THE MODERATOR: I'd like to welcome everyone to the
College Football Playoff introductory teleconference to
welcome new CFP Executive Director Lieutenant General
Richard Clark.
Joining us is Dr. Mark Keenum, president of Mississippi
State University and chair of the CFP Board of Managers;
Bill Hancock, the executive director of the College Football
Playoff, and future executive director, Lieutenant General
Richard Clark.
MARK KEENUM: Good morning. Thank you to everyone
who has joined us. Today is another very exciting day for
college football and certainly for its future.
I'm delighted to introduce to you Lieutenant General
Richard Clark. General Clark was recommended by the
CFP search committee that consisted of university
presidents and commissioners. He was selected because
of his leadership, his knowledge of college football and his
organizational skills.
He also holds the respect of so many who love this game.
The Board of Managers voted, as all know, this past Friday
morning to officially offer him the job. I would say that it
was a very thorough process, and I'm confident we have
found the right person. He is someone who personifies
leadership, a leader of leaders at the highest level. A
leader of impeccable character and the highest of integrity.
He is someone who will approach his new role as a humble
servant leader. As I told someone after the screening
interview that I participated in, General Clark has the wow
factor. General Clark has served his country with honor,
sacrifice, and commitment.
Among the many aircraft that he has piloted in his career,
he piloted the B-1 bomber, and given some of the issues in
college football, you may never know when that might
come in handy.
He is a diplomat, having served as a defense at attache
during his service in Cairo, Egypt, and as a base
commander in Germany. And, of course, as a
superintendant of the U.S. Air Force Academy. He's a
colleague and an individual who has his finger on the pulse
of college football.
General Clark, this is an exciting time for college football,
and I am delighted you will become a major part of it. The
qualities and characteristics General Clark possesses, I
would say, are very similar to those of Bill Hancock, who
has served CFP so capably, with such distinction, for 10
years.
We're deeply indebted to Bill for his service and leadership
to the CFP and all of college athletics. We are thankful
that he will be with us throughout the next or upcoming
season to ensure a very smooth transition for General
Clark as he moves into his new leadership role.
So with that, Bill, I will turn it to you for a few comments.
BILL HANCOCK: Well, thank you, President Keenum, for
the kind words and also for your leadership of CFP through
these years. Much appreciated.
And I want to say thank you to General Clark for your love
of this game and also congratulate you again. This is a
great job, and you're going to do really well. I'm proud to
know you and I look forward to working side by side with
you over the next several months. I don't want to say too
much today because this is about General Clark.
I have spoken with him previously and then again about
this job, and I can tell you that he has a great
understanding of what the job entails. I'll also note on a
personal level you don't get to meet a general too often
who is not only a strong leader but such a humble man. I
think General Clark has just the right touch and he's going
to do great.
Just so you know, I will remain as executive director
through the championship game in January and for a time
beyond that. The exact timing remains to be seen, but I
think much of 2024, let me say it that way, will be a year of
transition as Rich gets up to speed on all things CFP. He
and I will work shoulder and shoulder, certainly at least
until '24 and after that.
Rich will remain a superintendant through June and I will
officially retire early in 2025. I have three grandkids, a son
and two daughters-in-law and a wife who, I think, are going
to look forward to seeing more of me. At least I hope they
are. And I certainly look forward to spending more time
with my family.
Anyway, I'm happy to introduce to you the second
executive director in the history of CFP, General Rich
Clark. Rich, over to you.
RICHARD CLARK: Thank you, Mr. Hancock. And thank
you, ladies and gentlemen, for joining us today. This is a
special call, and I've had a lot of great opportunities in my
life, but this one is absolutely special, and I am so grateful.
I'm grateful to God for the opportunity. I want to thank
President Keenum and the rest of the Board of Managers
for having the confidence in me to take over this role.
The search committee, especially to them, for going
through the process and including me in it and continuing
to vet me out to make sure that I have the qualities that
they were looking for. So I'm grateful there, and certainly
to Mr. Hancock, not just for what he's done already to help
me in this process, but really what he's done for college
football and the opportunity to take the torch from him is
absolutely an honor. So thank you, sir, for what you've
done for me and for college football.
This opportunity is, in my view, is just another opportunity
to serve. I've been serving in the Air Force for 38 years.
I'd like to consider myself a servant leader, and now I get to
serve the sport that I love so much. I was a college football
player myself at the Air Force Academy for four years as a
football player, and now I get to give back to the sport that
gave so much to my development and to who I am as a
leader.
