HBCU Sports Online.com reports that Derek Horne will be FAMU’s next athletic director. Horne currently serves as an associate athletic director at the University of Mississippi.According to the article: “Horne’s appointment is pending approval from the board of trustees sometime this week. Horne was one of two finalists being considered to head the FAMU athletic department. Interim athletic director, Mike Smith, was the other candidate. Smith’s history with the university and financial background had many considering him the favorite.”
Earlier this month, the Oxford Eagle reported that Horne wowed FAMU President James H. Ammons during his recent interview and became “the leading candidate due to his interview and his experience at an SEC school.”
Horne is in his 14th year at Ole Miss, having begun as an assistant athletic director in 1995.
Horne spearheads the Rebels’ athletics department’s correspondence and development with former letterwinners in all sports. He also oversees the CHAMPS Life Skills program and concessions at all athletics venues. Additionally, he assists the athletics director in administering all activities of the department and serves as a representative of the athletics department at alumni, civic and intercollegiate athletics functions.
Congratulations to him! Hope he can hit the ground running to raise $$ for the Athletic Dept.
ReplyDeleteOh and please consider children's tickets for the Football Season...some families have very small children or three or more children and paying $25 per child on the day of the game is absolutely absurd!
Congrats again!
That's it for my support. I will never, EVER recommend another athlete to FAMU.
ReplyDelete7/30/2010 5:34 PM
ReplyDeleteNo big loss for FAMU. That attitude proves that you're a RINO (Rattler in Name Only) anyway.
Mr. Horne,
ReplyDeleteI was a critic. Please prove me wrong!! You will have my support.
Old Time Rattler
Thanks Dr. Ammons for making the best choice of the 2 candidates. I hope if Mr. Smith is interested he can stay in athletics and build up his credentials if he truly wants to be an Athletic Director.
ReplyDeleteI will now go and get my season tickets!
5:34 PM
ReplyDeleteI don't understand the anger. Elaborate a little.
2:32 PM
Actually, you can get 4 home tickets for $50 (The Family Package) on the Friday before game day, with the exception of Homecoming. They don't offer the Family Pack on Homecoming.
A family of four should be able to afford what amounts to $12.50 per ticket. Just remember that they only sell the Family package on the Friday before game day.
Well I guess all you "know it all" who said Ammons was setting up Mike was wrong. I glad he proved you wrong.
ReplyDeleteNow let's see what he does about this VP of Student Affairs and Hudson setup, hopefully we won't have to wait 8 months for him to figure out the right thing to do here.
Somebody please help me understand why: Our Head Football Coach, our Head Basketball Coach for Men, our Head Basketball Coach for Women, and our NEW AD are all WHITE COLLEGE GRADUATES?
ReplyDeleteI'm disturbed by this and will let FAMU know in no uncertain terms.
8:20pm let me help you because FAMU needs some serious help!
ReplyDelete8:20, why is that only FAMU grads or HBCU grads can understand HBCUs??
ReplyDeleteIn fact, consider our athletics history at FAMU:
@The Father of FAMU Athletics, J.B. Bragg (Yes, the stadium is named after him and his son, who was an All-American at FAMU, and later head coach), was a graduate of Case Western Reserve in Ohio.
@William "Big Bell" Bell, the coach who led FAMU to its' first three national titles in football - graduated from Ohio State.
@Jake Gaither is a Knoxville College graduate, who because of segregation did not have a single Black teacher in his educational experience.
@Rudy Hubbard (Ohio State) led FAMU to its' unbeaten season (1977), two national titles (1977, 1978) and a win over Miami (1979).
@Billy Joe (Villanova) led the Rattlers to the 1998 Black College National title, won 86 games at FAMU and over 230 at HBCUs and is in the College Football Hall of Fame (along with Gaither).
Meanwhile, the FAMU grads who were head football coaches (Pete Griffin, Clarence Montgomery, Jim Williams and Ken Riley) didn't do so hot or lasted a short while.
Sometimes, you just need some fresh blood injected into the old body.
We often talk about charting a new course for Athletics at FAMU and we've thought of ourselves as a cut above the rest.
Let's give this young brother a chance to bring his experience on the inside of an SEC program to bear here at FAMU.
At the very least, he's not a retread like the last few folks we've had in place.
And as for Taylor, Harris and Gibson being PWC graduates - I suspect that's entirely coincidental - more politics, timing and a selection process than picking them based on alma mater.
I know Mike Smith personally and he's a good person but we need someone who has worked in an athletic department before. I support this individual.
ReplyDeleteNew FAMU AD comes from Ole Miss
ReplyDeleteTALLAHASSEE, FLA. — Derek Horne, an associate athletic director at Ole Miss, has been hired as the athletic director at Florida A&M, FAMU president James Ammons confirmed tonight.
