Bowling Green State University Athletics
Complete Transcript of Greg Christopher Press Conference
June 14, 2006 | General
June 14, 2006
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - Greg Christopher, who was hired as the new Assistant Vice President/Director of Athletics at Bowling Green State University on Tuesday (June 13), was officially introduced on Wednesday afternoon (June 14), at a press conference in the Alumni Lounge at the BGSU Ice Arena. Here is the official transcript from that press conference ...
J.D. Campbell, BGSU ASSISTANT A.D./ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS
"Good afternoon. On behalf of everyone here at Bowling Green State University, I want to thank you all for your attendance today, in what begins a new chapter for us. We will have some comments from our distinguished President, Dr. Sidney A. Ribeau, and our new athletic director, Greg Christopher. After Greg's opening comments, he will take questions from the media. Following that session, we will have Greg and some of the other dignitaries here today available for any one-on-one interview requests. It is my distinct pleasure today to introduce the President of Bowling Green State University, Dr. Sidney A. Ribeau."
DR. SIDNEY A. RIBEAU, BGSU PRESIDENT
"Thank you very much, J.D. That was the best introduction I've had in a long time -- brief. Sometimes, the introductions run longer than your tenure as President, but this one was right to the point. Thank you all for being here today, each and every one of you. As J.D. has mentioned, this is a very important moment in the history of this University. We are very, very proud of our intercollegiate athletic program. I wish I could take quality and the success of the program, but it goes back to long before I joined Bowling Green State University.
"I started here in 1995, and our athletic director then was Dr. Ron Zwierlein, who was here for five years and did a wonderful job. He was succeeded by Paul Krebs, who did a marvelous job. Before that, we had Jack Gregory, who was here for an extended period of time and did a very good job. He brought in some wonderful coaches. We could go all the way back to Doyt Perry, and the tradition of Bowling Green State University athletics. That's the point; there is a tradition here. It didn't start today, it didn't start with Sidney Ribeau, and it won't end right now. It will continue, because of the caliber and the commitment of our fans, and those who believe in our program.
"We have wonderful coaches, wonderful athletic staff, and we are being joined by a new team member, a new leader of our athletic team in Greg Christopher. We are so happy that he is here today, and that you are all here to help us welcome him to our campus. But first, I'd like to introduce our family."
"I had a chance to meet them earlier, and I talked to him about them early in the interview process. Their comfort and their satisfaction with the community was very important in his professional decision; where he wanted to go next, where he wanted to be an athletic director. We're so pleased that his wife, his three children and his mom and dad could be here.
"Sitting in the front row, we have Zachary, Allison, Megan and his wife Tina. We are so glad you could be with us today and will be with us in the future. We also have his parents, John and Joyce, sitting over here to my left, who are with him today. It is very important for your family to spend these moments with you. It's very special to us, and we know it's very special to them today.
"From the first time I met Greg in the screening process, along with Dr. (Ed) Whipple, who was there with me, it was clear that there was something special about him. You (parents) realized that a long time ago, but the fact is he's a very special young man, and we are glad you could be here for this moment.
 Greg Christopher answers a question as BGSU President Dr. Sidney A. Ribeau and Assistant Athletic Director J.D. Campbell look on  |
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"Secondly, we wanted someone who could be the external spokesperson and the public face for our athletic program. Someone who was well-adapted to working in the area of external affairs. Things that are very, very volatile, transient in the world of athletics, and we wanted an athletic director that could interpret what was happening on our campus for our many publics -- our alums, our boosters, our supporters -- and for the nation at large. One of the challenges that President Brand has issued to the NCAA (membership) is that our athletic programs not be a mystery, that only comes out in the newspaper after a win or a loss, or when there is a program. (The challenge is) to really speak to the centrality and the importance of the success that athletics can bring into the life of a student. We wanted someone who could articulate that in a variety of different environments.
"We were looking for sincerity, intelligence, a high energy level, and we were looking for someone who could help us build upon what we have done in football, basketball, volleyball swimming, and all of our sports -- to build upon that as we move forward into the future.
"The person that we have selected, Greg Christopher, fills all of those qualifications and adds value in other ways. We are so pleased that he is with us today, and let me tell you a little bit about him. He is currently the Associate A.D. for External Relations at Purdue University. He has been at Purdue for approximately nine years, joining the staff there in 1997 as assistant director of the John Purdue Club. He oversees several areas, including development, marketing, promotions, advertising, athletic licensing and sports information. Having talked to a number of individuals at Purdue University, in athletics and in other areas, he is seen as a leader of their athletic program. He is a highly-respected professional.
"Before joining Purdue University, he served as Executive Director for the Society of Professional Journalists from 1994 to 1997. So, he has an extensive background in marketing and development for the journalism profession, also. With that, I will turn the podium over to our new athletic director, Greg Christopher."
GREG CHRISTOPHER, BGSU DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS
"Thank you. We are thrilled and excited to be Falcons now, and we are certainly excited to be here in Bowling Green. By all accounts, this is a terrific opportunity, and I am honored to be selected the next athletic director at Bowling Green. Dr. Ribeau already introduced my family, so I don't need to do that again, but I will turn the hat over to Zachary, since he's been eying it.
 Kerm Stroh (left) talks with Greg Christopher following Wednesday's press conference |
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"Paul (Krebs) left a high bar to follow, and that's a good thing. This is a solid foundation, it's a solid athletic department, and really, the only thing to do is go forward and go to that next level. The first step is going to be to define what that next level is, and go from there. But, again, by all accounts this is a terrific opportunity, and we're very excited to be here.
