haven't really sat down and thought about how this is going to affect us. ... .

"There's no reason to panic - everyone is too busy with their programs and teams right now to be distracted."

Additional reporting by Meghan Hall and Casey Michel.

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