“I think Derek has a wide-range of experiences at the University of Mississippi and in the SEC, a conference that is a football powerhouse,” Ammons said.
Ammons touted Horne’s leadership abilities, saying that he has “the potential to help us usher in a new era in Rattlers sports.”
According to an offer letter sent by the school to Horne and obtained by the Democrat, Horne will receive a three-year contract at $200,000 annually.
“This offer is conditioned upon your written acceptance, and successful completion and review of a criminal background check,” Ammons wrote in his offer letter to Horne.
Ammons said he will recommend to FAMU’s Board of Trustees that Horne be hired, following clearance on the criminal background check.
Horne, a former basketball player at Ole Miss, spent 14 years with the Rebels’ athletic department. He has a strong background in athletic management and fundraising. He also is known for appealing to alumnus and corporations for financial support.
"Strong background in athletic management and fundraising" is so vague. Specifically, how much money and how large were the budgets he managed? What kind of fundraising campaigns did he lead, how much did he raise, and how long did it take him to raise it?
ReplyDeleteI feel a little better reading the Democrat's bio of Horne, because the HBCU online digest didnt mention anything about Horne's background in management or fundraising. In fact, it made him sound more like a career assistant more than anything.
$200K is more than what Hayes was earning, but less than what Townsend was earning. Could that salary amount be the reason as to why the other two finalists Magee and McElroy withdrew their applications?
Lord knows I hope and pray that FAMU has gotten this right this time! GO FAMU!
We don't need the HBCU retreads. I am very glad that we did not hire a relative, friend of a relative, former Rattler, etc. The same kind of decision needs to be made for the FAMU DRS. I hope FAMU let's him bring in some of his own hires because it will take that to change the culture of incompentence and neglect.
ReplyDeleteOld Time Rattler
Haven't we learned anything yet. ..This is messed up this is another Al Lawson hire...
ReplyDeleteCongratulations Mr. Horne. We've got lost and lots to do. We have high expectations and are ready to go! Point is we're moving! Thank you Mr. Smith and I hope you have a role in taking us where we're going by helping add your perspective to the vision set for the department. PS DOn't shortchange the BAND any longer and get them a program: physical training/med assistant(band members usually are within those academic areas of study),tutoring program, physical therapist etc. Its not an official sport but if you know what most do, the physicality of it all is serious and lacking students in that type of shape. That further strengthens the athletic program and another large block of students who can help contribute and promote the new energy for the department. Let's get seriously creative. Just don't start any political foolishness trying to control this wonderful performing ensemble.Go Rattlers!
ReplyDeleteBill Hayes was paid, not earned, $175,000 a year as FAMU AD.
ReplyDeleteNelson Townsend was paid a salary of $250,000 a year as FAMU AD.
1:26, the Band is a big part of the FAMU Football experience for sure, but unlike Athletics, which cannot get any state funding, the Music Department, which is under Academics, can...
ReplyDeleteAthletics has footed the bill for the Band for years, but when the size of the group continues to grow and the football team is limited by rule to a certain number of players, how fair is it to keep increasing the burden on Athletics.
When the band appears at NFL halftimes and gets their appearance fees, or at Battles of the Bands, all that money goes into the Band budget, which is fine.
But when Athletics is running a deficit and limiting the football travel party and making cuts in other areas just to operate, the Band needs work with Athletics too - come up with a traveling Band of 250 tops - not full the 450unless its' a Classic, which should foot the bill.
Did you know that sending them on the road runs between $50-75,000 per game - think Miami, Atlanta, Orlando - $150-225,000 - which Athletics has to front because Classics don't reimburse until after the fact.
As far as physical therapists, tutors and other support staff, that should come from the academic side for the Band - Dr. White is a faculty member and I'm sure he can negotiate that on his own.
Athletics for having 18 sports and over 300 athletes just has three (3) certified trainers and as of right now, no certified strength and conditioning coaches (not good at all for a Division One program), and an academic advisement situtation that is problematic at best according to some of the coaches - so let's get Athletics squared away first.
In fact, getting that artificial turf in Bragg will benefit the Band too, since they may be able to hold the Battle of the Bands and other fundraisers like their Band Camp to pay for some of those amenities they want.
Maybe Mr. Horne can come up with a creative way to fund the Band working with the Music Department and the university, but that is likely to take time.
But I'm sure at the outset, getting Athletics on the right track will be his first priority.
