Southern Reassigns Athletic Director

By Nikki G. Bannister
Black College Wire

Photo credit: Southern Digest Floyd Kerr said he was shocked by the chancellor's decision to replace him as athletic director.

Floyd Kerr, athletic director of Southern University�s Baton Rouge campus, has been reassigned within the university, and a nationwide search will be conducted for a successor, Chancellor Edward Jackson has announced.

"We want to go in a slightly different direction and move at a slightly different pace," Jackson said at a Feb. 11 news conference.

"There is a lot of unfulfilled potential here. I am trying to reach the full potential of the athletic program and I think that it is going to take some new leadership to get that done," the chancellor said.

Southern has won four of five Southwestern Athletic Conference Commissioner's Cups since Kerr�s arrival in July 2000. The graduation rates for the athletes have risen from 27 to 65 percent, the highest rate in Southern University history. However, Kerr has been criticized by members of the Southern University Board of Supervisors for not scheduling enough home games, which they said would hamper the economy of the businesses that surround the campus. They also complained about leaks concerning contract negotiations with head football coach Pete Richardson.

"It�s tough to be content with the decision under the circumstances," Richardson said.

Jackson, who brought Kerr to the campus, denied that the supervisors influenced his decision.

�This has been on my mind for a while now,� Jackson said. �And I had been considering this move for some time now. But I will say that this was a convenient time to make a leadership change.�

Effective July 1, Jackson said, Kerr�s new title will be assistant to the vice chancellor for academic excellence for student athletes.

Photo credit: Southern Digest Southern Univesity Chancellor Dr. Edward R. Jackson tells reporters, "We want to go in a slightly different direction and move at a slightly different pace."

A native of South Bend, Ind., Kerr came to Southern in July 2000 from Youngstown State University in Ohio, where he was assistant athletic director. Jackson recommended him as successor to director Marino Casem. According to Kerr, the move will adjust his annual base pay of $78,000 down to $62,400. Kerr�s involvement with the NCAA as a seated member of the Division I men�s basketball committee will also be affected.

�Since I won�t be an athletic director, I won�t be able to sit as a member,� he said.

In a Southern University System board meeting last March, Kerr was criticized by board members Johnny Anderson, Myron Lawson and Tony Clayton over the scheduling for Southern�s 2004 football season.

It was there that the three argued that Southern�s projected lack of home games would hamper the economy of the businesses that surround the campus. They also expressed concern about the board�s lack of input with athletic scheduling. Anderson, who became chairman of the board in January, publicly asked for Kerr�s resignation.

�This is unacceptable. Just shameful,� Anderson said during the meeting. �This is just one of the reasons I feel that he's not doing a good job.�

In November, during the board�s annual Bayou Classic meeting, Kerr was once again on the receiving end of the board�s wrath. When details of Richardson�s salary and demands for a new contract became public, Kerr was chastised for allowing information leaks about Richardson�s contract negotiations.

Despite allegations that his reassignment was already in the works, Kerr said he was shocked when Jackson told him he would not be athletic director after June.

�My mission here was to take the athletic department to the next level and I do believe that we did that,� Kerr said.

Photo credit: Southern Digest "Right now, we need to come together," said Roger Cador, baseball head coach.

Kerr said that he anticipates an 80 percent academic performance rating from the NCAA next fall. Last year, he was ranked 75th on Sports Illustrated's 101 Most Important Minorities in Sports list.

�We�ve done a great job of improving the image of Southern, academically and athletically. We�ve received national recognition and unprecedented media coverage,� he said.

Baseball head coach Roger Cador said that he looked at Kerr�s departure as a �bonding agent� for the rest of Southern�s athletic department.

�I had some memorable times with Floyd,� Cador said. �Some good, some bad. But right now we need to come together and get on the same page with the chancellor so that we, too, can go in the direction he wants to go.�

Kerr said he would not rule out any options. "I�ve spent over 20 years in intercollegiate sports,� he said. �I haven�t been looking for jobs, so I have no idea what�s out there. But if opportunity knocks, I will certainly take a look at it.�

Nikki G. Bannister is a student at Southern University who writes for The Southern Digest. Joe Brown contributed to this report.

Posted Feb. 14, 2005