Heeke vows fresh vision
Daniel AbbeyOne thing is for sure when David Heeke takes over as athletics director Jan. 16.
“I won’t pretend to be Herb,” he said. “He is an icon in this profession and we wouldn’t be here today without his leadership.”
Men’s basketball coach Jay Smith was one of many CMU coaches in attendance when Heeke was introduced as the new athletics director Thursday.
And right away, the two leaders have something in common.
Enthusiasm.
“I was really excited about the energy level he brought today,” Smith said.
Smith, who is famous for his foot stomp and hand clap on the sideline of Rose Arena, was almost outdone by Heeke who spoke very knowledgeably about CMU and his passion to take over the athletics department.
He acknowledged current Athletics Director Herb Deromedi’s 12-year reign, and almost came to tears when talking about bringing his family back to Michigan.
“I am very blessed to be here,” he said. “I understand the traditions and values of CMU and I think we are going to do great things.”
Smith wasn’t the only coach who was impressed with Heeke and his accomplishments as senior associate athletics director at the University of Oregon.
Football coach Brian Kelly, who also was a member of the AD search committee, said Heeke’s communication skills set him apart from the other candidates.
“He is a very driven man, and that is what we need,” he said. “A lot of his background is in external affairs and the mold of an AD now is one with a great deal of external experience.”
Fund-raising was one of the priorities the search committee looked at, and Heeke seems poised to bring CMU’s budget out of the Mid-American Conference’s cellar.
He had much success at Oregon with such advertisements as a billboard of then-quarterback Joey Harrington in New York and ads in USA Today.
Mount Pleasant doesn’t have as big of a market as Eugene, Ore., but Heeke still said the new regime is going to have to step outside the box.
“Private funding is critical,” he said. “We need people to step forward and assist us. We will have to think of new and different things.”
The major fund-raising project at CMU is the proposed events center. Standing on the floor at Rose Arena, Heeke said there definitely needs to be change.
“We need to look at upgrading this facility or the addition of a new one,” Heeke said. “We need to assist our basketball programs in recruiting because it is very hard for our coaches.”
