1on1 | Neil Rudel on Sandy Barbour’s retirement, legacy | WDVM25 & DCW50

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On this 1-on-1 interview, the Altoona Mirror’s Neil Rudel discusses Sandy Barbour’s impending retirement. He weighs in on her legacy, her successes and what Penn State could do subsequent.

Andrew Clay: How do you assume she can be remembered as an athletic director? 

Neil Rudel: Effectively, I believe Sandy offered 8 years of stability coming off an actual turbulent time and I believe she’s any person that actually was a powerful advocate for the student-athletes. For the possibly the non-revenue sports activities, she didn’t actually should make quite a lot of excessive profile hirings. You know the way they do with soccer coaches and you realize you didn’t have to switch James Franklin. You didn’t have to rent him. Cael Sanderson is in place. She has named a successor for Russ Rose. She did rent a girls’s basketball coach, and while you return to that, I believed there was quite a lot of dignity in the way in which that they separated. From Coquese Washington. I imply, it was kind of a mutually agreed it wasn’t it didn’t get ugly, and I believed Sandy had a pleasant contact in that. She’s additionally employed Micah Shrewsbury, who regarded thus far to be a wonderful selection, so I believe Stan Sandy’s legacy principally can be stability. Hey, she got here down right here and did our present yearly so, we have now a bit of little bit of a mushy spot for her, however she was additionally actually the primary non homegrown product that that they had employed because the AD. 

Andrew: Her critics are going to level to incomplete initiatives akin to stadium renovations and infrastructures. Do you assume that’s honest? 

Niel: Effectively, you realize, I believe once they introduced the lot of huge issues you realize, notably with Beaver Stadium, you puzzled whether or not she was going to be there to see it by way of. That’s a number of years in the past already. Phil Esten was her prime proper hand at the moment, he additionally outlined the mission and he left shortly thereafter. That’s a mission that’s greater than all of us, so that they’re going to should plan not simply the AD, however the whole college, (the) new president coming within the board of trustees. it could be for her see that by way of, however I don’t know if it was actually going to be possible. She was beneath contract by way of subsequent yr, so in some methods to me the timing form of is smart. You will have a brand new president coming in, there was a query of whether or not Sandy was going to remain past subsequent yr anyway. So, I don’t know whether or not it’s honest that she didn’t end and didn’t construct a brand-new Beaver Stadium. 

Andrew: How does Sandy evaluate to previous athletic administrators? 

Neil: To start with, she’s the primary lady that they’ve had, and I believe she’s actually, you realize, one of many leaders most revered among the many NCAA girls’s basketball neighborhood, and sports activities usually, feminine or male. However she was any person who didn’t have roots at Penn State. If you go all the way in which again to it, you must return greater than 60 years that the Penn State has employed an athletic director that was not, you realize, kind of grew up at Penn State. Whether or not it was Ed Czekaj, or Jim Tarman or Tim Curley, you realize everyone had sown personal their oats at Penn State and that wasn’t true with Sandy and I believe that gave them some recent eyes, and she or he stood for variety and inclusion, and I believe in that regard, that’ll be a part of her legacy.  

Andrew: Do you assume she left this program in a greater place than she inherited? 

Neil: Effectively, yeah, I imply it was in turmoil. I imply, her first sport was over in, you realize, in Eire. I imply, Dave Joyner picked up the items for a yr or so. Clearly, this system was in turmoil and I believe the truth that she has lent quite a lot of stability and you realize, form of righted the ship in that regard. I imply, yeah, you’re coming off a pair, two undoubtedly disappointing soccer seasons and I do assume it’s you realize, we’ll see the way it all pans out with James Franklin’s lengthy extension, as a result of Sandy is tide to that. However yeah, clearly this system throughout the board is on a way more stable floor than it was. 

Andrew: What route do you assume Penn State goes in now and what do you assume would be the key gadgets on the guidelines for the subsequent particular person? 

Neil: Effectively, you’ve got a brand new president coming in. I believe the large factor is what’s going to occur to Beaver Stadium. Are you going to renovate it or are you going to construct new? That’s one of many questions on the survey that they’re conducting now amongst their followers. I believe that’s an actual massive deal as a result of that’s quite a lot of the connection that almost all of us have with Penn State soccer, so I believe that’ll be excessive on the precedence checklist. Once more, you realize that is the primary that you simply’ve had a non-Penn Stateer in that place, which route do they go? Do they attain to the previous? Any person which will have some Penn State, or do they or any person with Massive 10 expertise which she which Sandy had additionally? I don’t know which route they’ll go since you don’t have a really feel for what the brand new president may assume 



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