Phillips' aim is to take NIU to the next level

Northern Illinois President John Peters (left) welcomes new athletics director Jim Phillips with an assortment of gifts, including a personalized Huskie football jersey. Peters said every quarterback needs a number and in his book, Phillips is a 10. Chronicle photo HOLLY LUNDH

E-mail this story

Print this story

Share

CHICAGO - Back in May, Jim Phillips decided to make the drive to DeKalb from South Bend. Monday became the homecoming culmination to that research trip when Northern Illinois University President Dr. John Peters formally introduced Phillips as the new NIU Director of Intercollegiate Athletics, initially in a morning press conference at Mike Ditka's Restaurant and again in the afternoon at the Convocation Center in DeKalb. In hiring the University of Notre Dame's Senior Associate Athletics Director, Phillips becomes the successor to Cary Groth, who left NIU in March in order to become the AD for the University of Nevada at Reno. It was Groth's departure that prompted Phillips to make that drive in order to assess the Northern Illinois campus. A Chicago Weber Catholic High School graduate, Phillips had driven past DeKalb quite a few times, but had not seen the campus since attending NIU's regular-season football finale in 1983. That was when he and some friends watched Bill Mallory's team beat Ohio University to clinch the 1983 Mid-American Conference title and a California Bowl berth. "I just wanted to see DeKalb," Phillips explained about his unannounced visit. "I just walked the campus and went inside a few buildings and nobody knew who I was. I knocked on the door at the Convocation Center and a nice man showed me around for 20 minutes. I wanted to see if this would be a good fit for Jim Phillips. I was very impressed and left that day feeling awfully good about the situation." After a long courtship, Peters was the one feeling awfully good about his new athletics director. "We feel like we got the bluest of the blue-chippers," Peters proclaimed. "We think we found, at this point in time, the perfect fit for NIU. We're really on the rise and we wanted to find someone who could take us to the next level. Jim has brought success, hard work, personality, vision and passion to every job he's ever been in. I think we have the right person." To help find that individual, Peters hired Carr Sports Associates, an athletic consulting firm headed by former Universities of Houston and Florida AD William Carr - a long-time friend of ex-NIU AD Gerald O'Dell - who assisted NIU along with former Universities of Notre Dame and Virginia AD Gene Corrigan. In addition, NIU Vice Provost Dr. Earl "Gip" Seaver chaired an on-campus committee of 11 in the quest to find the best candidates possible. "Normally, you would hire an athletic director quicker, but I was in no hurry because I also wanted to evaluate our athletic program. I wanted to be systematic in my evaluation. It took a little longer than I wanted," Peters admitted. The process was further complicated by the fact the three finalists had other job opportunities. Eastern Washington University Athletics Director Scott Barnes withdrew after receiving a contract extension and raise on Aug. 16. That left Oregon State University Executive Associate Athletics Director Kevin Anderson and Phillips as the two remaining candidates. Phillips was also reported to be a finalist for the Indiana University AD post. Still, Peters managed to beat his targeted start date of Sept. 1 since Phillips,38, plans to be on the job full-time as of Aug. 30. "We needed someone who would embrace NIU's values, someone who could do a lot with what we have here. Someone who would be a good fit for this area and our community. Someone who could communicate that excitement to our 150,000 alums in the Chicagoland area," Peters explained. "Someone with a fair hand at fundraising since outside money is essential today in athletics. Someone who has a vision for quality athletics. Those characteristics helped us develop a national pool of blue-chip individuals and I believe we found the perfect fit for NIU." At the very least, the Chicago press conference indicated that Phillips could already help boost attendance to some extent. The packed-room at Ditka's could have doubled as a Phillips' family reunion. The youngest of 10 children, Phillips was supported by his wife Laura - who comes from a family of seven - his father, and several of his sisters, who made a point of introducing themselves to the media. His own family includes four-month old John Patrick - decked out in a Michael Turner baby jersey; in DeKalb, his daughters were dressed in mini-NIU cheerleader outfits while oldest son Luke sported Huskie colors and an NIU cap. In both locations, Peters handed Phillips a Cardinal No. 10 Huskie football jersey and proclaimed, "Every quarterback needs to have a number and he's a '10' in my book." After rhythmically clapping along to a mini-pep band's rendition of the Huskie Fight Song, Phillips thanked Peters for his kind introduction and began relating how he came to be the Huskies' top dog. "It's been hectic for me and my family," Phillips said. "I feel fortunate for the opportunity. I'm quite humbled, very honored and very excited. It's the right fit for me and my family. I think we have a chance to be really good. I've been very selective and fortunate to have other opportunities. Northern really got my attention. This came at the right juncture of my life. I think Northern can be the premier regional institution in the country whether that's academically or athletically." In