Here is the transcript of his talk:
"I first want to welcome everyone; we are delighted to have you here to meet with our outstanding football student-athletes and coaches in this beautiful setting. I hope you all enjoyed the clambake last night. Our string of good weather continues and I am sure some lobster consumption records were broken last night.
"We are again honored to have the great Verne Lundquist as our host and emcee. Verne has had one of the greatest careers in the history of sports broadcasting, and that is not hyperbole. What adds to his towering stature, however, is his humanity – he is genuine and personable, and has never let his immense fame affect how he conducts himself. He is a consummate gentleman; we have often called him a national treasure, and we are privileged to have him and his lovely wife Nancy here with us again in Newport.
"There is tremendous excitement surrounding this year’s media day, as there has been over the years, but I believe it is heightened this year. We have just concluded a landmark 12-year TV/media deal with ESPN which validates our success over the past six years, and which gives us a strong tailwind into an even more successful future. We will have the means to continue to make a significant national impact and our student-athletes will continue to compete at the highest levels.
"We have also solidified our position as a P6 conference and our P6 campaign will be energized as a result of our TV/media deal and, of course, our numerous and impressive competitive successes on the field and court.
"We have had a remarkable six years, and although we will clearly focus on our very bright future, this is also a time to reflect on where we have been and how we have achieved as much as we have.
"It is fitting, then, that I pay tribute to individuals within and outside our conference who have been instrumental in our success or have been friends of the conference.
"Judy Genshaft is leaving USF after almost 20 years of spectacular service which has seen phenomenal growth academically and athletically. Judy has also served a term as our conference chair and as our NCAA Board of Directors and Board of Governors representative. She was instrumental in holding the conference together in the turbulent days of 2012 and 2013, a period, which, thanks in large part to her efforts, now seems like a distant memory. Recently, she and her husband Steve donated $20 million to USF to fund an Honors College, the largest donation ever made by a university president to a school.
"Vice Admiral Ted Carter will be leaving his post as superintendent of the United States Naval Academy later this month, his defined term having come to an end. He has made an enormous contribution to the conference and to the college community. He has represented the Patriot League, where Navy plays basketball and Olympic sports, on the NCAA Board of Directors, and has been an important voice on our conference executive committee. Navy athletics have prospered under his leadership. But far more important has been his extraordinary service to our country in combat and in peacetime.
"Among many other things, he holds the record for successful landings on 19 different aircraft carriers, more than anyone in the history of Naval aviation, and has commanded an aircraft squadron, an oil replenishment ship, an aircraft carrier, and an aircraft carrier strike group. And despite this magnificent record, he remains as unpretentious an individual as you will ever meet. We wish the Admiral and his lovely wife Lynda all the best in their next chapter.
"And speaking of Navy, the academy’s sports information department received the Super 11 Award, recognizing them for their outstanding work in servicing the media. Congratulations to both Scott Strasemeier and Stacie Michaud on this terrific honor.
"Susan Herbst of UConn has served as our conference chair, and as our representative on the NCAA Board of Directors and the NCAA Board of Governors. We appreciate her service and her many contributions to the Conference and wish her and her husband Doug all the best in their next chapter.
"I want to take a moment to thank and applaud Renu Khator, our prior conference chair, and David Rudd, our new chair, for their outstanding contributions to our conference and to their universities, Houston and Memphis, respectively. They provided unrelenting support during our lengthy TV/media negotiations and their leadership has this conference knocking on the P6 door. Renu was also instrumental in holding the conference together back in 2012-13.
"As I mentioned, because it is a good time to reflect on our remarkable 6-year history, I want to recognize others who have been vital to our success. Gerald Turner of SMU, who has had terms as our first conference board chair and is currently our CFP Management Committee representative, has meant a great deal to the conference. Without his guidance and support back in 2012 and 2013, I do not know where we would be. And I think of presidents who have retired or moved on who helped us reach these milestones – the late Stead Upham of Tulsa, the late John Bardo of Wichita State, John Hitt of UCF, Steve Ballard of ECU, Scott Cowen of Tulane, Santa Ono of Cincinnati, Vice Admiral Mike Miller of the Naval Academy, Shirley Raines of Memphis, Cecil Staton of ECU, Dale Whittaker of UCF and Neal Theobald of Temple, among many others.
"I also want to recognize our current AD chair, Troy Dannen of Tulane, who does an outstanding job and provides me with valued guidance and support, as well as our vice chair, Pat Kraft of Temple, who does the same. Kudos also to former AAC ADs such as Mark Harlan, formerly of USF, Tom Bowen, formerly of Memphis, Mack Rhodes, formerly of Houston, Warde Manuel, formerly of UConn, and Todd Stansbury, formerly of UCF, among others, who were instrumental in building this conference."
