Transcript Missouri Southern Athletics Past Success, Present Challenges and Future Goals Missouri Southern State University: Board of Governors February 20, 2010

Missouri Southern Athletics
Past Success, Present Challenges and Future Goals
Missouri Southern State University:
Board of Governors
February 20, 2010
Athletics Presentation

Two Distinct Sections to this
Presentation:
◦ Part 1: Short slide show on the last year
regarding some of the successes and failures
◦ Part 2: What are we doing differently and
more importantly, why?
Southern Athletics Year in Review
Southern Football
We suffered heartbreak as
sophomore running back
Renard Johnson was in a
fatal car accident in January
2009 when he was
traveling back home to
visit his family in Oklahoma
 In 2009, we went 3-7, with
wins over Emporia State,
Truman, and a thrilling
come from behind win
over then 12th Nationally
ranked Missouri Western
on the road

Southern Volleyball
We finished 13-21 overall.
 Conference wins on the
road against then No. 20
Truman State and No. 20
Nebraska-Omaha
 Freshman outside hitter
Renee Rheinecker earned
All-MIAA second team
along with fellow Jnr. hitter
Jeanna Feldman
 The Lions said goodbye to
senior, Kari Hammerbacher
who finished her career
with 1505 digs good for
third all-time in MSSU
history

Southern Men’s Cross Country




Men’s cross country team finished
11th place at the 2009 NCAA
Division II Nationals
The Men won their 2nd Regional
title in the last three years and
their 8th MIAA cross country title
in the last ten years
Tom Rutledge was named MIAA
and Regional XC Coach of the
Year for the 5th time
Snr. Brennan Benkert placed 24th
earned All-American honors while
he and Dustin Dixon, Josh Mathis,
Aki Nummela and Jarkko Jarvenpaa
were all named All-Region
Southern Women’s Cross Country

The Lions women never lost to a Division II
opponent throughout the season until
Nationals

The WXC set MIAA and NCAA Regional
records for lowest point total with 18
points in each event

The Lions women completed the season
with their 4th straight MIAA title, 3rd straight
NCAA Division II Regional title and placed
3rd in at NCAA National meet

Four women were named All-American: jnr.
Ashley Siler (3rd), snr. Kimi Shank (4th), snr.
Courtney Waltbillig (20th) and snr. Ashley
Bunch (25th)

Shank and head coach Patty Vavra picked up
regional athlete and coach of the year
awards

Vavra earned her 5th MIAA Cross Country
Coach of the Year award
Southern Women’s Soccer




Senior forward Stephanie
Heines led the Lions with 4
goals on the season and one
assist to earning honorable
mention All-MIAA honors.
She was joined on the
honorable mention team by
fellow senior midfielder Jentri
White and sophomore
midfielder Michelle Dimza.
Sophomore defender Audrey
Copenhaver earned a second
team nod
Randi Russell, a sophomore
Joplin native, took over as the
Lions’ keeper this season and
tallied 118 saves
Southern Men’s Soccer
In January 2009, it was
announced that MSSU
would discontinue
men’s soccer as a
varsity sport.
 Two weeks later, more
heartbreak hit as Jon
Hansen collapsed and
died during an
intramural basketball
game after an apparent
heart attack.

Southern Men’s Basketball
Last Season saw Coach
Corn win his 300th career
game and earn his 16th
(11th straight) trip to the
MIAA Tournament.
 In 2009 garnered its
second-straight freshman
of the year as Jason Adams
joined Skyler Bowlin in
giving the Lions back-toback awards
 This year, 15-9 overall and
9-8 in the MIAA where we
have already clinched a
playoff bid to the MIAA
tourney in Kansas City

Southern Women’s Basketball

Last year:
◦ Went to our eighth straight
winning season with a 19-10
overall mark
◦ Maryann Mitts became the alltime winningest coach in Lions
history, passing Jim Phillips
◦ Advanced the MIAA
Tournament as the fifth seed
and defeated the fourth seed
Central Missouri
◦ Senior Danielle DeVader became
the Lions' all-time leader in
three pointers with 196

Currently are 13-11, and 7-10
in the league. They are a two
games out of third place
Southern Men’s and Women’s Track
and Field



Senior Phillip Horn was
third in the indoor
heptathlon
In the outdoor
campaign, Horn earned
All-American honors in
two events (Decathlon
and 100m Hurdles).
Currently we have 11
student-athletes on the
qualification list for the
National Indoor
Championship in March
Southern Women’s Track and Field
Women's indoor track
teams had two AllAmericans in 2009
 Outdoor track and field
teams produced six AllAmericans, including
Junior’s Emilie Mieseler,
Ciara Lipsey and Kimi
Shank.
 Senior Kara Eckard was
sixth in the steeplechase
 Currently we have 12
student-athletes on the
qualification list for the
National Indoor
Championship in March