To enhance a program is not asking for a hand out and definitely doesn't hurt the university. I wasn't asking for the department to FUND the Marching band. I know what it costs to move the band and we can creatively remedy that too. Some of that can come with making HOME games more important than "classics" (which the band really doesn't get to enjoy). The physical end of what the band does can be dealt with from an educational perspective by the physical therapy and sports sciences-not music department. The band-contrary to rumor doesn't COST the department, it helps by far. Funny how the assets become burdens when its time to help mature and polish the experience and knowledge base. BTW TURF DOES NOT HELP THE BAND. Why not go indoor for Bragg for that matter?! You wanna see them walk around for real- like a cuntryfied pwi(no offense) band? Traveling band? Show up with out the HUNDRED and see what happens. Other sports could use the orange or green bands to further attract and add to the gameday or macth day experience. I don't agree with comparisons but if you look at the % of band members at other schools and ours, we clearly could have an even larger delegation and manage it well. Bigger isn't always better but it does reflect our relationship with high schools and other band programs nationally. Traditional in-state and regional relationships and new global ones too. I was just asking for some help with strengthening the PROGRAM-again not asking for someone to come in and politicize the ensemble's needs for control of any sort. Definitely not to make things look or operate as some other places do. When you have a jewel, you keep it safe and polished. And I love ya. The marching band is about more than the football experience, its part of the FAMU, and American(even if our state doesn't love us) experience. When I was a freshman I remember Coach Joe saying we have a team-help me BUILD THIS PROGRAM! Time for us to build it and make FAMU more than football-and I love FAMU fotball.Go FAMU. Get this vision together and go go GO!
ReplyDeleteWhy all of the negativity. Dr. Ammons has proven that he will get the best person for the job. Look at the Law School, the football team, and how he has managed our accreditation issues. First we demand that he hire a black for the AD job. Then that black must be from a HBCU. Quite frankly if someone is committed to the improvement of FAMU and is the best qualified I don't care what color he or she is or where they came from. If we don't move into the 21st century we will never advance.
ReplyDeleterattlerop, well said indeed. I have to agree with you. I'm going to evaluate Dr. Ammons based on his successes. So far, he has an A+ in my book.
ReplyDeleteI was critical of Horne's selection in the first place, but I need to apologize. He may turn out to be the best AD FAMU has ever had. I'm going to give him my unwavering support (including financial).
Thank you Dr. Ammons for all you do.
Gotta have a vision and comprehensive plan. Each of us must also have a stake in our shared vision for the athletic environment at FAMU.
ReplyDelete2:23 & 6:43 ...
ReplyDeleteIt could just as easily be argued that the Band - and all its former Members - should be just as much a part of the Turf Fundraising Campaign as anyone else.
As much as I enjoy the Band being a "major component" of our overall Product, we need to not get it too twisted ...
Without Football Teams ... There would be no games for the Band to need to perform for!
One of the primary problems we face is that we have let everything else BUT the actual competition on the field take precedent over the main reason we're "supposed to" be there in the first place. So much emphasis has been placed on playing games AWAY from Bragg, and what else is taking place in someone ELSE's city that we have lost the interest & relevance of the MAIN reason we're there.
When you have more people going to Atlanta & Orlando every year, and fewer of them actually attending the GAMES ... and practically nobody wanting to come to TLH at all ... it's time to RE-evaluate just where our priorities are - and should be.
We have been blindly operating on Autopilot for so long that we don't even remember how to fly anymore, so I truly hope that our new AD can bring some sense of 21st Century sports business practices into our world.
"Welcome To FAMU Mr. Horne!"
7:40, 2:23 here... I agree that we are out of control and have lost focus on what is important when it comes to football..
ReplyDeletePlaying Classics all over creatiuon while neglecting home is perhaps the main reason we are running deficits in athletics...
Four home games is not enough to make ends meet and playing Classics where your travel for the full entourage burns up half or more of your guarantee is becoming counterproductive...
And now that venerable old Bragg is waiting for the next Cat 2-3 hurricane (who remembers Kate on the Thursday before the Classic in 1985) to finish off what sun, rain and lack of maintanance have started, we can only think about artifical grass.
Sadly, the seeds of this dilemma were sown in the 1930s, when FAMU started playing football games in Jacksonville, Tampa, Orlando and later Miami, getting fans and alumni used to not coming to Tallahassee to see the band and the team.
There is no strategic planning and vision for athletics... It's like Coach Billy Joe once said: "We (sports teams) are just entertainers.... All we need is top hats and canes.
FAMU Athletics is at a crossroads with a looming deficit, no effective marketing and fundraising plans, NO D--- WEBSITE, another regime change and the spectre of the Legacy Bowl (more bad decision-making by our league), somebody (Mr. Horne)has to taken control and soon.