"The second area I would like to touch upon is why I have such a passion for intercollegiate athletics. It is about the student-athlete experience, that is first and foremost. As I said when I was here last week, the four or five years that the student-athletes spend on this campus, as I think all of us remember from our days at our alma mater, will shape your lives. I think for the coaches and the administrators who are around them, it is critical that they have a positive student-athlete experience.
"Dr. Ribeau is the guy that gets to hand out the diplomas. But, I also like to think that athletics hands out degrees in leadership. Because, when it comes down to it, that's what you are teaching in intercollegiate athletics; leadership for that next level. In today's society, that is absolutely critical.
"I believe, very strongly, in what athletics can do for a young person when it's done right. And, the key phrase there is the last part, 'when it's done right.' It comes back to the integrity and the ethics that the people in the department, that are working with intercollegiate athletics. I'm not taking anything away from the academic side of campus at all, but things like discipline, teamwork, perseverance, those come from the athletic experience. It's very important, again, for the student-athletes to have a good experience.
"The final area, not to get on a soapbox -- I'm not going to lay out any kind of plan, I think that's what you do when you sit down with the staff when you sit down and get started. But, there are three overriding principles that will guide this department, and guide me as we move forward. It comes down to people, processes and resources. This is a very human industry, or a very human business from that standpoint. You're dealing with the student-athletes. You're dealing with alumni and the entire campus constituency. You've got to have good people, there has to be a good team of people around them, because it all goes back to the student-athlete experience.
"From there, you also have to have good processes in place. This industry moves very fast. It has a lot of things coming at it. You work in a fishbowl, so you have to have a solid structure, and that goes back to the ethics, compliance issues and working with the NCAA and the conference office. The structure is very important.
"And finally, you can't mince words, you need resources. Resources are critical, and I think Bowling Green is in a solid foundation, but there's no doubt that more resources are necessary. I know that the University is committed to those resources, to taking the athletic department to the next level, but it is also incumbent upon this department to go out and increase the resources. And, from my conversations with trustees and other alums, I think they are excited about that opportunity.
"Again, we are very excited to be here. Thanks to the President, to Dr. Whipple, and to everybody involved with the process for this opportunity. We're ready to get started."
QUESTION-AND-ANSWER PERIOD WITH GREG CHRISTOPHER
Q: Can you talk a little more about how excited you are? You're no longer an assistant A.D., you are the athletic director now.
A: I'm not sure it has sunk in yet. We were going to visit Tina's family in Northeast Ohio for a long weekend when Dr. Ribeau called. We were rolling down I-70 when Dr. Ribeau made the call, and it was one of the longest three- or four-minute calls, at the beginning of the conversation, trying to figure out what he was going to say. 'It is yes, or is it no?' But, I am just thrilled and excited. The people at Purdue have been wonderful; it has been a wonderful nine years, and I want to think (Purdue Athletic Director) Morgan Burke and (Purdue Senior Associate A.D./SWA) Nancy Cross, and the foundation that they have given me. I think that we are ready for this opportunity.
Q: What made Bowling Green such an appealing choice for you?
A: Again, all of the things I said before. The academics, the athletic tradition, the fact that it's in the Midwest, in a place that we are familiar with. The Mid-American Conference, there's a familiarity from that standpoint. It's a terrific opportunity, no matter how you look at it.
Q: I have never seen an athletic director with this much broadcasting experience in my life. How much can that help you in your job?
A: (laughing)You tell me.
Q: Well, you're the one with the answers, right?
A: I certainly don't have the answers yet. I think that's why you have to sit down and meet with the staff, talk with them and begin working on that plan and moving forward.
Q: When you get to campus, what will be your first priority?
A: My first priority is going to be to meet with the staff. I want to sit down with everyone in the athletic department -- I think seventy-three was the number I saw. So, 73 one-on-ones will be the first priority. And then, it will just be a matter of getting to learn the operation, get to understand the structure of the organization and then setting some priorities in place.
Q: Have they talked to you about the football game vs. Wisconsin (in Cleveland on Sept. 2)?
A: Yes, it's a great way to start the football season and start the school year. I know a little bit about the plans for that, but not a lot yet. It would be nice to beat the Badgers, whether you're wearing Black and Gold or Brown and Orange.
Q: Coming from the Big Ten to the MAC, do you see this as a challenge?
A: Certainly. I think any new job is a challenge, and it is an opportunity to prove yourself. But, again, I think the infrastructure that is around this position and this department is very strong, and that was part of what is very attractive. Dr. Ribeau is incredibly supportive of intercollegiate athletics, and Dr. Whipple as well. The infrastructure is outstanding, and that is part of what makes it a great opportunity as well.
Q: In terms of fundraising, how do you bring what you had in the Big Ten to the MAC?
A: I think, when it comes to fundraising, it's about building relationships with people and then having the discipline to ask for money. Resources are tight; it doesn't matter whether you are in the Big Ten Conference, the Mid-American Conference, or any conference. Resources are critical, no matter what, but I think that the alumni and the fans of Bowling Green have proven that they are very supportive in the past. And, once a vision and a plan is laid out, I'm confident that they will be supportive of that as we move forward.
Q: But you can't take no for an answer, right? Is that the key component?
A: I don't know if I would put it that way. But, I think it starts with the plan, being able to articulate that vision, and putting it in front of people in a way that they want to be a part of it.
Q: You were a student-athlete for a year, right?
A: For a year. I was a walk-on football player at Miami, and then I had one too many concussions for the doctor's liking.
Q: Do you see a difference in the MAC now, as opposed to when you were last in the MAC?
A: I think there's a big difference when it comes to exposure, when it comes to the exposure that the Mid-American Conference receives (today). And, a lot of the credit goes to (MAC Commissioner) Rick Chryst, at the conference level.