It means a lot to the young men. The student-athletes who
play it. And that's always got to be first and foremost in our
mind to make sure that they have every opportunity for
success. I get to serve the schools where it's played to
make sure that those institutions are able to thrive, to
support not just all football and all sports but all students,
and that is an especially significant honor for me. And then
the fans who love the sport like me, to give them the
opportunity to experience it in a way that America has
experienced college football.
But with the growth and the expansion of the College
Football Playoffs, I think it's going to be a really special
opportunity for all of us. And then certainly for the
reporters who cover the sport so that you can help bring it
to America the way that it deserves to be brought.
So, again, to be able to serve this American tradition is
extraordinarily special for me. As we grow into the
12-team playoff format, it's extremely exciting, and again I
want to thank Mr. Hancock for what he's done already to
plan for that, to move us into that next chapter, and I can't
even imagine where college football will go with this new
playoff format. But I am so excited to be a part of it.
There's details I still have to learn. Mr. Hancock is already
working with me to get up to speed, and I think that by
June you'll be ready to really take the torch. But to have
his mentorship even after that is very special and
meaningful to me. So thank you again, sir.
But I look forward to meeting all of you, getting to know you
better over the months ahead. I know you have a lot of
questions about where College Football Playoffs are right
now.
I'm not in necessarily the best position to answer those, but
we will -- and fortunately we have our expert, Bill Hancock,
on board with us. So once again, Amy, my wife and I are
extremely excited for this opportunity and looking forward
to moving head.
Q. What is your grand vision for the role of the College
Football Playoff in this next era with so many change
coming aboard?
RICHARD CLARK: The grand vision I have at this point is
to be able to participate in the growth of college football to
take it to the absolute maximum heights that it can go.
Those opportunities are endless, and I know Bill Hancock
has really fought through this throughout his tenure
because he's continued to grow it.
And I will pick up from where his vision leaves off when we
actually make our turnover and our transition. So I might
turn it over to Bill to talk a little bit about his thoughts on
where it goes.
And I know obviously the Board of Managers and the
management of the CFP will have a big role in that vision.
BILL HANCOCK: I would just add, the game is on a great
trajectory. And I expect it to continue on that trajectory
under Rich's leadership.
Q. When you're going through the interview process,
what are the people who just hired you telling you
they're looking for? This is a role that I think a lot of
people may, as the playoff evolves with it, so I guess
what did you hear from the people who just hired you
that they want from you?
RICHARD CLARK: The number one thing that I heard
from the committee was that they needed leadership. Like
they've gotten from Mr. Hancock over the years, they want
to continue that, and they want me to not just be a leader in
the day-to-day operations but a strategic leader that not
only helps develop the vision and where college football
can go but to help execute that vision once we have it.
And so I will be working very closely with the board and the
committee to develop that vision and then I'll work with our
staff at the CFP and all of the leaders in college football to
execute it to ensure that we achieve the vision that's set
before us.
In the end, if there's one thing, one word to sum it up, it
would be leadership. And I will do everything that I can,
fully committed to ensuring that we reach the absolute
highest level that we can in college football.
Q. First, why would you want this position, number
one? And number two, there's been a lot of talk lately
about athlete compensation, Name, Image and
Likeness stuff. And I'm curious where you stand on
that conversation in light of the CFP probably signing
a new TV deal worth a lot of money soon. And Bill, if
you could answer a question for me about maybe
when the next president's call will be to approve some
of the format recommendations and things that the
commissioners did last week.
RICHARD CLARK: The question about why I wanted to go
through this process. I'll be honest with you, it wasn't
something that was on my radar until a search firm that
was employed by the Board of Managers and the
management committee came to me and asked if I would
be willing to put my name in the hat. And if I was going to
sum that up in three sort of, I think, reasons why: First, at
the lowest level, I just love college football. I love what it
means. I love what it did for me as a leader and the
opportunity to play football, it brought me to the Air Force
Academy. I graduated from there in 1986. If it were not for
college football I might not be here right now. So it's an
opportunity for me to give back.
The most important thing to me is student success and the
success of our student-athletes and giving them every
opportunity to experience this game in a way that will be
meaningful for their whole lives is important to me, and it's
something that I think that, like Bill, I can continue to grow
and enhance that lifetime experience that they're going to
have in this sport and, more importantly, the development
of them as citizens and leaders in our country. So I'm very
excited about that as well.
