With interim title gone, FSU A.D. Coburn focusing on major initiatives

AMELIA ISLAND, Fla. -- The "interim" title wasn't necessarily a problem for David Coburn.

Once he and Florida State University President John Thrasher began to sense it becoming an issue for the coaches and staff members in the Seminoles' athletics department, however, it was time to make a change.

Coburn, who has served as FSU's interim athletics director since August, no longer had that qualifier in his title when he arrived here this week for the Atlantic Coast Conference's spring meetings. And while very little will change about his day-to-day responsibilities, Coburn said the move will bring, "a sense of stability for the department, which was needed."

Without naming specific coaches who voiced concerns, Coburn said several made it clear that they wanted to know if he was going to be leading the department for the short term or the long term.

"They crave stability," he said. "And the staff feel that pressure from the coaches. So it kind of ripples through the entire department."

With that out of the way, Coburn now is free to focus on the three major initiatives that have demanded much of his attention since he took the position -- stabilizing the athletics department's financial picture, repairing relationships with Seminole Boosters, and hiring a baseball coach to replace legendary skipper Mike Martin.

While the baseball hire is the most pressing need and shoring up the department's finances is the most important, Coburn seemed most excited Tuesday about the strides that have been made in mending fences with the boosters.

"I think we're making a lot of progress there," he said. "I'm hoping that now we can move on with solidifying things the way we want them to be. And I'm confident that we're going to be able to do that."

For decades, Seminole Boosters Inc. has operated as the athletics department's fundraising arm without actually falling under the auspices of the athletics director. While the A.D. is responsible for establishing the department's budget and making decisions about expenditures, most major projects cannot be accomplished without the support of the Boosters.

There have been periods of time when that arrangement worked fine, but it seemed to fall apart toward the end of Jimbo Fisher's tenure as head football coach. According to multiple sources, Fisher had strong views about where the program should be devoting its resources, former athletics director Stan Wilcox had different views, and both had less-than-ideal relationships with Seminole Boosters President and CEO Andy Miller.