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A matter of trust: Why Thrasher picked David Coburn to lead FSU Athletics

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Editor's Note: Warchant managing editor Ira Schoffel sat down with Florida State University President John Thrasher and Athletics Director David Coburn in separate conversations recently to discuss a variety of issues facing the Seminoles' athletics program.

This is the final part of a three-part series. The first story explained FSU's financial challenges, how much of a jolt the Seminoles expect to receive from the new ACC Network and what improvement might come from the restructuring of the athletics department's relationship with Seminole Boosters. The second piece focused on Florida State's recent football struggles and what the administration thinks about the changes Willie Taggart made after his first season as FSU's head coach.

Today, we'll take a closer look at Coburn's lengthy working relationship with Thrasher and why he was the right fit to be the Seminoles' athletics director.

David Coburn (left) and John Thrasher (right) stand on the sideline during a Florida State football game.
David Coburn (left) and John Thrasher (right) stand on the sideline during a Florida State football game. (Gene Williams/Warchant.com)
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During a break earlier this month at the ACC spring meetings -- an event that brings together the conference's most prominent coaches, its athletics directors and other league executives -- David Coburn confided to a small group of reporters that he felt a little out of place.

Even after eight months of running Florida State's athletics department on a temporary basis -- he had the "interim" tag removed from his athletics director title just days before that trip to Amelia Island, Fla., -- Coburn acknowledged that he still was getting tripped up by some of the jargon being thrown around by others.

"Just learning the language -- you know, the acronyms," Coburn said with a hint of amusement. "You feel like a fool sometimes sitting in meetings."

Coburn, of course, is nobody's fool. He owns a master's degree in urban and regional planning, as well as a Juris Doctorate from the FSU College of Law.

Before he became Florida State's 16th athletics director, he served as chief of staff and top confidante for two FSU presidents. Before that, he spent more than 30 years in a variety of significant roles in the Florida Legislature -- he was chief of staff for the House of Representatives under two different Speakers, he was chief of staff for the Senate, and he was Gov. Lawton Chiles' director of Planning and Budgeting in the early 1990s.

Displaying the uncommon ability to be a trusted adviser to both Democrats and Republicans, Coburn carved out a reputation for being both a fierce negotiator and a creative problem solver. He was described routinely in media reports as the state's "budget guru" -- both for his depth of knowledge as well as his ability to convince sparring groups to give and take to make the numbers work.

It was while serving in that capacity that Coburn first developed a decades-long bond with current FSU President John Thrasher -- a relationship that's at the core of a reshaping of Florida State's athletics department.

At the time, Coburn already had more than 20 years of experience in the state budgeting process. Thrasher, meanwhile, was a relative newcomer, having been elected Speaker of the House after just six years in the Legislature.

While sitting in his corner office of the Westcott Building last week -- roughly a mile away from the state Capitol, where they first worked together -- Thrasher was quick to admit how heavily he relied on Coburn's expertise back in those days. He reflected on holding weekly meetings with Coburn and Ken Pruitt, the then-chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, to try and get up to speed.

"Our budget at the time was about $50 billion ... that was a huge amount of money," Thrasher said. "I just felt like I needed to know as much as I could -- drinking out of a fire hose. And David was a huge, huge help in those early days. And we became close. Absolutely."

One of the many things Thrasher learned to appreciate about Coburn was his candor. If the new Speaker of the House was about to make a questionable decision, Coburn would make sure he understood the ramifications. He wasn't another "yes man" trying to curry favor with an elected leader.

"He's a guy who likes people to tell him what he needs to hear, and I was willing to do that from the beginning," Coburn said. "And he figured that out. So we developed some trust in our relationship. And once we did that, then we spent more and more time together."

Over the next several years, as Thrasher was elected to the Florida Senate and later tabbed to be president of Florida State University, that relationship would continue to bloom, with both men learning what made the other tick.

Eventually, they would get to the point where they could tell what the other was thinking without even speaking.

"Once that happens, then you get a level of comfort that, when he's not around, you can make the call, because you know what he's gonna say and decide," Coburn said. "And then you know when you can't do that, and you've got to talk to him first. It makes a huge difference. And over time, we got to that point.

"It's as much time together as it is compatible personalities."

That doesn't mean the two have always agreed when it comes to minor -- or major -- decisions.

They didn't then, and they don't now.