Excellent points, 7:40PM
ReplyDeleteI think the band might want to wait until the new AD hires a brand new FAMU athletics sports medicine staff before utilizing their health services. When football players still have not fully rehabbed from injuries sustained 2 seasons ago, and it takes athletic trainers from other schools to properly diagnose and treat our own players, then I do not think the current staff is who the band nor our athletes in general deserve working on and with them. I hope that the new AD does a comprehensive evaluation of all the offices and staff within athletics, including sports medicine, to make sure that our athletes are receiving optimal service and that the dept is operating efficiently.
ReplyDelete1:43, the fact that there have been eight (8) ADs since 2002 (Ken Riley, J.R.E. Lee, Joe Ramsey, Newton Jackson (interim), Nelson Townsend, Allen Bogan (interim), Bill Hayes, Mike Smith (interim)) has been one of the reasons Athletics is in a mess.
ReplyDeleteAdd to that changes in the Presidential suite since Dr. Humphries 16-year tenure ended - and the micromanaging and meddling that have ensued, it is amazing the program is still going on at all.
In terms of evaluation, there has been no consistent annual evaluations in years in that department, but there has been a decline in quality of service by support staff like athletic trainers, marketing and sponsorships, media relations, facilities upkeep, rules compliance and academic support, because monies and staff needed in those arteas have been cut and the cash funnelled into coaches' salaries, ADs salaries with no increased income to upgrade those most critical areas.
If the poster concerned about the band is complaining, you to 1:43 are right about the athletes that have suffered which probably has a direct connection to the won-loss record.
That's why a full program evaluation and a strategic plan to incorporate upgrading those vital support areas is critcal if Athletics is going to move forward.
That's why a full program evaluation and a strategic plan to incorporate upgrading those vital support areas is critical if Athletics is going to move forward.
ReplyDeleteExcellent points, 2:04AM!
1:43 are right about the athletes that have suffered which probably has a direct connection to the won-loss record.
I wouldn't doubt it at all. Does FAMU remember the Albert Chester II QB injury fiasco and the horrible 2007 football campaign? The young man was trying to tell us something then.
At some point, the administration has to understand that an athletic program is more than the coaches and athletes, wins and losses and championships.
ReplyDeleteSupport staff - adequate support staff - is perhaps just as important.
FAMU has 18 sports and at least one head coach for each sport, yet we think three (3) certified trainers can stretch themselves like Dr. Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four and cover all those sports.
Budgets in Athletics have been so bare bones the past few years because of the increase in salaries, travel expenses (the MEAC stretches from Florida to Maryland - it costs money and class time even for bus travel) and costs of school (tuition goes up every year too), that medical bills aren't paid, we can't retain or hire sufficient trainers and often they don't have basic materials (tape, aspirin, etc.)
Imagine teams practicing, traveling and competing with no certified trainer, because some sports are not priority during football.
Administration wouldn't dare expect three people to coach all 18 sports, so how can three trainers provide effective medical coverage.... or two people in Sports Information (already saddled with a sad-sack university built website) begin to cover all 18 sports... or two men maintain the football, baseball and softball fields and do upkeep on athletic facilities, with no money for fertilizer or tools.
And if the stories of impending state budget cuts (5% this fall and 15% next July) are true, then there won't be any "stimulus" or "bailouts" from the university as in past years.
Athletics is in bad shape folks, but we don't realize it unless we've worked in or close to the department, or have relatives who work, coach or play at FAMU.
I know it sounds negative, but until we face the reality of where the past decade of musical chairs in the ADs spot and the President's spot have left the program - broke with no vision, focus or a clue (plans, plans, plans???) and a fan base alienated and disenchanted - then unless we come together Rattler Nation and get vocal, write letters/checks and demand accountability our once-great Rattler Sports Empire will fade to black.
3:29 PM, we have a new AD so what's your point? Your post reads like a funeral services. FAMU Athletics is not in the dire straits that you are implying. We have the right President in place and I believe he has been making some great decisions across the board. So I'm fairly confident that FAMU Athletics will be back in the black soon (former AD Ken Riley left us with a surplus).
ReplyDeleteEdit - There are 3 certified sports medicine trainers on FAMU's payroll. However there are others (students, alumni, volunteers, pro bono physicians and therapists) that assist in servicing the health of our athletes in all 18 sports. Also, sports information, similar to sports medicine, can enlist the services of students and volunteers to lighten their load. In fact, that's how the majority of Division 1 athletics operates when the budget is tight. They co-op. But that still doesnt mean that the staff that the university actually does hire has to be unqualified. The staff on payroll still has to perform and produce quality work and service in the critical support areas of athletics.
ReplyDeleteNow that I think about it, even the schools with the large, expendable budgets (SEC, ACC, etc.) practice co-op with students for credit hours, service hours, or professional experience as educational and cost saving methods. Yet the critical support staff who are employed by the university are still the best and qualified that the budget can buy.
ReplyDelete