The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/544673
INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS MAIZE AND BLUE NOTEBOOK DE CAROLIS BACK AT MICHIGAN Former Oregon State athletics director Bob De Carolis is back in town and was hired as a senior advisor to Michigan athletics director Jim Hackett. De Carolis served in the U-M athletic department from 1979-98. The former Wolverine softball coach and administrator will be pitching in to assist in work delegated to him by Hackett. "[ Wife] Sandra and I had always thought about retiring to Ann Arbor," De Carolis said in a released statement. "The opportunity to leverage my experience and assist at an institution I hold near and dear is beyond my wildest dreams. I want to thank Jim Hackett for providing this outstanding opportunity. In my talks with Jim, I was crystal clear that my intentions are not to be a candidate for the AD position. The challenge is that I'm not ready for retirement and plenty of gas is left in the tank. I'm here to help and assist him and the department." Hackett noted he "lucked into" De Carolis, in terms of his situation. "He has zero designs on being the future athletic director," Hackett said. "He's not very expensive because he's retired and not looking for full-time employment. One of the things I'm giving him is the day-to-day to help Rob [Rademacher, senior associate athletic director, facilities and operations]. We've got a lot of construction going on, we're one of the largest depart- ments in the country and we have some work to do on how we can be more efficient. He has some ideas and he's helping." HACKETT REJECTED MINICK RESIGNATION Michigan athletics director Jim Hackett received a resignation from associ- ate athletics director for football Jim Minick, after Minick was arrested for alleged drunken driving May 8. "I refused it," Hackett said. "This is a man who served … seven tours of duty [in the Marines]. Selflessness is a way I would describe him. He got thousands of emails, most of them from people who served in war with him, urging him to soldier through this. He made a terrible mistake. He dealt with something that can kill people. People die, either himself or others, from what happened. So the gravity of it was not dismissed at all. "He and I had deep conversations about it, and I was convinced this is a guy who will learn from this mistake." The retired Marine Lt. Col. is a childhood friend of U-M head football coach Jim Harbaugh, and now his right-hand man at Schembechler Hall. Hackett noted that Harbaugh asked him to scrutinize the situation for a more objec- tive takeaway.