Southern Softball


Southern had four
players named honorable
mention All-MIAA in
junior Whitney Clute,
sophomore Megan Roark
and freshmen Brooke
Hurley and Breanna
Volkmann
Clute broke two
Southern single-game
where the junior had
three home runs, seven
RBIs and 14 total bases
Southern Women‘s Tennis

In April, Southern
announced that due
to budget cuts, the
tennis program was
being discontinued as
a varsity sport
Southern Baseball





Had their first winning season
since the 2003 season
Went 35-20, the most wins
since 2001 and advanced to
the four-team MIAA
tournament for the first time
since 2002
Jnr. pitcher CJ Maffei shutout
the Central Missouri Mules
twice
Eight Lions were named AllMIAA including CJ Maffei and
sophomore third baseman
Skyler Rawlins
Senior shortstop/pitcher Justin
Beal was drafted by
Philadelphia Phillies in the
28th round of the MLB Draft
Southern Golf
Southern finished third in
the 2009 MIAA Tourney
and third overall in the
conference
 All-MIAA performances
from junior David Eddy and
freshman Andy Hogenmiller
and Taylor Griffith
 The Lions qualified for
their seventh straight
NCAA regional
Tournament
 This year’s team won the
North Alabama Invitational
in October

Academic Report for Missouri
Southern Athletics
Spring 2009 overall
GPA all-athletes =
2.987
 Fall 2009 overall GPA
all-athletes = 3.07
 Women’s Track
had the highest
GPA of any
women's track
team in the
country @ 3.52

Southernfest ‘09




Inaugural Lion Pride
Dinner/Auction @
Downstream in
conjunction with the
Rod Smith Green &
Gold Golf Classic
Our biggest fundraiser
to date, generating
nearly $40,000!
An event to be proud
of with over 300
attendees
We started the
process again in
January of 2010!
Cancer Awareness, Strike Out Cancer
and “Coaches vs. Cancer” Events



Women’s Basketball: in
conjunction with
Freeman Hospital, St.
John’s Hospital, The
American Cancer Society,
Hope 4 You Breast
Cancer Foundation, Zeta
Tau Alpha – MSSU; Raised
over $18,000 over the
last three years
Women’s Softball: “Strike
Out” Cancer- raised
$400
Men’s Basketball:
“Coaches versus Cancer”
Awareness promotion
College
Football Hall of Fame
Rod Smith was inducted
into the College Football
Hall of Fame-class of 2009
 His class will includes Troy
Aikman,Thurman Thomas,
Randall McDaniel,Wilber
Marshall and Lou Holtz
 Rod’s hard work and
dedication allowed him to
have a career including
two Super Bowl rings and
more than 11,000 yards
 Smith retired before the
2008 season as the most
productive undrafted
receiver in NFL history

Track and Field Hall of Fame



Former track and field National
Champion Tongula (Givens)
Steddum was inducted into the
US Track & Field &Cross Country
Coaches Association Hall of Fame
Steddum, a graduate of the social
sciences program, will be the first
athlete from MSSU to earn the
coaches association's highest
honor
A 14-time All-American, Steddum
is the school record holder in the
outdoor triple jump (42-05.50),
the indoor triple jump (40-07.00)
as well as the outdoor long jump
(20-00.50) and the indoor long
jump (19-00.75)
The 2009 MSSU Hall of Fame
Inductees

Stephen Crane
Baseball (1995-1998)

Jennifer Jimerson
Softball (1995-98)

Sonia (Blacketer) Eudy
Cross Country/Track and
Field (1995-99)

Cedric Florence
Football (1991-94)