"Right!" Coburn said. "But he knows I'm comfortable enough to tell him when I don't. And he also knows that I understand that when he makes the final call, I'm going to go do what he says."

Right person, right time

While it might seem unorthodox on the surface, the appointment of David Coburn to Florida State athletics director is not unprecedented.

In the Atlantic Coast Conference alone, he is one of four A.D.s who had little to no experience working in athletics before assuming their current roles.

Most recently, Louisville tabbed businessman Vince Tyra to lead its department after a scandal rocked the program and led to the dismissals of men's basketball coach Rick Pitino and athletics director Tom Jurich. Before that, Syracuse hired longtime television executive John Wildhack away from ESPN. Even Notre Dame A.D. Jack Swarbrick, who is one of the most respected leaders in college athletics, was a successful attorney before being hired at his alma mater in 2008.

So while Coburn might not know all of the lingo just yet, that's of little consequence to Thrasher. That's not why he placed him in that role in the first place.

The fifth-year university president had some very specific goals in mind -- most notably shoring up the Seminoles' finances and repairing the athletics department's relationship with Seminole Boosters Inc. -- and Coburn is uniquely qualified to handle both. He not only is imminently experienced in working with finances, but he also is longtime friends with Seminole Boosters President and CEO Andy Miller.

"It's a big business," Thrasher said, noting that FSU's athletics budget hovers above $110 million each year. "And you need somebody like a David Coburn there to kind of make sure the dollars are spent effectively and efficiently."

Especially given Florida State's current circumstances.

While no one has publicly pointed a finger at former athletics director Stan Wilcox, the Seminoles operated with a $3.6 million shortfall during Wilcox's final year at FSU before he left for an executive position with the NCAA last August. Shortly after Coburn took over, he realized that the department would face a similar deficit in Fiscal Year 2019 as well, and 2020 would potentially be an even greater challenge.

It wasn't necessarily a doomsday scenario. But with costs continuing to soar across college athletics, FSU's revenues being weakened by decreasing season ticket sales, plus uncertainty about how much money will be generated by the ACC Network, Coburn knew swift action was needed.

Several relatively minor cost-cutting measures were enacted across the board, and other projects that were already in the pipeline -- such as scoreboards and stadium improvements for several sports -- had to be pushed down the road.

While some of Coburn's early moves led to bristling from various coaches and staffers behind the scenes, Thrasher said Coburn has worked hard to remind everyone that this temporary belt-tightening in the short term will be better for the entire department in the long term.

"We're saying, 'Let's take a pause and look where we are, and remember where our priorities are,'" Thrasher said. "We're all in this together. I think our coaches understand that we've got some issues that we need to fix. And once we fix those issues, I think everybody's going to be fine. ...

"If you can say, 'No,' with a legitimate rationale of why you're doing it, I think most people will buy into that."

Coburn refined his tactics in that area during 34 years in the Legislature, although he acknowledges that reducing expenses in college athletics can be more difficult than it was in state government. While working on the state's budget, Coburn said, he was able to juggle priorities more often -- perhaps funding one group this year and another group the next year. He could call upon a variety of tricks of the trade.

In athletics, many of the biggest costs are fixed -- items such as coaches' salaries, scholarships for hundreds of student-athletes, field maintenance and transportation to games. Those items have to be funded continually, with little to no wiggle room.

At the same time, however, there are some areas that can present opportunities for savings, and Coburn has been hammering that point home every chance he gets.

"He's a guy that makes you think before you go spend a dollar," Thrasher said. "I'll say that. And I think that's what I needed over there right now. Making the trains run on time, but also balancing the budget. And he's gone a long way to getting there."

Said Coburn: "Part of it is just changing the culture so that people are constantly thinking -- before they come ask for something -- what's it gonna cost? I'm not sure people have paid a lot of attention to that in the past. But now, they're all paying attention to that. So that's a first win."

What the future holds

FSU hasn't yet released details of Coburn's new contract as the Seminoles' athletics director, but Thrasher did confirm to Warchant that such a document is in the works.

And that's significant because Thrasher's own contract -- barring another extension from the Board of Trustees -- is set to expire in just over 18 months. If Coburn signs on for a multi-year deal, there's a chance he could remain in the A.D. role under a new president.

Both Thrasher and Coburn told Warchant that they have no idea if that will happen, but it certainly seems like a possibility.

