Cal AD Williams to step down
He guided department since ’14 through difficult times
Cal athletic director Mike Williams said Tuesday that he won’t seek an extension when his contract is up in May, ending a tenure during which he tried to navigate a tumultuous time in the department.
Williams, who took the job on an interim basis in July 2014 and accepted the full-time role 10 months later, has led the program during financial crisis, academic woes and coaching turnover.
“I really do love Cal. It was an honor to have this opportunity to serve the campus and the community in this way,” Williams said in a phone interview. “I am very optimistic about the future of Cal athletics.”
Williams said “there’s no magic day” for when he’ll leave his post. He’s prepared to fulfill his contract, stay until a replacement is hired or help with the transition, whichever option is chosen by Chancellor Carol Christ.
The athletic department, which lost about $22 million last year and is saddled with more than $400 million in debt, is aiming to reduce its overall deficit by $4.65 million this fiscal year, according to budget plans for 2017-18.
The university, which might have to cut sports teams, is considering relocating the track and soccer programs to allow the campus to construct residential housing at the site of Edwards Stadium, seeking a naming sponsor for Memorial Stadium and selling alcohol at football and basketball games as strategies for long-term revenue.
Williams helped the school sign 10-year partnerships with Under Armour (apparel) and Learfield (multimedia rights and licensing) that will provide nearly $7 million more annually than previous agreements in those areas.
“Because we had such a challenging time as a campus, if anything could have changed, it would have been for the campus to have had more of a peaceful time as we transition from what Berkeley was five years ago to what Berkeley will be five years from now,” Williams said. “None of us get to pick our time, right?”
When Williams accepted then-Chancellor Nicolas Dirks’ request for him to take the AD position, Cal’s football program was the worst in the Pac-12 academically, having posted sub-930 scores in consecutive seasons in the NCAA’s Academic Progress Rate.
According to the most recent APR scores (for 2015-16), the football program is atop the conference. Fourteen of 25 measured sports teams posted 1,000, the highest possible.
“Mike has done an extraordinary job supporting and improving the academic performance of Cal Athletics’ student-athletes,” Christ said in a statement. “He has shown an unwavering commitment to their welfare and to the quality of their experiences in the classroom and their competitive arenas.
“I deeply appreciate his service to the University.”
During Williams’ tenure, Cal has won 10 national titles, with 25 individual, relay or boat championships.
He has hired 10 head coaches, including having to find football, men’s basketball and baseball head coaches during a six-month span this year.
“We’re seeing tremendous momentum in most of those programs, so I’m pretty optimistic about our future competitively,” he said. “... I’m always going to root for my staff, the coaches and the student-athletes.”