"I first want to welcome everyone; we are delighted to have you here to meet with our outstanding football student-athletes and coaches in this beautiful setting. I hope you all enjoyed the clambake last night. Our string of good weather continues and I am sure some lobster consumption records were broken last night.
"We are again honored to have the great Verne Lundquist as our host and emcee. Verne has had one of the greatest careers in the history of sports broadcasting, and that is not hyperbole. What adds to his towering stature, however, is his humanity – he is genuine and personable, and has never let his immense fame affect how he conducts himself. He is a consummate gentleman; we have often called him a national treasure, and we are privileged to have him and his lovely wife Nancy here with us again in Newport.
"There is tremendous excitement surrounding this year’s media day, as there has been over the years, but I believe it is heightened this year. We have just concluded a landmark 12-year TV/media deal with ESPN which validates our success over the past six years, and which gives us a strong tailwind into an even more successful future. We will have the means to continue to make a significant national impact and our student-athletes will continue to compete at the highest levels.
"We have also solidified our position as a P6 conference and our P6 campaign will be energized as a result of our TV/media deal and, of course, our numerous and impressive competitive successes on the field and court.
"We have had a remarkable six years, and although we will clearly focus on our very bright future, this is also a time to reflect on where we have been and how we have achieved as much as we have.
"It is fitting, then, that I pay tribute to individuals within and outside our conference who have been instrumental in our success or have been friends of the conference.
"Judy Genshaft is leaving USF after almost 20 years of spectacular service which has seen phenomenal growth academically and athletically. Judy has also served a term as our conference chair and as our NCAA Board of Directors and Board of Governors representative. She was instrumental in holding the conference together in the turbulent days of 2012 and 2013, a period, which, thanks in large part to her efforts, now seems like a distant memory. Recently, she and her husband Steve donated $20 million to USF to fund an Honors College, the largest donation ever made by a university president to a school.
"Vice Admiral Ted Carter will be leaving his post as superintendent of the United States Naval Academy later this month, his defined term having come to an end. He has made an enormous contribution to the conference and to the college community. He has represented the Patriot League, where Navy plays basketball and Olympic sports, on the NCAA Board of Directors, and has been an important voice on our conference executive committee. Navy athletics have prospered under his leadership. But far more important has been his extraordinary service to our country in combat and in peacetime.
"Among many other things, he holds the record for successful landings on 19 different aircraft carriers, more than anyone in the history of Naval aviation, and has commanded an aircraft squadron, an oil replenishment ship, an aircraft carrier, and an aircraft carrier strike group. And despite this magnificent record, he remains as unpretentious an individual as you will ever meet. We wish the Admiral and his lovely wife Lynda all the best in their next chapter.
"And speaking of Navy, the academy’s sports information department received the Super 11 Award, recognizing them for their outstanding work in servicing the media. Congratulations to both Scott Strasemeier and Stacie Michaud on this terrific honor.
"Susan Herbst of UConn has served as our conference chair, and as our representative on the NCAA Board of Directors and the NCAA Board of Governors. We appreciate her service and her many contributions to the Conference and wish her and her husband Doug all the best in their next chapter.
"I want to take a moment to thank and applaud Renu Khator, our prior conference chair, and David Rudd, our new chair, for their outstanding contributions to our conference and to their universities, Houston and Memphis, respectively. They provided unrelenting support during our lengthy TV/media negotiations and their leadership has this conference knocking on the P6 door. Renu was also instrumental in holding the conference together back in 2012-13.
"As I mentioned, because it is a good time to reflect on our remarkable 6-year history, I want to recognize others who have been vital to our success. Gerald Turner of SMU, who has had terms as our first conference board chair and is currently our CFP Management Committee representative, has meant a great deal to the conference. Without his guidance and support back in 2012 and 2013, I do not know where we would be. And I think of presidents who have retired or moved on who helped us reach these milestones – the late Stead Upham of Tulsa, the late John Bardo of Wichita State, John Hitt of UCF, Steve Ballard of ECU, Scott Cowen of Tulane, Santa Ono of Cincinnati, Vice Admiral Mike Miller of the Naval Academy, Shirley Raines of Memphis, Cecil Staton of ECU, Dale Whittaker of UCF and Neal Theobald of Temple, among many others.
"I also want to recognize our current AD chair, Troy Dannen of Tulane, who does an outstanding job and provides me with valued guidance and support, as well as our vice chair, Pat Kraft of Temple, who does the same. Kudos also to former AAC ADs such as Mark Harlan, formerly of USF, Tom Bowen, formerly of Memphis, Mack Rhodes, formerly of Houston, Warde Manuel, formerly of UConn, and Todd Stansbury, formerly of UCF, among others, who were instrumental in building this conference."