Marvin (Red) O'Dell
Baseball (1976-79)
Sallie Beard Retired from MSSU


Beard, in her 37th year
at her alma mater,
retired after her seventh
as Missouri Southern's
athletics director.
For 25 years prior to the
2001-02 academic year,
Beard helped lead the
growth and development
of Missouri Southern's
women's athletics
program, as she served
as MSSU's first and only
women's athletics
director
The Present for Southern Athletics
Student- Athletes in the Community
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Special Olympics (Track and
Field)
Special Olympics (Bowling)
Community Blood Drive
Breast Cancer Awareness Night
Adopt-a-Street Program
MIAA Canned Food Drive
River Clean-Up
Charity Prom Event
Free Fall Basketball Clinic
JACS Basketball Clinic
Salvation Army Clothing Drive
FCA/Boys' and Girls' Club
Christmas Party
MIAA Basketball Tournament Operation Breakthrough
(2008) Harvester's (2009)
Lafayette House - (Battered
Women and Children)
Academic Numbers Fall ’09
SPORT
Baseball
Cheer/Dance
Men's
Basketball
# OF
GPA
Fall
STUDENT
ATHLETES
Fall
2009
Cum. GPA
2009
4.0's
41
2.857
3.034
2.957
3.138
2.449
2.453
3.044
3.147
2.630
2.829
2.905
3.087
2.813
3.045
3.442
3.561
2.959
2.878
39
15
Golf
14
Men's CC/TF
44
Softball
23
Trainers
11
Volleyball
Women's
Basketball
Women's
Soccer
Women's
CC/TF
15
Football
399
0
4
2
0
2
1
3.36
3.47
3.373
3.468
2.578
2.715
2.95
3.07
34
128
5
0
15
20
1
8
8
7
38
Academic
Numbers in
degree
programs
Name of Degree
Total # of SA's
% of SA's
Communication, Journalism
9
2.5%
Computer & Information Sciences
2
0.6%
Education
Engineering Tech& Engineering Related
Fields
Foreign Languages, Literatures, and
Linguistics
64
17.7%
10
3.0%
2
0.6%
English & Literature/Letters
Liberal Arts & Sciences, General Studies &
Humanities
1
0.3%
6
1.7%
Biological Sciences & Biomedical Sciences
37
10.2%
Mathematics
1
0.3%
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies
1
0.3%
Parks, Rec & Leisure Studies
43
11.9%
Physical Sciences
1
0.3%
Science Technologies
2
0.6%
Psychology
11
3.0%
Homeland Security, Law Enforcement,
Firefighting & Related Protective Services
36
10.0%
Visual and Performing Arts
5
1.4%
Health Professions & Related Programs
Business, Management, Marketing &
Related Support Services
24
6.6%
65
18.0%
Undeclared
43
11.9%
Academic Award Numbers

In 2009:
◦ 19 Academic National
Scholar Athlete
Selections
◦ 88 MIAA
Commissioner’s
Academic Honor Roll
Selections
◦ This equates to a
quarter of our studentathletes!
Secondary Violations
• One Level I violations reported
• Four Level II violations reported
Waivers Filed
• One progress toward degree waiver approved
• One medical absence waiver approved
• One legislative relief waiver denied
Associations
• Conference Level– Legislation & Handbook committee member,
Finance Committee member
• National Level– DII EC Advisory Group member, former DII
Men’s & Women’s Tennis Committee vice-chair, NAAC member
Participation Numbers for our student-athletes
Sport
# Participants*
Baseball
41
Football
125
Men's Basketball
16
Men's XC/Track & Field
47
Men's Golf
15
Women's Basketball
16
Women's XC/Track & Field
35
Women's Soccer
22
Softball
25
Volleyball
18
Total
*Unduplicated count
360
Camps and Clinics

The camps/clinics were for
the sport areas of:
◦ Baseball
◦ Softball Team and Summer Skills
Camp
◦ Volleyball
◦ Soccer
◦ Girls Basketball
◦ Boys Basketball
◦ Football
◦ Children's Lifetime Sports
Academy


These camps this year
brought over 1,400 young
people to MSSU
Many of the camps serve as
revenue generation for the
university
The Future of MSSU Athletics
What do we need to become
more successful?
The summation of our needs…

The top three
consistent priorities for
our departments was:
◦ Scholarships
◦ Operating Budgets
◦ Facilities
Undermanned but not defeated!
Scholarships- increase endowments and
one time gifts expressly for athletic
scholarships to decrease reliance on state
funding
 Operating budgets-Find alternative
resources to meet our basic operating
needs (equipment, travel, recruiting, etc.)
 Facilities- Upgrade current facilities. This
requires support from many different
entities


