Wren Baker to West Virginia

[Dannymacfan]

Looks like WVU hired Wren based on his outstanding fundraising and building facilities.  We need to get someone that can fill his huge shoes in that department for sure.

 

Edited November 30, 2022 by Dannymacfan

[golfingomez]

2 hours ago, southsideguy said:

he could have fired SL going out the door and he would not have to worry about the donors because he is out of here.  

the timing could not have been worse.

the timing definitely could have been worse. We could have been involved in negotiations with a major sponsor for the remaining athletic facilities that would have brought in $500,000,000 to the athletic program and then Wren gets hired away and the deal falls through. 

Or what if there was a 5 star recruit that was Wren's nephew and he had promised his uncle he would play wherever his uncle was and then Wren leaves right before signing day?

Or what if Wren had was on the cusp of curing cancer and then he got hired away by West Va, and he decided to stop working on the whole 'cancer thing'?

[NorthTexasWeLove]

1 minute ago, golfingomez said:

the timing definitely could have been worse. We could have been involved in negotiations with a major sponsor for the remaining athletic facilities that would have brought in $500,000,000 to the athletic program and then Wren gets hired away and the deal falls through. 

Or what if there was a 5 star recruit that was Wren's nephew and he had promised his uncle he would play wherever his uncle was and then Wren leaves right before signing day?

Or what if Wren had was on the cusp of curing cancer and then he got hired away by West Va, and he decided to stop working on the whole 'cancer thing'?

[JT Hammons]

My advise?  You better get on the phone with Seth right now, hat in hand and get him locked up before Wren decides to lure him to the mountains!

[NorthTexasWeLove]

1 minute ago, JT Hammons said:

My advise?  You better get on the phone with Seth right now, hat in hand and get him locked up before Wren decides to lure him to the mountains!

[golfingomez]

56 minutes ago, ADLER said:

Not to spook anybody but, West Virginia's legendary basketball coach Bob Huggins turns 70 this upcoming summer, and has compiled a 28-43 conference record over the last four seasons.

If any changes occur, who do you think would be on Wren's short list of potential replacements?

Tony Denton?

[Matt from A700]

2 minutes ago, JT Hammons said:

My advise?  You better get on the phone with Seth right now, hat in hand and get him locked up before Wren decides to lure him to the mountains!

Can't wait to hear your Troll of the Year award acceptance speech!

[Quoner]

3 minutes ago, JT Hammons said:

My advise?  You better get on the phone with Seth right now, hat in hand and get him locked up before Wren decides to lure him to the mountains!

Promise?

[MeanGreenGlory]

2 minutes ago, JT Hammons said:

My advise?  You better get on the phone with Seth right now, hat in hand and get him locked up before Wren decides to lure him to the mountains!

[Cr1028]

50 minutes ago, meangreenbob said:

Maybe he needed to get out of the choke hold being applied by BMDS? 

Yes, there is no problem worse for an athletic director than having people willing to donate large sums of money.

[Jonnyeagle]

Welp, it's officially official now:

LINK:  https://wvutoday.wvu.edu/stories/2022/11/30/wren-baker-to-lead-wvu-athletics

West Virginia University has named Wren Baker as its next vice president and director of Intercollegiate Athletics.

Baker comes to Morgantown from the University of North Texas, where he has been the vice president and athletics director since 2016. With previous stops at Missouri, Memphis, Northwest Missouri and Rogers State, Baker brings more than 20 years of experience to WVU as its 13th director of Athletics.

“I am thrilled to welcome Wren Baker to the West Virginia University family as our new athletic director and I have no doubt his personality and energy will connect with our student-athletes and coaches, as well as our campus community and alumni,” President Gordon Gee said. 

“When we began this search, we were determined to find someone who could lead in the modern realities of intercollegiate athletics and build on the legacy of his predecessors,” Gee added. “We wanted someone who clearly understood the dynamics of a fast-changing athletics environment and had found success being at the forefront of this new world that includes managing NIL and the portal. We looked at a number of well-qualified candidates and, at the end of the day, Wren met every one of our needs.”

Baker will have oversight of 18 varsity sports, a department budget of more than $90 million, approximately 250 employees and nearly 500 student-athletes.

