Part 2: Interview with Seminole Boosters President/CEO Stephen Ponder
This is Part 2 of our sit-down interview with Stephen Ponder, who recently was named president and CEO of Seminole Boosters.
If you missed Part 1, you can read it here.
In the second half of our conversation, Ponder speaks about FSU's fundraising efforts for a standalone football facility, his relationship with athletics director Michael Alford, his previous interactions with Florida State Athletics, the renewed interest in baseball and more.
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Q: As you mentioned previously, and as Michael Alford has said in the past, the standalone football building is the top priority from a facilities standpoint. And Michael has said the goal is to break ground at the end of this coming season. Is there a specific dollar number that has to be met, in terms of cash in hand, for that to happen?
A: There are numbers, but we don’t want to transfer a stress that we have to hit goals to anybody else. We do have goals, and our staff knows we have got to hit numbers. I wouldn’t say it's like an either-or/do-or-die, but there is a scoreboard. We need to raise money, and we need to fund the project. So yeah, we want to raise as much money for it as we can. Because the sooner we can get that project done, we know there are other projects behind it. We're right at a tick under $60 million on that facility itself. And obviously we know -- when it was designed, with construction costs and everything else -- it's going to be more than we anticipated. So back to a coach's (mentality), we are just going to play the next play and keep raising money.
Q: I've heard a lot of good things recently around the athletics department about the cohesion between you and Michael and how that aligns with President McCullough and the Board of Trustees, which is led by Peter Collins. It seems like people in the department can sense that alignment, especially since it hasn't always been there in the past.
A: Yeah, but look, back to when you were talking about Seminole Boosters in the past ... I watched Seminole Boosters when I was with the Wolfpack Club back at N.C. State. I watched Seminole Boosters when I was at Arizona State. And for me, it's an iconic brand. Meaning that, in the college athletics fundraising world, I think that is where Seminole Boosters is (at the top). But I think we can be better.
When you look at the last what, 40-45 years, there have only been three different people to lead Seminole Boosters, and I'm honored to do that. And I've heard stories about the way it has been in the past, etc. All I know today is that Seminole Boosters is vital to the success of Florida State Athletics and, quite frankly, for the university at large, just because of relationships. So the alignment from President McCullough, Peter Collins as board chair, Michael as athletic director and me, I think it's great because we do all have the same vision, which is to be the best.
That doesn’t mean we’re going to agree on everything. There are times Michael and I talk about stuff that we don’t agree, but when we leave the room, we agree. So there's great alignment from that standpoint. But there’s got to be some room in there for discussion. And there is plenty of healthy discussion. But there is total alignment in that we have one goal in mind, and that is to make Florida State -- and all of its entities, if you will -- be the best it can be.
Q: It's funny you mentioned that you and Michael don't always agree, because that's another thing I've heard. I think a lot of people expected you two to always be on the same page, but they've been impressed that you don't shy away from telling him if you have a different opinion. How do you navigate that?
A: I've heard that too (laughing). I've heard that. Yeah, I think that search process when Michael became athletic director in January, there was a pretty long search for the next president and CEO ...
Q: Which is another thing I think people in the department didn't expect.
A: Yeah, I think there were some rumors of what was going to happen. But ultimately, I'm very thankful for the search -- for a lot of reasons. One is that from a process standpoint, there were a lot of people from across the country involved in that. And I think the Seminole Boosters board of directors -- who did the search -- they got to hear a lot of different opinions and see what was out there. Also, it gave me time, quite frankly, to run and operate Seminole Boosters, while Michael was still the interim CEO. Day to day, it gave me an opportunity to learn more in areas that I hadn't the previous six months.
But I think, like you said, the people who I work with the closest know .... they know that I'm not necessarily just going to say yes. I'm going to ask questions. But the guiding principle is I'm gonna do what's best for Seminole Boosters and for Florida State. Not just because I want it or because Michael wants it, but because it's what's best. And so yeah, I would say there's healthy friction and tension when it needs to be. Because Michael and I, we can talk about stuff, then agree or disagree. Then, "OK, let's go grab lunch."
