[McKenwood]

When was the last time Stanford fired an AD?

Bowlsby left to be Big 12 commissioner
Leland left to return to Pacific (very strong ties there)
Geiger left to be AD at Maryland (no idea if he was asked to leave)

All this goes back to 1979....do people here really believe that Muir being forced out is even a possibility?

Yes. Geiger and Leland did not leave voluntarily. For Geiger it was financial mismanagement, the ultimate Stanford no-no. For Leland it was two straight football hires that lead to financial pressures. Even UOP found him not up to the task and he did not get the presidency he wanted.

As for Muir fundamentally he is a bureaucrat when Stanford has needed something much more. Stanford's position in college sports realm is much more precarious than when Muir took over. Stanford could have been a leader in reorienting the NCAA to a more athlete friendly model (more inclusive scholarships, unfettered transfers, a workable NIL program, four year scholarships) instead Muir focused on his long-time goal of being chairman of the NCAA MBB committee while Stanford's sports model was sinking and shifting. Muir failed to fund raise at the level that was needed with his ramp up of the bureaucracy (how many associate ADs do you really need?). He knew Stanford's revenue stream but he kept adding staff.

When Stanford's senior management, who are wholly indifferent to athletics, woke up to the financial shortfalls they told Muir to fix it. Instead of being transparent and using the shortfall as a fund raising pitch, the cutting sports model was put forward. This backfired spectacularly on Muir as the Stanford senior management and BofT ended up getting roped into an an area that they really don't care about. But overall fund raising was at risk so they had to step in and do damage control.

So Muir should not be let go for failing to win the Director's Cup, especially in a pandemic year. There is a more compelling case that he has mismanaged football and MBB. In football he needs to take David Shaw on as Shaw's approach is clearly flailing and the talent level in the program is dropping precipitiously. In 2018 he should suggested that Coach Shaw take a leave of absence while he served as a donor for his brother's health issues. More recently Muir could have been pushing Shaw on his low energy recruiting. In MBB, the Dawkins extension was unpardonable and the Coach Haase, who gets Stanford from a recruiting perspective, has really struggled to retain his upperclassmen. Something is amiss in this program too.

Muir should be asked to leave now. Stanford needs a visionary in the AD position and one who can garner the respect of the senior management team. The new AD needs to engage the President and Provost (and the conference and the NCAA) as Stanford will be faced with some stark choices in the coming years and whether it wants to compete in football and MBB at the highest level. The new AD also needs to sell the vision to Stanford's stakeholders outside senior management and be able to garner the financial resources necessary, especially if football is not bring in the income necesssary.

[McKenwood]

When was the last time Stanford fired an AD?

Bowlsby left to be Big 12 commissioner
Leland left to return to Pacific (very strong ties there)
Geiger left to be AD at Maryland (no idea if he was asked to leave)

All this goes back to 1979....do people here really believe that Muir being forced out is even a possibility?

Yes. Geiger and Leland did not leave voluntarily. For Geiger it was financial mismanagement, the ultimate Stanford no-no. For Leland it was two straight football hires that lead to financial pressures. Even UOP found him not up to the task and he did not get the presidency he wanted.

As for Muir fundamentally he is a bureaucrat when Stanford has needed something much more. Stanford's position in college sports realm is much more precarious than when Muir took over. Stanford could have been a leader in reorienting the NCAA to a more athlete friendly model (more inclusive scholarships, unfettered transfers, a workable NIL program, four year scholarships) instead Muir focused on his long-time goal of being chairman of the NCAA MBB committee while Stanford's sports model was sinking and shifting. Muir failed to fund raise at the level that was needed with his ramp up of the bureaucracy (how many associate ADs do you really need?). He knew Stanford's revenue stream but he kept adding staff.

When Stanford's senior management, who are wholly indifferent to athletics, woke up to the financial shortfalls they told Muir to fix it. Instead of being transparent and using the shortfall as a fund raising pitch, the cutting sports model was put forward. This backfired spectacularly on Muir as the Stanford senior management and BofT ended up getting roped into an an area that they really don't care about. But overall fund raising was at risk so they had to step in and do damage control.

So Muir should not be let go for failing to win the Director's Cup, especially in a pandemic year. There is a more compelling case that he has mismanaged football and MBB. In football he needs to take David Shaw on as Shaw's approach is clearly flailing and the talent level in the program is dropping precipitiously. In 2018 he should suggested that Coach Shaw take a leave of absence while he served as a donor for his brother's health issues. More recently Muir could have been pushing Shaw on his low energy recruiting. In MBB, the Dawkins extension was unpardonable and the Coach Haase, who gets Stanford from a recruiting perspective, has really struggled to retain his upperclassmen. Something is amiss in this program too.

Muir should be asked to leave now. Stanford needs a visionary in the AD position and one who can garner the respect of the senior management team. The new AD needs to engage the President and Provost (and the conference and the NCAA) as Stanford will be faced with some stark choices in the coming years and whether it wants to compete in football and MBB at the highest level. The new AD also needs to sell the vision to Stanford's stakeholders outside senior management and be able to garner the financial resources necessary, especially if football is not bring in the income necesssary.