“I am incredibly grateful to President Gee, Rob Alsop, the search committee and Board of Governors for the opportunity to serve as vice president and director of athletics at West Virginia University,” Baker said. “WVU boasts a powerful brand reputation and a storied academic and athletic history. My family and I can’t wait to get to Morgantown to build relationships and help take Mountaineer Athletics to even greater heights.” 

At North Texas, seven programs (men’s cross country, volleyball, women’s soccer, football, men’s basketball, women’s golf and softball) combined to win 17 conference or division championships during Baker’s tenure, and the overall athletic department’s winning percentage in the last year was the best in the modern era. In 2019, every team achieved a winning season for the first time in school history. He led 18 head coaching searches, and his hires have a combined winning percentage of nearly 70%.

UNT student-athletes excelled in the classroom under Baker’s leadership, posting top APR scores and setting four consecutive department Graduation Success Rate records. Every team recorded a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher with the spring 2022 department GPA hitting a 3.206 average.

Baker also led record fundraising years at North Texas. The school registered its four best fundraising years in its history, and the overall top five largest gifts at UNT came under Baker’s leadership. He guided North Texas athletics to a school record for fundraising in a single year, nearly doubling the previous department record.

Ticket revenue increased by 125% under Baker, and football attendance grew by 71%, while men’s and women’s basketball crowds grew by more than 60%. Additional achievements at North Texas included a five-year strategic plan, new 20-year facilities master plan and lucrative contracts for multi-media rights, licensing, apparel and equipment.

Originally from Valliant, Oklahoma, Baker earned his bachelor's degree in education from Southeastern Oklahoma State in 2001 where he was a member of the honors program. He went on to earn his master's degree in education leadership from Oklahoma State in 2003. He and his wife, Heather, a Bokchito, Oklahoma, native, have two daughters, Addisyn and Reagan.

Baker begins his duties at WVU on Dec. 19 under a six-year agreement through Dec. 31, 2028, and will earn a yearly compensation of $1.1M, plus incentives.

WVU’s Directors of Athletics:

Anthony Chez - 1904-13

E.R. Sweetland – 1913-14

George Pyle – 1914-17

Harry Stansbury – 1917-38

Roy “Legs” Hawley – 1938-54

Robert “Red” Brown – 1954-72

Leland Byrd – 1972-78

Richard Martin – 1978-81

Fred Schaus – 1981-89

Ed Pastilong – 1989 - 2010

Oliver Luck – 2010-2014

Shane Lyons – 2014-22

Wren Baker – 2022-

Wren Baker will join President Gordon Gee for a news conference on Monday, Dec. 5, at 10 a.m. in the Football Team Room at the Milan Puskar Center which will also be streamed via WVU Sports on Facebook and Twitter.

Edited November 30, 2022 by Jonnyeagle

[UNTLifer]

lucrative contracts for multi-media rights, licensing, apparel and equipment.

Fixed.

[MeanGreen4Life1998]

He should take Littrell with him

[meangreenbob]

1 minute ago, Cr1028 said:

Yes, there is no problem worse for an athletic director than having people willing to donate large sums of money.

Seriously? Of course there is if their donations mean you have no decision making authority but are the one being blamed for what is actually their  incompetency, mediocrity and failure.  

[NorthTexasWeLove]

1 minute ago, meangreenbob said:

Seriously? Of course there is if their donations mean you have no decision making authority but are the one being blamed for what is actually their  incompetency, mediocrity and failure.  

[Salsa_Verde]

3 hours ago, cousin oliver said:

This is terrible news.  Wren was the best AD we ever had.  This is the worst possible news and timing we could have.

My brother in Christ…get it together you’re scaring the children. 

[gordo nation]

1 hour ago, UNTLifer said:

WVU is in a beautiful area with nothing close by, a depressed economy and a true outlier in the Big XII.  I wish Baker well, but really wonder if he made a good decision.  

Power 5 is power 5... When the opportunity comes, you take it. 

 

Seth Littrell learned that the hard way IMO

[ADLER]

11 hours ago, Hunter Green said:

This is why Seth has to get a short extension.  Otherwise the football program will become unstable and players will bail en masse.  Allow him to build on this season and take that into the AAC. We have a good, young nucleus of players returning. 

