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Coaching legend steered McNamee out of pool and into administration
George Mason's associate AD intrigued by Wright State's rapid growth and its vision for the future.
Thursday, May 08, 2008
Several years ago, when he was the swim coach at St. Bonaventure, Kevin McNamee was approached by Eddie Donovan, the legendary St. Bonny coach who became coach and general manager of the NBA's New York Knicks.
Donovan was helping his old school restructure its athletic department.
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"He said he had watched me and really wanted me to get involved in athletic administration," McNamee said. "When someone like Eddie Donovan invites you to do something and is going to be your mentor, it's kind of tough to say you don't want to go that route."
In 1988, McNamee was patched into the administrative end at St. Bonny. By 1992, he was a full-time administrator and since 1995 has been at George Mason, now as deputy associate athletic director. He is one of the four finalists for the athletic director job at Wright State.
"The types of jobs I'm interested in are the ones I feel some significant things can occur," McNamee said. "There are 330 Division I institutions. Outside of the BCS, I'm not sure how many of them are good jobs, when you look at all the factors.
"This (WSU) is a state university, as is George Mason. It is growing rapidly. It has a vision for what it can be athletically, and it has proven that it can compete in Division I athletics. That's why this is intriguing to me."
Athletically, George Mason — in the Washington suburb of Fairfax, Va. — is best known for advancing to the Final Four in men's basketball two years ago and winning the 1996 NCAA men's indoor track and field championship. McNamee was asked where WSU can go with its program.
"Anywhere it wants to (go)," McNamee said. "You have to focus on where Wright State is in the Horizon League. It's not looking at Wright State necessarily among 330 Division I institutions.
"If you take care of business, and you do things the right way and you're competitive — and you're one of the top three programs in all sports in the Horizon League — you're going to get yourself onto the national stage."
Athletic director candidate profile
Name: Kevin McNamee
Age: 53
Education: B.S. in physical education, St. Bonaventure University, 1976; M.S. in coaching and human performance, Indiana University, 1978.
Experience: Head men's swimming coach, St. Bonaventure, 1978-92; assistant AD for non-revenue sports programming, St. Bonaventure, 1988-92; senior associate athletic director, St. Bonaventure, 1992-95; senior associate athletic director, George Mason University 1995-2005; deputy associate athletic director, George Mason, 2005-present.
Highlights: Several athletes competed in Division I championships during his tenure as swim coach at St. Bonaventure; responsible for competitive oversight of 20 sports at George Mason.
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2157 or mkatz@DaytonDailyNews.com.