And finally, the big changes that are happening: To be a
part of something as big as this for our country, it's
unimaginable to me that the opportunity presented itself,
but I am honored and grateful for the chance to be a part of
it. I look forward to learning more and moving forward to
help us achieve those goals.
As far as some of the other changes with student-athlete
compensation or Name, Image and Likeness, those are
things that I still have to think through, but certainly the
governance process that will guide us in those areas is
going to be very important.
So I'll be formulating those ideas on how it affects the
College Football Playoffs in the future, but there's certainly
going to be important issues that we're going to have to
consider as we move forward.
But I'll turn it over to Bill to answer some of the other
questions you asked.
BILL HANCOCK: No date has been set for the next call of
the board. They will meet on the day of the championship
game down in Houston. But whether there's a call before
then is yet to be determined.
Q. President Keenum, when you were going through
the process of considering various candidates, I know
you weren't on the committee, but how much is the
possibility of this role expanding into something far
greater factor in the candidates and for General Clark,
we've heard you were considered or going to be on the
selection committee before this happened. So will you
regret not being able to be part of that committee as
well?
MARK KEENUM: Chris, obviously college football is going
through a lot of change, and there are a lot of issues,
important issues, for our future that are to be determined.
So that's why, going back to what General Clark
mentioned, we were looking for someone who could bring
strong passionate leadership. That was the core of the
process that we went through is trying to find someone
who could be an outstanding leader.
Like I said, there are a lot of things that we're going to have
to work through. It's not just CFP, but it's all of collegiate
athletics for that matter, not just football. But where
football is concerned, we want someone who can be
strong, be an effective spokesperson, be a strong advocate
for the sport of football, because it is such a vital part of the
American fabric of who we are and has a strong fan base
and means so much to our respective universities, to this
institution that I serve. So it's important.
And so that was the process, of finding someone who
could be a strong, effective, capable leader, and how
thrilled I am that we were able to identify General Clark and
he was able to bring his abilities to provide the leadership
that we so need, so greatly need.
RICHARD CLARK: You asked about me being
disappointed to not be on the selection committee. I will
tell you, when Mr. Hancock called me and let me know that
I was going to be on that, I thought, oh, my gosh, this is
probably the greatest honor I could have ever had. I was
so excited. He told me I couldn't tell anybody until January.
So I had to keep it under my hat.
And I couldn't imagine that there would be a bigger honor
than that until now. And to be able to do this and be a part
of College Football Playoffs and collegiate athletics at this
level is an even greater honor. So yeah, I'm a little
disappointed I can't be on the selection committee, but I
think it's all made up for by this position because it's again
unimaginable that I'm talking to you right now about this.
The honor, it surpasses even the honor that I have from
the selection committee.
Q. President Keenum, so obviously the first CFP
director had a very long history in college football, Bill
Hancock. And General Clark is coming back to
football after a little bit. I'm curious how that played in
your decision and kind of, without sort of the football
backing that you kind of have seen before, what really
kind of drew you to General Clark?
MARK KEENUM: As I've mentioned, his leadership skills.
He's obviously someone who has played the sport, very
familiar with the sport. He's serving as the superintendent
of the Air Force Academy, which is the president of that
university. And football is very important to the Air Force
Academy. So he has a keen appreciation for the sport, but
his leadership, his passion and his vision for his approach
to leadership were just tremendous in the interview. You
could sense his passion.
And just his experience. As I mentioned in my statement,
this is a gentleman who has served this nation at the
highest level. He is a leader of leaders at very high levels
in our national defense of our government. He
understands what leadership is about. He's almost sitting
there -- again, I was not in the search interview. I was in
the screening interview.
We have a screening committee that interviewed all of our
candidates, and I participated in that. I asked Greg Sankey
to represent SEC on the search committee, and I asked
Father John Jenkins at Notre Dame to chair that
committee.
I knew we had a strong force with our presidents and
chancellors and commissioners that made up the search
committee, I knew that they would hone in on the right
person.
And again, having someone with General Clark's integrity,
his character, his leadership skills -- and I'll just share this
with you. When I was participating in the interviews during
the screening process, and when General Clark was going
through his interview, I wrote one word down by his name.
And that word was "wow." Very impressive, powerful
interview. Just extremely impressive. And when I said in
my statement, he has the wow factor, he has the wow
factor.