I think that Wren leaving ensures that Seth will be here next season. But I believe that any extension for Seth will now be dependent upon his and the teams performance in the 2023 football season. He's got a hell of an opportunity, a full season to make an impression. He needs to recruit his ass off, live and breath coaching football (bye-bye golf), burn every stitch of his "disgruntled me" black clothing, and seriously promote the hell out of this program (bye-bye playing with toes while wearing flipflops during speaking engagements).

There is no question that Seth has the ability, he does, but he hasn't yet produced results that may impress a new athletic director who arrives with a list of candidates, and a fan base that requires at least moderate success in important games to keep making financial and emotional investments in the program.

He'll have a season to show what he can do. He'll have huge challenges without an extended contract and will face a big step up in competition. But it's still a shot which very few thought he'd have that a month ago.

Produce and huge opportunities will come, just ask Willie Fritz. Prioritize golf, black clothing, and flipflops and he could be a lame duck following the South Alabama game.

Is Seth, his coaching staff, and the players he's signed during his eight year tenure up to that challenge?

Edited December 1, 2022 by ADLER

[gordo nation]

8 minutes ago, Salsa_Verde said:

My brother in Christ…get it together you’re scaring the children. 

Seriously though... Of course it's unfortunate to see him go, but Wren put us in a position where we have the ability to hire a replacement of extreme quality... THAT'S how building a program works. 

Leave it to Wren to somehow manage to leave a positive impact on UNT by his own departure. 

There's a reason this man was hired...

[gordo nation]

Just now, ADLER said:

I think that Wren leaving ensures that Seth will be here next season. But I believe that any extension for Seth will now be dependent upon his and the teams performance in the 2023 football season. He's got a hell of an opportunity, a full season to make an impression. He needs to recruit his ass off, live and breath coaching football (bye-bye golf), burn every stitch of his "disgruntled me" black clothing, and seriously promote the hell out of this program (bye-bye playing with toes while wearing flipflops during speaking engagements).

There is no question that Seth has the ability, he does, but he hasn't yet produced results that may impress a new athletic director who arrives with a list of candidates, and a fan base that requires at least moderate success in important games to keep make financial and emotional investments in the program.

He'll have a season to show what he can do. He'll have huge challenges without an extended contract and face a big step up in competition. But it's still a shot, and very few thought he'd have that a month ago.

Produce and huge opportunities will come, just ask Willie Fritz. Prioritize golf, black clothing, and flipflops and he could be a lame duck following the South Alabama game.

Is Seth, his coaching staff, and the players he's signed during his eight year tenure up to that challenge?

This is also a great scenario because it gives Seth a chance in the AAC. We will have much more justification to either fire or keep him after the conclusion of next year's season

[Salsa_Verde]

3 hours ago, TripleGrad said:

I wish Wren well in his new journey.  While I wish he'd been more decisive about Seth, at the time of the original extension, given what we knew at the time, it was the right call.  Wren was instrumental in moving out of C-USA.  That alone was a tremendous achievement.  

Nobody could expect a G5 AD not to take a good P5 spot if the opportunity comes around.  

I hope the next AD here can build on the successes.

Instrumental how? He was on vacation when the AAC announced the new teams. You guys can give him his credit fine but North Texas is a good job and can make you look good if you’re competent. 

[TheColonyEagle]

50 minutes ago, NorthTexasWeLove said:

Apogee lost its lust on that fateful night LaTech blocked our game winning fg attempt many moons ago. We have been spiraling, granted with few bump ups, downward ever since. It was fun. The place had energy. Attendance was increasing. There was excitement. Recruiting was decent. That night the bubble did burst, imo. 

The moment before that kick was attempted was the absolute pinnacle of the Seth Littrell era and it hasn't been that high since. The crowd and atmosphere that game proves that what you said in another thread about hiring winners and everything falls into place is right on. Wren Baker had the same game day experience then as he does now. The difference is we were 4-0, had beaten a P5 were knocking on the door of the top 25....and the people showed up to see a winner and potential nationally ranked team. And we all know what happened next.

Funny games on the field and corny dogs don't bring people.....winning (real winning....undefeated teams....top 25.....national attention winning) brings crowds. Want a good game day atmosphere at Apogee? Have 32K there making noise. 

[Salsa_Verde]

3 minutes ago, gordo nation said:

Seriously though... Of course it's unfortunate to see him go, but Wren put us in a position where we have the ability to hire a replacement of extreme quality... THAT'S how building a program works. 

Leave it to Wren to somehow manage to leave a positive impact on UNT by his own departure. 