So that's that's not a problem. That's been great. But it's the same thing with our staff. One of the things we talk about is look, the best idea wins. It's not about your title, it's not about your position. The best idea, if it's on the table, that's what we're going to do. It's not about anybody's position. Everybody's got freedom to be able to say what they think. But once we open the door, that's what we're doing. I always go back to that coaching mentality I guess, but when the coach is drawing up a play in basketball, you can't say, "Well, I just don't think that V-cut's working very well today." "Well, I told you to run the V-cut!" OK, I'm gonna run the V-cut, right? Because that's what the coach said to do. That's it.
And I think athletics teaches you so much about life. That's one of the reasons why I wanted to work in this profession, because when I started in it, I wasn't married, didn't have kids. But the more I got into it, the more I wanted my family -- and I've got two sons now, 18 and 20 -- I wanted them to be around coaches, because I think coaches are great teachers of life. And as you can tell, we model a lot of stuff we do on team. It's we, not me, and that's what we believe in.
Q: So you were at N.C State in the early 2000s when Chuck Amato left here and took the head coaching job. That means you obviously were familiar with Florida State when the football program was at its heights. What were your experiences with FSU before you came on board here?
A: Well, so my first real, real connection was with Brad Johnson, And I'm not friends with Brad -- I've met him -- but we played against each other in high school. He was two years younger than me. ... And he actually beat us on a buzzer-beater. Won't ever forget it. So I just followed him because I played against him. And so he plays football and basketball here. And then obviously I was at N.C. State when Florida State came in the league. And I just remember that team, Bob Sura and Doug Edwards and those guys, and they just crushed people. And then in football, I know the first year we played them in 1992 -- we played them in Raleigh, and we just got our brains beat in. And then in '93, we got beat out here. I think it was like 62 to 3. And so my first memories of Florida State were not good at the time. We got our brains beat in. I mean Charlie Ward was running up and down the field. So then you go 30 years later, and my son's playing for him here at Florida High. It's just amazing how God works.
But so anyway, I had great impressions of the program. And then in '99, Florida State wins the national championship, and he (Amato) becomes the head coach at N.C. State. The A.D. at N.C. State at the time was Les Robinson, and he asked me to go pick Chuck up with him. So I got to meet Chuck right away, and I worked very closely with him because we were building our football facility at the time. And Chuck did a great job.
Q: He had it rolling there for a little while.
A: Oh yeah, and he just had that charisma. He walked in the room, and N.C. State fans were hungry for somebody to believe in relative to, "Hey, let's get this thing moving." And the coaches before did a great job. But Chuck, you know, from just a charisma standpoint ... he played there and he brought people together in a way that was different and unique. Chuck brought something a little bit different that people were attracted to. And you know, he did a good job. But I'll tell you this: Chuck Amato loves Florida State. Obviously, he coached at N.C. State and played for them. But he loves this place.
Q: So Florida State is not that dominant football program anymore right now. How challenging is it to raise funds when the team is coming off of repeated losing seasons? I assume it's much easier when football is winning.
A: Yeah, I think it goes back to what we talked about, which is a relationship. And I heard this expression somewhere that it's hard to hate up close. And I've just kind of followed that philosophy with a lot of things. And it's harder to quit somebody when you're close. And the more relationships that we develop with donors, and the stronger those are, the harder it is for someone to walk away. And it's not about the relationship, but it's just part of it. Because people are involved because they love this place. They want to compete -- but the community that supports Florida State Athletics and the community that supports Florida State Football, Seminole Boosters or not -- they have a common ground. And that's really what ties everybody together.
Everybody wants to win. We want to win. But our message right now is, "Look, we understand that there have been some years where we want to be better." But this place is going to be back there. And I think Coach [Mike] Norvell will do that.
Q: You mentioned before that you've heard stories about some of the issues in the administration in the past. In my opinion, it seemed like there were times when the football program or Athletics asked for something, and if Seminole Boosters couldn't make it happen financially, it was perceived as the Boosters were telling them what they could or couldn't do. How do you manage that part of the relationship?
