Nine weeks into his new job, athletics director Bob Bowlsby was learning the local culture—“Should I be wary of Gaieties?”—and getting a crash course in four varsity sports that weren’t offered at the University of Iowa: lacrosse, sailing, synchronized swimming and water polo. He spoke with STANFORD.
On settling in:
I need to go through the full cycle of an academic year to fully experience everything, but I’m beginning to understand a little more about the culture of the place. I’ve spent my entire career in a public-school environment, and a private-school environment is certainly different. It’s a fair amount less centralized than the state university experience I’ve had, which is a change I certainly welcome. I just think it takes a little getting used to.
On how times have changed:
One thing that’s changed for me over the past 15 years is that the parents are now a lot younger than I am. I think today’s student-athletes are more sophisticated than they were 20 years ago, and I attribute a lot of that to club teams, with kids traveling all over the country to play athletic contests. I think the whole technological age has made a big difference, too. They know a lot more about us when they come in; they’ve been on our website and they’ve been text messaging with the coaches, so there’s a lot more correspondence, a lot more interaction than there used to be.
On text messaging:
Oh, yeah, I’ve gone kicking and screaming into the new age.
On his open-door policy:
I consider all of our coaches to report directly to me. They may have an intermediary, but if they need access to the director, or if they have recruits on campus or parents that they want to come in and visit with me, I’m always available. I’m sure I’ll spend more time with some coaches than others because there are hot fires that require my attention.
On prospective hot fires:
I think the Band is going to be on a real short leash for a while.
On the decreasing nationwide student attendance at football games:
I think it is important to reverse it because students are fundamental in what we do. I think we need to make it fun and exciting, and make it something students want to be part of. If they’re not part of it, I don’t think it’s the students’ fault. I think it’s our fault.
On strategies that might encourage attendance:
Nothing markets like winning.
On the learning curve:
It’ll be a while before I know the intricacies of synchronized swimming, but I’ll work at it.
On overseeing 35 varsity sports:
On a weekend it’s entirely possible that we could have seven or eight or nine events going on. I won’t necessarily go at the beginning and stay till the end. I may watch half of a soccer game, then go to a rugby contest, then to cross-country. When our family was young, [my four children] frequently tagged along when I was going to the various functions. Now it’s just me and mom and a 12-year-old Dalmatian.
On the Dalmatian’s health:
She would climb up the stairs, and then we’d hear thumpity, thumpity, thumpity, and she’d be sliding, on her butt, back down the stairs. She tore both ACLs, and we had them both reconstructed, to the tune of $1,800 apiece. She’s not a $6 million man, but she’s approaching it. The things we do for our pets.