There's a reason this man was hired...

Wren made awesome hires with Men’s basketball and softball. He was a great AD relative to what North Texas has had.  

[untphd]

24 minutes ago, Jonnyeagle said:

Welp, it's officially official now:

LINK:  https://wvutoday.wvu.edu/stories/2022/11/30/wren-baker-to-lead-wvu-athletics

West Virginia University has named Wren Baker as its next vice president and director of Intercollegiate Athletics.

Baker comes to Morgantown from the University of North Texas, where he has been the vice president and athletics director since 2016. With previous stops at Missouri, Memphis, Northwest Missouri and Rogers State, Baker brings more than 20 years of experience to WVU as its 13th director of Athletics.

“I am thrilled to welcome Wren Baker to the West Virginia University family as our new athletic director and I have no doubt his personality and energy will connect with our student-athletes and coaches, as well as our campus community and alumni,” President Gordon Gee said. 

“When we began this search, we were determined to find someone who could lead in the modern realities of intercollegiate athletics and build on the legacy of his predecessors,” Gee added. “We wanted someone who clearly understood the dynamics of a fast-changing athletics environment and had found success being at the forefront of this new world that includes managing NIL and the portal. We looked at a number of well-qualified candidates and, at the end of the day, Wren met every one of our needs.”

Baker will have oversight of 18 varsity sports, a department budget of more than $90 million, approximately 250 employees and nearly 500 student-athletes.

“I am incredibly grateful to President Gee, Rob Alsop, the search committee and Board of Governors for the opportunity to serve as vice president and director of athletics at West Virginia University,” Baker said. “WVU boasts a powerful brand reputation and a storied academic and athletic history. My family and I can’t wait to get to Morgantown to build relationships and help take Mountaineer Athletics to even greater heights.” 

At North Texas, seven programs (men’s cross country, volleyball, women’s soccer, football, men’s basketball, women’s golf and softball) combined to win 17 conference or division championships during Baker’s tenure, and the overall athletic department’s winning percentage in the last year was the best in the modern era. In 2019, every team achieved a winning season for the first time in school history. He led 18 head coaching searches, and his hires have a combined winning percentage of nearly 70%.

UNT student-athletes excelled in the classroom under Baker’s leadership, posting top APR scores and setting four consecutive department Graduation Success Rate records. Every team recorded a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher with the spring 2022 department GPA hitting a 3.206 average.

Baker also led record fundraising years at North Texas. The school registered its four best fundraising years in its history, and the overall top five largest gifts at UNT came under Baker’s leadership. He guided North Texas athletics to a school record for fundraising in a single year, nearly doubling the previous department record.

Ticket revenue increased by 125% under Baker, and football attendance grew by 71%, while men’s and women’s basketball crowds grew by more than 60%. Additional achievements at North Texas included a five-year strategic plan, new 20-year facilities master plan and lucrative contracts for multi-media rights, licensing, apparel and equipment.

Originally from Valliant, Oklahoma, Baker earned his bachelor's degree in education from Southeastern Oklahoma State in 2001 where he was a member of the honors program. He went on to earn his master's degree in education leadership from Oklahoma State in 2003. He and his wife, Heather, a Bokchito, Oklahoma, native, have two daughters, Addisyn and Reagan.

Baker begins his duties at WVU on Dec. 19 under a six-year agreement through Dec. 31, 2028, and will earn a yearly compensation of $1.1M, plus incentives.

WVU’s Directors of Athletics:

Anthony Chez - 1904-13

E.R. Sweetland – 1913-14

George Pyle – 1914-17

Harry Stansbury – 1917-38

Roy “Legs” Hawley – 1938-54

Robert “Red” Brown – 1954-72

Leland Byrd – 1972-78

Richard Martin – 1978-81

Fred Schaus – 1981-89

Ed Pastilong – 1989 - 2010

Oliver Luck – 2010-2014

Shane Lyons – 2014-22

Wren Baker – 2022-

Wren Baker will join President Gordon Gee for a news conference on Monday, Dec. 5, at 10 a.m. in the Football Team Room at the Milan Puskar Center which will also be streamed via WVU Sports on Facebook and Twitter.

So, he is basically doubling his salary. That is what helps people move on to new horizens.

[EastTexasMG]

I blame Trent Dilfer…….