A: Well, I think it starts with a conversation way back before that from a planning standpoint. Again, I don't know what happened before. And I had breakfast the other day with Andy Miller (FSU's former longtime president of Seminole Boosters), and I think he did a great job when he was here. When you look around, his fingerprints are everywhere. And he built the thing from scratch and did a great job. And then Michael came in for a time period and shifted some things and changed some things, and we're gonna take it and put a different spin on it.
But I will tell you, it starts with communication daily. Not just ... and I'll give you an example. Like with former players -- across the country, not just here -- former players are a group that for whatever reason, there is not a great connection (with their universities). And so we will have an intentional effort to reach out and have a relationship with former players and talk to them, and it's not just about money. Because former players ... they put in their blood, sweat and tears here. They want to know that my time here counted, and they want to be recognized for that. We also have to balance that with the fact that we also have to raise money. And so there's a combination of that.
Well, the same thing happens with Athletics. We have to have a relationship and it not just be, "Well, let's don't talk for six months and then walk in the door and say this is what we need." When that happens, it's like, "Wait a minute. Tell me the why. And then let's build it together." And so yeah, when it comes to alignment: Hey, as long as we're talking and everybody's got the shared vision of where we're trying to go, we kind of know already. Then it's, "OK, let's get ready for what they're thinking." So that it's not just, Wham!, we need this done. "Well, wait a minute. There's a lot of steps that have to happen." So again, it goes back to communication and having a vision. And, you know, I think we're in alignment on that. So as we're moving forward, we want to communicate that to everybody so they can see, "Well, this is why we need to do that."
Because everybody loves Florida State. And we all want the same things.
Q: The coaches' clubs seem to have really taken off in recent years. Do you expect that to continue, where some donors use their money to specifically help one team?
A: That's a really good question because it goes back to the thing about priorities, from a perspective of people [only] have so much money to give. So I think that the coaches' clubs, they started really as a way to raise money for a one-time expense. But it's evolved into basically a mini-annual fund for each coach. So just from a clarification standpoint, the annual fund pays for scholarships. And we also pay for student-athlete welfare, sports medicine, weight training and some other things in the athletics department. And then the coaches' club money goes into whatever specific sport it is. And then the head coach and the sport administrator are able to use that money to subsidize that sports budget.
So for example, if they want to charter a flight and they don't have it necessarily in their budget, they can use it to charter a flight. Or if they want to bring in a guest speaker to do something, or to provide a team meal or something like that, that money is there. So yes, it is a little bit different than what it was and I think it'll still maintain that way. Because if people want to give to the coaches' clubs, that's where we want them to give. But we also want them to give to the annual fund while they're giving to the coaches' clubs. Again knowing that people have to choose what they want to do.
Q: So how many questions have you gotten about Dick Howser Stadium, especially since Link Jarrett was hired and there is so much interest in the baseball program?
A: Quite a few, and you know, sitting right behind you is a great picture of it. And I mean it's an iconic place. And Florida State's baseball history is unrivaled, thanks in large part to the Martin family. I mean, you can't talk about Florida State Baseball without talking about the Martin family. Mike Sr. and Mike Jr., I mean they built this place and did a great job. But I think for where we are with Link Jarrett coming back, I think that will galvanize former players -- it'll galvanize baseball fans at large for Florida State Baseball -- that we have an opportunity now to put it all in one direction and give people a place [they want]. ... Yes, the stadium specifically, we do need to make some improvements there.
And I think when I mentioned earlier about the Dunlap Football Center coming up, we're working on softball right now and on several projects, and there's other facility projects going on. But for sure, Dick Howser Stadium is one for sure that's out the front windshield, so to speak, that we're looking at.
Q: You guys unveiled a fundraising website when Link was hired. Did you see engagement there?
A: Yeah, yeah, there were quite a few people that went to it. And we've had people put down deposits on season tickets ... we're gonna have great crowds at baseball. And as you know, that ballpark, the viewing when you're in the stadium, is great. But we're looking just at the total experience -- from a premium seat standpoint to our students to shade and to some unique things that we could do. And then the player-performance areas, we need to give our student-athletes the best chance to be successful. So there's a lot of things that we can do, but we've just got to plan them out.
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Talk about this story with other Florida State football fans in the Tribal Council