"He said, 'Look, I want you in there. It makes me comfortable. You can do it as long as you want,'" Coburn said, when asked about Thrasher removing his interim tag. "He has his plan. I don't really have a plan. I'm gonna play it by ear. I spent 34 years in the Legislature -- every two years, everything changed. So I learned, you don't have a plan."

Said Thrasher: "I don't know what his ambitions for the future are and how long he plans to stay. We'll work all of that out. But for right now, I think it's a very positive thing for Florida State."

Thrasher didn't necessarily know back in August whether Coburn would work out as a long-term solution. First, Coburn needed to decide if this was something he was comfortable doing and enjoyed. Then, Thrasher had to see how the department responded to its new leader.

"David and I never talked about, 'In eight months, we're going to make you permanent,'" Thrasher said, noting that he has used a similar approach when filling senior-level positions within the university. "I just said, 'Do the job. Let's see where we are as we get down the road.'"

"Like any job, it has its good days and its bad days," Coburn said. "But it's been a challenge, and I've enjoyed it. Great people to work with. And being a sports nut, what more could you want? You're immersed in it every day."

As might be expected, given the pressure he's placed on many staffers to control expenses, the reviews inside the department have been somewhat mixed. Some grouse about having to get by without the amenities that might be available in rival athletics departments. Others appreciate his direct, no-nonsense demeanor.

"It's great to have someone who understands Florida State, understands our problems and also understands our goals and where we can get," second-year football coach Willie Taggart said. "And someone that ... LOVES Florida State. It's always great to have someone like that. That you know one thing they're gonna always do is what's best for our university and for our athletics department."

For now, that means focusing most of his attention on generating additional revenue to help the athletics department get back on solid ground financially. At Florida State, like at most Power 5 schools, that means improving the football product and filling the home stadium on six or seven Saturdays each fall.

The ACC's new linear television channel is expected to provide dividends down the road as well, but no one knows exactly how much money will be produced or how quickly.

"The biggest thing we've got to do is we've got to sell football tickets," Coburn said. "And to do that, we've got to have better home schedules. And we've got to win."

Under Coburn's guidance, Florida State has made strides in both areas. First, the Seminoles overhauled the football coaching staff, which should have them better positioned for success in 2019 and beyond. And they also recently announced a home-and-home series with the Georgia Bulldogs in 2027-28.

Other high-profile, non-conference matchups have been in the works as well, as the 'Noles strive to fight a nationwide trend of declining attendance at live sporting events. It's the combination of that -- and the continuing threat of cable television "cord-cutting," which could damage TV revenue down the line -- that have Coburn concerned about the entire economic model of college athletics.

"I'm more concerned than ever," Coburn said. "It seems like every passing month, you look at the data, and people aren't buying tickets to live sporting events. People don't want to pay for packages on cable. It's a challenge. Every major professional league is worried about it, and every college is worried about it."

Which is why Coburn is so determined to improve the Seminoles' bottom line. He doesn't want any of the school's programs to do without, but he also needs them to realize that money is not an infinite resource.

Coburn's greatest fear is having the department saddled with a great deal of debt and several high-priced, long-term coaching contracts, at a time when the market goes soft.

"You can really get hurt," he said. "And that's what I'm trying to keep my eye on. You're a steward, and you've got to take that responsibility seriously. I want to leave this department in a better situation than I found it. And it's a challenge."

Several other initiatives have his attention as well. The Seminoles are moving forward with the construction of a standalone football operations center, and the baseball and softball stadiums are in line for renovations. Facility improvements are coming for basketball and other programs as well.

And while he doesn't know exactly how long he'll stay in the position -- whether or not he'll remain after Thrasher's retirement -- Coburn would love to continue FSU's impressive run of success in soccer, softball and other sports. He is a regular at most Seminole home events and sweated through every inning of the softball team's three-game Super Regional last weekend.

With just nine months under his belt, it's far too early to know what Coburn's legacy will be as Florida State's athletics director.

Given his druthers, he'd rather not be known primarily as a "bean counter" who managed the bottom line. He has hopes for championships in multiple sports, and he takes great pride in the individual and team accomplishments of Florida State's student-athletes.

"But if I don't get that (the finances) taken care of, I'll be a failure," he said. "Now, if I do, and we come out of this OK, then you start looking for other ways to define your time."

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