Radakovich thinks ACC is on the brink of greatness

Clemson AD Dan Radakovich is very bullish on the new ACC (TigerNet file photo)

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Fri Jul 12 12:05:19 GMT-04:00 2013

Dan Radakovich says the completion within the Atlantic Coast Conference is about to get even better.

In an interview with TigerNet earlier this week, Radakovich was asked about the future of the league, the possibility of an ACC Network and his selection to the Athletic Director Advisory Group to the NCAA.

I asked Radakovich if he thought the recent additions of programs such as Syracuse, Pitt, Louisville and Notre Dame make the conference stronger, and he said yes, especially in basketball.

“The competition in the ACC is going to be fantastic. We continue to ramp things up as a league not only as it relates to football, but basketball as well,” Radakovich said. “The new ACC will be without peer as it relates to basketball. We have extended our arrangement with the Orange Bowl, and the Russell Athletic Bowl is in our covey. The Belk Bowl, the Pinstripe Bowl, the Music City Bowl and the Sun Bowl are all still under the ACC umbrella and I believe the ACC is still working on a few others that would also be a part of having a tie-in with the Atlantic Coast Conference.”

Radakovich said the expansion of the ACC and the Grant of Rights have both served to strengthen the conference financially, and he hopes the recent gains will help even the playing field with conferences like the SEC.

“The conference exists for the benefit of its members,” he said. “As we sit today in the world of intercollegiate athletics, one of the main benefits is not only the quality competition but the revenue that comes forth and the financial arrangements that are created by the conferences. The idea of doing the Grant of Rights back to the conference puts the ACC in a very good position with its media partner in ESPN and it also creates the possibility of creating an Atlantic Coast Conference Network.”

Radakovich said that the idea of beginning an ACC Network is viable.

“I think that would certainly look viable as it relates to the demographics of the conference as it looks now with its new reach and new membership,” he said. “That is something that the conference and ESPN will be diving into and doing their due diligence over in the next few months. Starting a new network is not an easy thing. There is a fairly long ramp-up period with it, but getting that Grant of Rights was a substantial step in making sure that the schools of the league continue to receive the kind of financial share that is necessary to compete with other teams across the country.”

Radakovich is not only helping the ACC gain a stronger foothold, he is helping the NCAA after being named to an Athletic Director Advisory Group to the NCAA leadership by NCAA President Mark Emmert.

Radakovich, who is in his first year at Clemson, was one of 10 AD's named to the committee.

This group will meet periodically with NCAA leadership to provide feedback and perspective on issues affecting Division I athletics.

“Certainly it is an honor to be chosen and to be a part of a group that has an audience with the NCAA president. The NCAA President was looking at some opportunity to have dialogue with practitioners, with the practitioners being the directors of athletics,” Radakovich said. “He gets a lot of counsel from folks that might not be in the day-to-day operation of athletic programs, so he is looking at this as an opportunity to have that type of dialogue and to help move forward some of the agenda items that are important to him as well as having real quality feedback from people who are in the field.”

The members of the Advisory Group include Radakovich, Mitch Barnhart of Kentucky, Gene Bleymaier of San Jose State, Greg Byrne of Arizona, John Currie of Kansas State, Dave Heeke of Central Michigan, Warde Manuel of UCONN, Gene Smith of Ohio State, Peter Fields of Montana State and Peg Bradley-Doppes of Denver.