When Chancellor Mark Emmert officially announced he was taking the the president’s job in the University of Washington system on Monday, all facets of Louisiana State University were set back a bit, even if only temporarily.
Emmert was a man that made LSU look good in the way he presented himself, the University and the people of Louisiana.
LSU has been in the national spotlight often during Emmert’s tenure, and most of the time it was for positive things and not negative things that many residents of Louisiana are probably used to in every other aspect of life.
And, he understood something that many people may not agree with or realize: Success on the athletic field is necessary for the continued advancement of LSU, both in the classroom and in athletics.
This could not be more true anywhere than in football and undoubtedly, the 2003 national championship can be traced back directly to a hiring Emmert played a large role in making happen.
Of course that hiring was of Nick Saban, football coach at LSU since 2000 and, for my money, the best coach in America.
During the announcement that former football coach Gerry DiNardo was being let go, and the LSU football program was going in a different direction in November of 1999, Emmert made a statement many administrators would have been scared to utter.
“The critical role of our football program is clear: it is of vital importance to the entire community: Our students, our fans and alumni worldwide and the state of Louisiana. Simply put, success in LSU football is essential for the success of Louisiana State University.”
Because of that statement, Emmert should be called a prophet, a prognosticator, the oracle of LSU.
The Tigers’ success on the football field in 2003 put LSU directly in the national spotlight and with a lot of help from a very classy, well-behaved football team, LSU was there for all the right reasons.
Emmert took advantage of Saban and company’s football dominance and wrote a guest editorial in the New York Times, lauding LSU’s academic success and putting forth nationally what LSU’s true priority was — academic progress and achievement. However, a successful football program was the vehicle needed for the New York Times to publish Emmert’s editorial.
Obviously, a successful athletics program also entices more and more rich alumni to donate money to the University, and not just to the Tiger Athletic Foundation, but to the LSU Alumni Association and the LSU Foundation.
Saban knows how important Emmert was to the rising up of LSU, both academically and athletically.
He told The Advocate: “We are obviously hopeful that the University will do everything it can to keep the chancellor here. Chancellor Emmert is absolutely the best boss I’ve ever had. He’s the most significant reason I was interested in this job. Never once has he disappointed me.”
Hopefully, LSU soon will find a qualified replacement for Emmert, but it is going to be hard to find anyone nearly as sensible and realistic as he was. Especially in the athletics realm.