Tom Wistrcill Press Conference

[Dr Z]

Question for Wistrcill: You’ve been credited with doing a lot for the new stadium in Minneapolis, what was your role in building that stadium? Response: When you build a stadium, not unlike here, there are a lot of people that are part of the process. I was certainly a cog in the wheel there, trying to get things done. It is truly a campus facility at Minnesota, as I know it is here at Akron, and we had people from the Facilities staff at the University as well as the Athletics Department assisting there. My responsibility within the stadium was to assist with raising money, corporate sponsorships, and help the parts of the department that I oversee with programming those parts of the stadium, from media relations to marketing. A big component was making sure we balance the need for revenue in the stadium alongside making sure we had a real collegiate feel to it. That was our real goal, making sure the stadium blended in with the rest of campus and that when people came to a game there, they knew that this was a college athletic event. In Minneapolis, there are obviously a lot of pro sports teams, and we needed to differentiate ourselves in that regard. So it was all hands on deck for the stadium, and I certainly was involved in every bit of it and it was incredibly rewarding. Question for Wistrcill: What’s the ticket situation at Minnesota? Did they sell out for the season or just the first game? Response: They are sold out for the season. We had a nice process set up and we had incredible excitement regarding the stadium. We had 27 years of playing indoor football at the University of Minnesota, and if you know people from that part of the country, they’re hearty folk and they want to be outside. Getting them excited about outdoor football was not difficult! It was just a matter of putting a process in place to make sure we get them seated in the right way but they are definitely sold out for the season. Question for Wistrcill: How would you compare the challenge of selling tickets for a MAC school in Akron which is in the shadow of Cleveland where our pro teams are located, to selling tickets for Minnesota in Minneapolis where there are other pro teams located in the same city? Response: It’s obviously a different market and I’m new to this market so I’m going to learn a lot as we go along. I’m certainly going to need great support from the people around me here. What I do know is that sales require tremendous effort, every single day. If you don’t put focus on it everyday then you don’t reach your goals. I’ve sold different things in different parts of the country in different conferences, including professional volleyball and university athletics at different levels, and I can tell you, you need that constant focus. I’ve met great people here in my time spent in Northeast Ohio thus far and I know I’ll be able to connect with them and build some relationships. I’m anxious to start doing that and I think from there, you start to build bridges and in the end, you make sure both parties reach their goal. Ours might be a sales piece, tickets or sponsorship or something along those lines but on the other side, they want something too. They want great value for their investment; they want to make sure they’re getting something they’re paying for. I think if you work on both sides creating a win-win, then usually you can be successful. Question for Wistrcill: You mentioned Joel Maturi, what did he tell you about the Mid-American Conference? Response: He’s obviously a huge fan of the MAC. I’ve known Joel along time and from my years of knowing him, he has always been so incredibly complimentary about the MAC, about what it stands for and about the coaches, administrators and student athletes in the conference. I know he loved his time at Miami. He talked many times with me about how much he enjoyed being there. I know he loves Minnesota but I know he loved Miami as well and he certainly told me nothing but great things. And from all the research I’ve done, it seems like a fantastic place to be and was real attractive for me as I looked at this position. Question for Wistrcill: You’ve moved around quite a bit in your career, Akron’s had some athletic directors come and go, is this a long term position for you?Response: I’ve never taken a job looking for another job. You don’t do that. It’s not the way I live my life and it’s not the way I work either. What I know is that I think I’m a good fit for what Akron was looking for. As Dr. Proenza, Candace (Campbell Jackson) and I spoke more and more about the position, I think my skills and background and my vision for where we want to go, is a good fit here. I’m excited to get started and to meet all of our support staff, our coaches and get rolling.