 |  Bob Bowlsby |
Athletic Director Bob Bowlsby offers his unique perspective on Stanford Athletics and topics regarding intercollegiate athletics in general. Bowlsby, who took over the Cardinal Athletic Department on July 10, 2006 as the Jaquish & Kenninger Director of Athletics at Stanford University, comes to The Farm as one of the most respected athletic administrators in the nation. In this space, Bowlsby will provide his insights on a monthly basis.
Time Flies
It does not seem possible that I have been in the Bay Area for nine weeks. The early stages of my tenure at Stanford University could not have been any more enjoyable. Not surprisingly, I have discovered that every person associated with our program possesses an exceedingly high aspiration for our student-athletes, both individually and collectively. I have also learned that the culture of doing things the right way is deeply ingrained and fundamentally a part of everything we do. These two traits are exceptionally difficult to develop and for that reason, I am grateful for the legacy which Ted Leland has left in place.
It is a daunting task to attempt to take an enterprise that has been so successful and to seek ways to make it even better. We are fortunate to have had so much competitive and academic success but there is nothing harder on our laurels than resting on them! We must redouble our efforts to arm our coaches and student-athletes with the tools to achieve at the highest level. To that end, the investment that we have made in facilities and endowments will serve our program for many years to come.
Unfortunately, we have not been as successful in creating an annual fundraising and support system to ensure that our shorter term needs are met. We have some budget challenges which are not insurmountable but which will require our attention in the immediate future. We will all work hard to generate the funds and deploy our resources as necessary to meet the challenges.
From a competitive standpoint, we must also ensure that we continue our commitment to broad based programming. We have a long tradition of excellence in many areas but we must also seek to improve those areas where we have not been consistently successful. Given the relatively smaller recruiting pool which all of coaches are faced with, it is imperative that we are vigilant in building and maintaining programs at a high level.
I believe it is accurate that the athletics programs at universities like Stanford can go down hill more quickly than other places which can admit most anyone they recruit and I believe that it takes longer to build a program once it has reached an unsuccessful level. We will need to be more meticulous in our planning and execution than most institutions.
The future is very bright at Stanford University and within the Department of Athletics, Physical Education and Recreation. I know that everyone will be impressed with the new Stanford Stadium and I believe it will be a major enhancement to our football program. Our grand opening against Navy will truly be a University-wide celebration.
I cannot adequately express how proud I am to be leading our team and I look forward to getting acquainted with our extraordinary alumni and friends. GO CARDINAL.
Bob Bowlsby's Bio