Why Memphis AD Laird Veatch said athletic department is 'turning the corner' in recovery from staff cuts
The University of Memphis athletic department is continuing its recovery from deep, pandemic-prompted staffing cuts.
Laird Veatch, the school's vice president and director of athletics, announced Tuesday the appointments of three associate athletic directors who will lead key areas of the department's operations.
Brendan Dwyer has been named associate athletic director for athletic facilities and operations, Harley King has been hired as associate athletic director for compliance and Michael Schroeder has been promoted to associate athletic director for integrated communications.
In an interview with The Commercial Appeal, Veatch said the personnel changes give him a fully formed leadership team atop a revamped athletic department structure.
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“Internally, within our senior leadership team, there’s a real sense of progress,” he said. “This is an exciting sign that we are turning the corner and really shifting back to more full-speed.”
Those three positions were part of a large-scale round of layoffs within the athletic department in September 2020 in the wake of financial hardships brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. According to documents obtained by The Commercial Appeal in February, Memphis generated $47.4 million in revenue in fiscal year 2020-21 – a $13.8 million drop from 2019-20.
Nineteen full-time positions were affected by the cost-saving efforts, which also included the institution of furloughs.
“I’ve described it to many as, clearly, the hardest day in my professional career,” said Veatch.
Since then, on top of bolstering the leadership team, the athletic department also established a record for fundraising during fiscal year 2021-22. Memphis secured $23.1 million, breaking the previous record of $19.2 million, which was set in 2014-15. In May, the school also announced plans for major renovations to Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium, estimating it would spend $150-$200 million on the project.
Veatch said Memphis is also planning to make more strategic additions to the athletic department staff.
“The top one is an assistant athletic director for mental health and performance,” he said. “We’re one of the few schools of our size that doesn’t have that. So, that’s one of the highlights coming up. It’s a key area that we need to elevate.”
The department is striving to position itself favorably within the conference realignment landscape. But words of wisdom from Veatch's former boss at Kansas State, current Wake Forest AD John Currie, have more meaning now.
“He used to say, ‘Yesterday’s records are tomorrow’s expectations,’ ” said Veatch. “To get where we want to get, we need to continue to elevate the department. We need to maintain this momentum. It’s a challenging and trying time in college athletics. We’re going to need to continue to push the envelope and stay aggressive.”
A closer look at the new hires
Dwyer spent the past two-plus years as senior director of facilities and events at UAB, where he oversaw all athletic facilities and athletic grounds as well as gameday operations for all sports. He participated in all capital projects and was a member of the athletic department’s senior staff. Dwyer also spent time at Ole Miss as both an assistant athletic director for athletic facilities and the arena manager for The Pavilion.
King arrives in Memphis after three-plus years at Bowling Green, where he worked first as assistant athletic director for compliance, then as associate athletic director for compliance. He was responsible for all areas of institutional compliance operations for 18 sports and over 425 athletes, providing comprehensive rules education programming and legislative interpretations.
Schroeder, who was hired by Memphis in December 2020, adds oversight of marketing, gameday presentation and digital media to current responsibilities with communications, social media and name, image and likeness. He will also work closely with all aspects of revenue generation for the department including ticket sales and development.
Reach sports writer Jason Munz at jason.munz@commercialappeal.com or on Twitter @munzly.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Laird Veatch: Memphis Tigers athletics is recovering after staff cuts
