Lack of Support

By The Avenue of Champions (aoc.clemson@gmail.com)

The time has come for a change in leadership of the Clemson University Athletic Department.

Phillips simply is not “All-In” as Clemson’s AD. Phillips often misses IPTAY functions because he simple does not want to go and has turned down opportunities to fundraise with Clemson’s top donors. Phillips has shown little interest in getting former players involved other than to ask for their money. It is hard to run a successful program when the AD does not do the little things that it takes to succeed.

The following presents some highlights, or perhaps more aptly described as lowlights, of Phillips’ tenure compared to the last few years of the Bobby Robinson regime. The results speak for themselves.

Overall

Since Terry Don Phillips took over on July 1, 2002, Clemson has amassed a grand total of 8 ACC Championships while Bobby Robinson won 19 ACC Championships from 1996-2002.

TDP - Asleep At The Wheel

Baseball
Prior to Phillips' hiring in the summer of 2002, the team made the College World Series in 1995, 1996, 2000, and 2002. With Phillips as Athletic Director, the baseball team has managed a single ACC Championship and CWS appearance, both in 2006, and missed the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 21 years in 2008.

Perhaps the most respected member of the coaching staff, Pitching Coach Kyle Bunn recently made a lateral move to the University of Alabama, in large part, because Bunn did not believe he received the proper support from the Athletic Department. Despite Bunn’s spending hours on the road recruiting, the Athletic Department refused to pay for a car for Bunn, which is commonplace at big-time baseball programs. This was a significant factor in the South Carolina native’s leaving Clemson for the same position at Alabama.

Subsequently, Phillips handcuffed Leggett severely limiting the amount of funds that Leggett could spend on a new hire to the point where hiring a proven “name” pitching coach was impossible. As a result, Leggett replaced Bunn with a Division III head coach with no real background in developing pitchers.

Clemson baseball, already underfunded with a coaching staff that costs roughly 20% less than the University of South Carolina, was recently informed by Phillips and assistant Athletic Director Katie Hill to cut back on the number of baseballs they purchase in 2009.

Women’s Basketball
Prior to Phillips, Clemson made the NCAA Tournament every year from 1996 to 2002 under Head Coach Jim Davis. Upon taking the reins, Phillips fired Coach Davis and let Barbara Kennedy-Dixon and Katie Hill handle the search for Davis’ replacement, involving himself little. The botched search process resulted in the hiring of Christy McKinney who promptly drove the program into the ground.

Men’s Soccer
Prior to Phillips, the men’s soccer team went to the NCAA Tournament in 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, and 2002 and won the ACC Championship in 2001. After Phillips took over, the soccer team had some success in 2005 and 2006, including a trip to the Final Four in 2005, before falling on hard times the last few years.

This summer Head Coach Trevor Adair was arrested after an ugly scene on his front lawn. However, once more facts in the case came to light, Phillips told Adair that he would retain his job. A few days later, the Athletic Department attempted to force Adair’s resignation for personal reasons. Adair declined and was subsequently fired right before the season, leaving no chance to hire a competent replacement.

Men’s Tennis
Prior to Phillips, the men’s tennis team won an ACC Championship in 1997 and was invited to the NCAA Tournament from 1996 to 2000. After Phillips took over, the men’s tennis team went to NCAA Tournament from 2003 to 2007. However, after the 2007 season, long-time Head Coach Chuck Kriese retired and Phillips hired Assistant Coach Chuck McCuen.

Despite Kriese’s many successful years devoted to Clemson, Phillips didn't even bother to attend Kriese's farewell match. In fact, Phillips rarely attends any non-revenue sporting events, a fact which does not sit well with coaches who already feel that their Athletic Director fails to provide an adequate level of support for their programs to succeed on a high-level.

While the aforementioned sports have struggled since Phillips' arrival, Women’s Rowing, Women’s Tennis and Women’s Volleyball have improved over the same time period. However, to be frank, outside of Clemson Basketball, the sports most fans care about and associate with success at Clemson have remained stagnant or declined under Phillips’ leadership.

Perhaps the worst example of mismanagement in Phillips’ tenure occurred when Phillips signed Tommy Bowden to a $3.5 Million buyout after Bowden threatened to leave for the University of Arkansas in December 2007. Just ten months later, Phillips fired Bowden, obligating Clemson to pay Bowden’s enormous buyout.

Subsequently, Phillips conducted a sham of a “coaching search” resulting in the hiring of former Wide Receivers Coach Dabo Swinney. Despite the anemic offense featured in the later part of the Bowden tenure, Phillips hired Swinney fully aware that Swinney's plan was to promote Billy Napier, Clemson’s 30-year-old tight end coach to offensive coordinator, keep Offensive Line Coach Brad Scott and Running Backs Andre Powell, and promote Graduate Assistant Jeff Scott to wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator.

Phillips luckily decided that the Maryland game wasn’t important enough to him to attend in person and missed another train wreck offensive performance that should have been obvious to any Athletic Director prior to the season.

Of course, Phillips did promise Swinney that money would be available to hire a larger support staff. Swinney requested that the Athletic Department hire Levon Kirkland and Patrick Sapp to assist in player development under the strength and conditioning staff. Among other responsibilities, Kirkland and Sapp would have had major roles in player development during voluntary summer workouts. However, Phillips and the Athletic Department reneged on their promise to Swinney, telling Kirkland and Sapp that their paltry $60,000 salary that the pair requested was too high. Instead, Phillips authorized Swinney to hire a couple more part-time Graduate Assistants.

Currently, the morale in the Athletic Department is at an all-time low due to Phillips’ repeated failure to support the various athletic programs and live up to his promises and commitments. Phillip’s lets Assistant Athletic Director Katie Hill repeatedly use excessive foul language and berate the staff and as a result Hill has almost zero respect from Athletic Department employees, which only worsens morale. To make matters worse, despite obvious signs that Phillips’ and Hill’s modus operandi is not working, neither has attempted to change their approach or do anything to turn the program around. Rather, both seem content to sit idly by and watch the programs they support slide further and further into mediocrity.

Clemson deserves an AD that wins championships, that doesn’t allow the AARC to be implemented, that stands up for valuable people like Team Chaplin Tony Eubanks and does whatever it takes to provide the level of support that each program needs to succeed. After seven years, it is painfully obvious that Terry Don Phillips is a failure as Athletic Director of Clemson University.

Please join us in making our voices heard. Please email, fax and call the James Barker and the Athletic Department and demand the removal of Terry Don Phillips as Athletic Director of Clemson University.

James Barker – Phone: (864) 656-3311; Fax (864) 656-0622
Athletic Department - Phone: (864) 656-1935; Fax (864) 656-7425

The Avenue of Champions can be reached at aoc.clemson@gmail.com