Last week, as San Antonio was transitioning from hosting the AFCA convention to hosting the NCAA convention, College AD was invited to partake in the first ever TopConnect event held at the Briscoe Western Art Museum. TopConnect, an invitation only event, set out with a goal to bring sitting athletic directors and hopeful future head football coaches together.
TopConnect hosts Dr. Richard Sander and ARMS Software.
Modeled after Nike’s Villa 7, the inaugural TopConnect gathering consisted of four different panel discussions, each followed by a question and answer session. Hosted by East Tennessee State AD Dr. Richard Sander and ARMS Software, the afternoon’s first panel was made up of Louisiana-Monroe AD Brian Wickstrom, UVA-Wise AD Danny Sterling and Austin Peay AD Ryan Ivey. The three athletic directors, all of whom recently hired new football coaches, touched on topics including how they identify potential candidates, advantages and disadvantages of using or not using a search firm and some of the key principals they were looking for in a new head coach.
Left to right: Brian Wickstrom, Danny Sterling and Ryan Ivey
Former NFL head coach Mike Smith, former Tennessee head man Phil Fulmer and current ETSU boss Carl Torbush were on hand to share experiences they’ve encountered throughout their careers. The three coaches provided the prospective head coaches with an insight of what to expect while interviewing as well as sharing valuable lessons that they’ve learned during their careers. They were able to share ideas or things that they felt made them successful as well as mistakes they had made along the way. The panel of coaches also touched on team and department management.
Left to Right: Mike Smith, Phil Fulmer and Carl Torbush
The ultimate goal of TopConnect is to prepare young coaches to one day become head coaches. As part of that preparation, TopConnect had two agents take the stage and explain how they can help potential candidates. The agents, both attorneys also hit on topics such as conflict of interest and how they get their client’s name on the desk of hiring athletic directors or in front of the search firm that is conducting the search.
The afternoon’s final session called on four more sitting athletic directors. Old Dominion’s Dr. Wood Selig, Chattanooga’s David Blackburn, Albany’s Mark Benson and Stony Brook’s Shawn Heilbron took the stage to highlight subjects that current assistant coaches often have a hard time discussing with their head coach or athletic director. The four shared tips on ways for a prospective candidate to approach their head coach or athletic director and talk about the possible new opportunity. As well as what they perceived to be do’s and don’ts during the interview process.
Left to Right: Dr. Wood Selig, David Blackburn, Mark Benson and Shawn Heilbron.
At the conclusion of the afternoon the 29 young coaches, representing the NFL, FBS, FCS, DII and DIII, who were in attendance got a chance to interact with the athletic directors in an one-on-one setting. The coaches that College AD talked to raved about the program and just how much it helped. TopConnect allowed them to open up and ask questions that in normal settings aren’t the easiest thing to talk about. No matter how good of a relationship an assistant has with his head coach, it is not easy for them to solicit advice regarding their next job. TopConnect is designed for these types of conversations.
After the event Dr. Sander shared his feelings on the event with CollegeAD saying.
“TopConnect was truly an inspiring and valuable experience. The reactions I have received have been nothing short of tremendous. When you have two of the great coaches of our time, Coach Fulmer and Coach Smith, sharing their very unfiltered thoughts, it is very special opportunity for any aspiring head coach to gain tremendous information. Additionally to have sitting Athletic Directors share their very honest thoughts about hiring their head football coaches and their expectations of their head coach, those coaches in attendance had a rare opportunity to connect and learn. Having that many Athletic Directors and Coach Fulmer and Coach Smith all together, created a tremendous synergy that exceeded my expectations for the first event. It is great that ArmsSoftware made this initiative a reality by giving back to college athletics. This is just the first step in making TopConnect the most important leadership opportunity for the next generation of Head Football Coaches.”
ARMS Software CEO Mike Hurt echoed Dr. Sander telling College AD
“This year’s inaugural TopConnect event was a tremendous success. Having the ability to put the next generation of college football leaders in the same room as other industry leaders, like Hall of Famer Head Coach Phillip Fulmer and NFL Head Coach Mike Smith, with the addition of sitting athletic directors to discuss their perspective on hiring and on-the-job expectations is a unique value proposition for everyone that was invited. We are excited to continue growing TopConnect so we can build on the foundation laid this year and provide an invaluable resource to the leaders in college football and college athletics.”
As TopConnect continues to grow, there is no doubt the next generation of young and up in coming coaches will benefit from this open forum. Coaches interested in participating in TopConnect can get involved by staying through the last day of next year’s AFCA convention. If you’re an athletic director who is interested in joining the program, plan on arriving in Nashville for next year’s NCAA convention bright and early on the first morning. It’s clear that the convention crossover event will flourish over the next few years.
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