Our state-funded operating budgets fall short of
meeting our basic operational needs with no
increases in sight. We have to fund our own
success.
What are we doing to address these issues and
goals?
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Revamp the Lionbacker
Booster Club
Focus on fundraising and
“friendraising” efforts
RFP for Apparel
Corporate sponsorships
Emphasis on enrollment
New website launched;
mssulions.com
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The “Tiered Giving” model
with tiered benefits is the most
commonly used in collegiate
athletics
The “Season Ticket” model is
very rare
You CONTRIBUTE to be a
member of the Booster Club
and determine which benefits
you would like based on your
GIVING LEVEL
You purchase your season
tickets based on your interest
in particular sports
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We will break into teams
to compete for the areas
of most renewals, most
new members, and most
dollar amount.
The Campaign starts on
May 13 with a KICK-OFF
Party. The first Reporting
Session is May 27. The
Victory Party is June 3rd.
Our goal is to increase
the number of members
and the dollars generated
per member.
Is $60,000 possible? Yes.
Fundraising Efforts- Increased Endowments
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Athletics had 6 endowments prior to the start of this academic year.
Two additional endowments were created this Fall
Two more should be in place by the end of this month
THE KEY FOR US WAS TO NOT BE AFRAID TO CRASH AND BURN,
EVERYBODY WILL WALK AWAY FROM THE “ASK”
We are being proactive in the face of imminent cuts!
Increased Focus on Fundraising Events
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SouthernFest ’10. Last
year, $40K, this year’s
goal $75,000
Lions & Lures. Inaugural
event. Goal: $7,500
Other events are
“friendraisers” that can
become fundraisers:
Football Alumni Golf
Tourney, Athletic Alumni
Reunion, Hall of Fame
Induction Ceremonies,
Out-of-town visits, team
reunions, etc.
Fundraising Efforts

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Athletics had $172,000 in deposits into the Foundation for the
calendar year of 2009
We are looking to increase that amount to $272,000 for the
calendar year of 2010
RFP for Apparel: It can be a rather intimidating
venture!

Starting this month
with the intent of:
◦ Combining buying
power
◦ Economy of Scale
◦ Reducing Expenses
◦ Creating incentive
based pricing
◦ More consistence
appearance
Corporate Sponsorship Focus
We increased our
corporate sponsor
dollars last year to
this year by $20,000
 We are looking at
increasing them this
upcoming year by the
same amount
 Focus on using your
corporate sponsors!

Driving Enrollment
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Due to the budget cuts
two varsity sports were
eliminated.
To offset lost enrollment
our athletic programs
were asked to increase
roster sizes (through
recruiting)
Football, Men’s Track, Golf
and Baseball bore the
brunt of this
No budget increases to
accommodate increased
roster sizes
New Athletic Website was launched
mid-January by Presto Sports
•
•
•
•
•
Is able to provide more
video and audio functions
Allows for easier updating
(less time consuming)
Creates more diverse and
varied tabs to better
service the needs of
sports, fundraising,
marketing, etc…
Allows for advertisements
and revenue generation but
in a nice clean and pleasing
way
http://www.mssulions.com
Other Departmental Changes
Restructure the
Athletic Department
 Increase
Communication
 Staff Evaluations and
Priority needs are
reviewed annually
 Reinstate the
Academic Success
Traveling Trophy

Restructure the Athletics
Department
Originally had 18
direct reports to AD
 Adjusted structure
to include “Sport
Supervisors”
 Benefits of this
design allow for
more individual
attention, improved
cooperation and
better efficiency

Increased Communication
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Have subcommittees that
are Adhoc as necessary;
these have included
Storage, Student-Athlete
Code of Conduct, Housing,
etc.
Standing Subcommittees
such as Facility
Coordination, F.U.N.,
SAAC, etc.
Consistent updates thru
complete agendas
◦
◦
◦
◦
Weekly Admin. Staff
Monthly Head Coaches
Monthly All Staff
S-A once per semester
Reinstate the Academic Success Traveling
Trophy
 Highest Male and
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
Female Sport Team
each get the traveling
trophy based on team
GPA
Is awarded at a
sporting event where
fans, family and friends
are able to the
appreciate the
experience
Have acquired a donor
to create an
endowment to fund
this project for next
year and beyond
What are the areas that we will use to
evaluate our success for this academic year?
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Community Service
Academics
Fiscal Responsibility
Booster-Alumni
Relations
Competitiveness
Student-Athlete
Wellbeing
Compliance
Food for thought
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
We have drawn over
42,000 to our campus
for football and
basketball games alone
this year. This is an
average of 2,000
people per event
Local media coverage
is on a near daily basis
and helps create “top
of the mind
awareness” and a
familiarity in the
community
Walking billboards
◦ Walmart, Academy, Lids,
Gametec, etc.
◦ SMA royalties
Any Questions?
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Please contact the MSSU
Athletic Department:
3950 East Newman Road
Joplin, Missouri, 64801-1595
O: 417-625-9574
[email protected]
Thanks for your time!