addition to citing Peters' vision, support and commitment as the No. 1 reason he came to NIU, Phillips said there were many others, but instead gave a summarized list. "The history of this institution, from a one-room classroom to a 26,000 student university with an unbelievable campus environment; a high profile as a good academic institution; great dynamics and success thanks to a staff and coaches whose bios show multiple years of service and great loyalty; the conference: the Mid-American Conference (MAC) is a rising star in athletics, not just the great things that happened in football, but in the Olympic sports as well," Phillips noted. "The location. The Chicagoland area is one where I have significant roots. It means a lot for me to have my family and Laura's so close; the opportunity to build a program. Cary (Groth) has taken it to an elite level, but there's more work to be done. I want to be good in all 17 sports," Phillips insisted. "The community. A place my wife and I would want to raise our four children. I wanted a place that could be our home for a long time." He then continued to deliver an eloquent outline of his major goals, the challenges ahead, the areas of focus, and finally the principles and values to be addressed. Phillips suggested the assembled remember the top goals if nothing else. "We want the Northern Illinois University athletics department to provide an opportunity for student athletes to be given a world-class experience. We always need to keep our eye on that goal," Phillips stated. "A top priority is academic support. The goal is to graduate them and provide them with a degree. That's why things like GPA (grade-point-average), class attendance and graduation rates will be a measuring standard. "Second is to not lose sight of that fact they're 18-20 year-olds. There's a social aspect to these young men and women's education. And third, athletically, we want them to win championships, in the MAC and beyond," Phillips said. "We want our athletic department to be one of excellence in all these areas." He then cited three major challenges for him as AD and for the Huskie athletics department. "Number one is balance. There is a tough balance for the athletes to be great in the classroom, great citizens and great athletes. We need to help them. It already says a lot about NIU to have a 67 percent graduation rate for its athletes. Number two is compliance, in the overall sense it means with the NCAA rules. With 400 student-athletes in 17 sports, we need to make part of what we stand for. And number three is finances. In higher education today there are never enough resources. We need to generate more through corporate sponsorship, radio and television, plus ticket sales. College athletics today is often described as being an arms race for facilities, coaches salaries, budgets. It's the cost of doing business. If your program is under capitalized, you'll fail," Phillips explained. He then laid out the five areas of focus for him and the Huskie athletics program. "First is the student-athlete experience. We need to deliver on our promise to give them a world-class experience. Second is resource acquisition. We need to find multiple ways to get those resources. Third is personnel. There is no substitute for a great staff. We must retain good personnel," Phillips said. "Fourth is managing the political environment. Whether that's men's vs. women's sports, football vs. other sports, athletics vs. academics. That's an issue for the AD to address. There are also conference politics. What's good for NIU may not be good for Kent State (University) or (the University of) Toledo. We certainly saw last year that what's good to the BCS isn't good for Northern Illinois. And fifth is facilities. The Convo Center is a jewel." Phillips admitted he'd prefer to develop a master plan for facilities, one that would identify the areas for improvement and then establish priorities. To that end, he did acknowledge the importance of a new end zone facility. "Student-athletes do look at where they'll get a degree, who they'll play for and they want to know about the facilities. Where they'll play, train, work out, and study. They all play a part in the recruiting process," Phillips said. "Coach Novak has done a great job of putting Northern athletics in the forefront and we need to capitalize on that," Phillips added. "It's important (to build a football facility). It drives student-athletes and not only helps from a recruiting standpoint, but helps the kids while on campus. That will be one of the areas I have to dive in immediately. I would love to raise money, but I don't know much we need right now. But you obviously have to look at football because it does carry the flag for a university from an emotional and financial perspective." The way in which NIU's overall mission for student-athletes is interconnected with his goals and challenges was driven home in the overlap from the five key principles and values he hopes the Huskies will adhere to. "No. 1 is graduating our student-athletes. No. 2, is knowing and adhering to all NCAA rules; No. 3, is strict fiscal integrity. We may have limited resources in some instances, but if we manage those resources correctly, we'll be further ahead," he explained. "No. 4 is to compete and win for championships in the MAC and across the country. And No. 5 is to represent the institution and community in a first-class manner." With regard to the final principle, he pointed to his "NIU" lapel pin "That lapel pin never comes off. That will be the philosophy we abide by," Phillips added.