“I was about to fire up the grill and the phone rang”, Perrin said.
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After three months on the job, Greg Fenves will be formally introduced as the 29th president of the University of Texas at Austin Thursday afternoon. Perrin was on his way from Austin to Houston with his wife when it was announced that Texas had hired the former Virginia Commonwealth University coach. His tumultuous tenure as Texas athletic director has reportedly come to an end and Former Longhorns linebacker Mike Perrin will take over as the interim athletic director.
“The seriousness of the job I’ve been asked to do is very important to me”, Perrin said Wednesday at his introductory news conference.
Patterson said in a statement, “As a Longhorn myself, a graduate of the University and its law school, I want nothing but the best for my alma mater, and I wish President Fenves and everyone at UT-Austin well as we continue the journey”. “I’m not walking into this as a stranger to the UT community”, Perrin said.
“It concerns me that fans last week voted with their feet”, he said.
Fenves insisted that Patterson resigned and called it a “mutual agreement”. In 1995, the Texas Cowboys service group was kicked off campus because of hazing issues. Perrin is squarely focused on the well-being of student-athletes and their families, the healthy transition of the athletic department to a permanent AD, and Longhorn fan satisfaction.
In the 1960s, Mike Perrin played linebacker for Darrell Royal.
“I generally know somebody in every town and every county, and I have made myself available in that regard”, he said. “He has complete integrity and impeccable judgment”.
Patterson has a guaranteed contract through August 2019 that pays at least $1.4 million per year. Patterson has overseen two popular hires at Texas – football coach Charlie Strong and men’s basketball coach Shaka Smart, both now in charge of underperforming programs, said Chron.
Attending the news conference was former athletic director DeLoss Dodds, who retired in October 2013 after 32 years and was one of the most powerful figures in college sports.
There had been several rumors about his lack of support among Texas donors, Texas fan base and the athletic department.
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Turning the program over to Perrin leaves Texas with little experience at the top when it needs a strong presence in the Big 12 as some school presidents push for expansion from 10 teams.
