Why one AD went from a school closure to adding new sports

Good morning, and thanks for spending part of your day with Extra Points.

Today, I’m excited to announce our new hire to lead NIL Wire: Kyle Rowland! Kyle joins us from the Toledo Blade, where he covered the Rockets. You can read Kyle’s introduction and vision for the site’s coverage here:

On Extra Points, I’m happy to pass the mic over to KC Smurthwaite, who has a story to share about the effort to add sports at USC Upstate. The floor is now his:

How USC Upstate added new sports in record time and why that carried extra meaning for Matt Martin

by KC Smurthwaite

In a story that feels more like a movie script than real life, USC Upstate vice chancellor and athletic director Matt Martin’s career has spanned numerous wins, championships and heartbreak. It’s also carried an uncanny sense of déjà vu. In an era of uncertainty, when college athletics sees far more program cuts than adds, this story has both.

In early 2020, Martin was on the rise — young, ambitious, willing to move across the country for an opportunity. At Winthrop University, he’d built a reputation as a revenue generator; he’d increased philanthropic support and corporate sponsorships and had launched one of the first varsity Esports programs in Division I athletics. His wife was pregnant, and he’d recently taken the athletic director job at Concordia University in Portland, Oregon. But his chair was barely warm before the rug was pulled out. The university announced its permanent closure in February 2020.

Martin had been on the job just three months when the call came: Emergency leadership meeting, 9 a.m. Sunday. He expected budget cuts — or perhaps, given that Concordia was a Lutheran institution, there would be a special worship service. Instead, he got devastating news: The school was closing.

“I thought worst-case scenario, I’d be cutting a few sports,” Martin recalled. “Instead, the whole university was gone. It was gutting, not just for me, but for coaches and staff who had invested 20 to 30 years there. I felt a responsibility to help however I could.”

Subscribe to Premium to read the rest.