Dan Radakovich Could Be Prime Candidate For Next ACC Commissioner
Clemson athletic director Dan Radakovich, who has been in his current position since December of 2012, has helped lead Clemson to unprecedented levels of success on the field and in the classroom.
In 2017 his efforts were recognized by Sports Business Journal when they named him Athletic Director of the Year.
Longtime ACC Commissioner John Swofford is set to retire next year. After all he has accomplished during his tenure at Clemson, as well as elsewhere, Radakovich could possibly be a prime candidate for the job.
"It's an interesting job, you know, but I have to tell you I have a great job here," Radakovich said on Friday. "I enjoy the staff, the coaches, the student-athletes, the community. So it's going to be a great job as it gets filled, and I know that the search firm will do a wonderful job, and our presidents will make a great decision."
The Clemson brand has never been stronger than it is currently under the guidance of Radakovich, and those successes extend far beyond the football field.
Men's basketball made a rare Sweet 16 appearance recently. Clemson baseball has hosted multiple regionals. The men's soccer team is coming off of an Elite Eight appearance, and the school just launched a softball program that was widely successful in its first season, despite that season being cut short.
Whether or not Swofford's current position is an opportunity that Radakovich would be interested in remains to be seen. However, it is a subject in which he is well versed and he's always had his finger on the pulse of any and everything as it relates to the league as a whole.
Whoever eventually winds up landing the job, Radakovich says he, and the rest of the athletic directors, know exactly what they are looking for in the next ACC commissioner.
"As in any good leader, the bar continues to move as it relates to communication, Radakovich said. "I think communicating with the league, with the individual schools within the league. Being there, going to their campuses, understanding how those campuses work, will give you a great understanding of how you can then move the league forward.
"Certainly the big bogey that's out there for the league is trying to understand how we can create additional revenue for our members. That's, first and foremost. We have a television contract it's in force, but how do we look to make that better. And how do we create other revenue streams within the league that helps our membership and how's that trickle down to our student-athletes."
While there haven't been very many positives to come out of the pandemic when it comes to college sports, Radakovich says there is one area in which conference officials have improved. They have used the time to grow as a league, to understand each of the member institutions better, and going forward, the Clemson A.D. says that can only make things better.
"Over the last, I think five months of this pandemic," Radakovich said. "Our athletic directors have been on zoom calls and other types of communications, twice, three times a week. We've become very close as a league, understanding different school's ideologies and where they sit on certain issues."
You can follow us for future coverage by clicking "Follow" on the top right-hand corner of the page. Also, be sure to like us on Facebook & Twitter
