SI.com Profiles the Lead Dawg

Damon Evans

In case you missed it, SI.com columnist Aditi Kinkhabwala wrote a great piece on UGA athletic director Damon Evans last week. She detailed Damon's nine year rise through the ranks at the UGA athletic department from financial analyst to AD.

While Damon inherited one of the best athletic programs in the country from Vince Dooley, he made it better by earning more money, increasing student GPAs through his class attendance policy, and stepping up football scheduling to increase the national profile of UGA athletics. All of this while not only deftly handling the pressure of being young (for an AD) and the SEC's first black AD (a designation Damon seems to appreciate but not dwell on, to his credit).

With all that being said, Damon has yet to make a critical decision that is known to the entire fanbase, like hiring a coach for football or basketball. It's those decisions that make or break an AD. The average Dawg fan doesn't care about profitability or (unfortunately) graduation rates. They want wins. It sounds like Damon appreciates this reality. Given his great start, Bulldog Nation should have a confidence that the athletic department is in good hands.

Quinton McDawg

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