From where I'm coming from, I want someone who can be
a strong advocate for the sport. Yes, leadership, as I
mentioned, is critical, but someone who can be an
advocate, a spokesperson, be the image and the face of
college football. And where we go in our future, I don't
know, but I know that when General Clark walks in the
room to sit down and represent the College Football
Playoff and college football, we're going to have a strong,
effective, capable leader and spokesperson to represent
us.
So at the end of the day, I was beyond thrilled when the
search committee came back and said this is who we want
to lead the CFP.
Q. I know that your position will not necessarily be in
the policymaking, but as someone who represents a
group of five institutions, going forward how important
do you feel like it is that the group of five is assured of
at least one spot in the playoffs? And also for Bill,
how flattering is it that it took a person of General
Clark's stature to replace you?
RICHARD CLARK: I want to turn that second question that
you just asked that the tables need to be turned. I'm
flattered to be able to try to fill the shoes of Bill Hancock.
You've been a legend in college sports for a long time. So
the honor is mine. That's where the flattery comes. But
I've got big shoes to fill. I just wanted to say that.
As far as having a group of five team have the opportunity
to move into the playoffs to me is huge. And my school
right now, the Air Force Academy, certainly falls into that
category. But what it gives a team is hope. It gives you
that opportunity for you, your fans, the rest of your student
population, to be involved in college football at the highest
levels.
So I think I always have this saying, if I got a shot, I've got
a shot, and I'll take every opportunity to move into that
position. So I appreciate the fact that Mr. Hancock and the
rest of the team that made this possible considered the rest
of the college football community, especially the group of
five to have that opportunity. So I think it's vitally important
for the whole sport that that opportunity is there.
BILL HANCOCK: It's enormously flattering that someone
like Rich will step into this chair. Golly, not only a man with
a distinguished military career, but also a university
president. Yeah, extremely flattering, and let me just say
this, as you all get to know Rich over the months and years
ahead, you'll know what I mean.
Q. Bill, is Warde Manuel participating in the
deliberations this week?
BILL HANCOCK: Yes.
Q. Wanted to ask you a little bit about the process and
timeline. You mentioned being contacted by a search
firm. What was the genesis of that and how quickly
did this kind of come together at least on your end and
what was sort of the interview process like?
RICHARD CLARK: I'll say overall the interview process
happened very quickly, but it was just the experience of
that, whether I got selected or not was an incredible
experience.
The search committee, the screening interview, everybody
was so respectful and kind throughout, but it was like a
who's who in higher education, in college football, or I
should say college athletics, because you have the
commissioners and presidents there, but it was a really
great experience.
The first step of it, though, was getting a phone call from
the search firm and asking if I'd put my name in the hat.
And first I had to make sure it wasn't a joke from one of my
friends because I couldn't believe it.
It wasn't a trick question. So I absolutely was willing to put
my name in the hat. I wondered, honestly, if I even had an
opportunity because I had read some articles about
speculation of the kinds of people that were going to be
considered, and I just didn't think I matched up. But here I
am, and I can't tell you how excited I am.
But after I put my name in the hat, I went through the
screening interview on Zoom. And again it was about an
hour-plus-long interview, lots of questions, in-depth
questions. I thought they were very thorough and made it
to that next search committee interview, in person.
Again, I met all of the members of that committee, amazing
group of people. They asked questions but it was really
more discussion, and we just talked about some of the
issues and the things that they were looking for.
Then a day later, I found out I had been selected and the
Board of Managers agreed to me becoming the next
executive director. All in all, the process just took a little
over three weeks from when I first put my hat in the hat
and when I was called and told that I would be the next
executive director, and I'm still on cloud nine.
Q. Given the state of affairs, your position and/or the
CFP, they end up running college football or at least
FCS, I think it's pretty much assumed that the next
contract for the CFP may be the largest in college
football history. What uniquely qualifies you for those
responsibilities?
RICHARD CLARK: Well, I'll say that you bring up a great
point. There's a lot of things that are going to have to
happen as college football grows and where the CFP goes.
Some of those decisions are decisions that I will be
working very closely with all the stakeholders who are
involved in that growth, which is one of the skills I think I've
developed over the years as a person who collaborates
and really helps to pull a team together to move forward
with big decisions like this.
As far as what uniquely qualifies me for the kinds of
agreements that are going to have to be made -- I
throughout my career in the organizations I've been in, I've
had to work with Congress. I've had to work through the
Pentagon. If you have any familiarity with the Pentagon,
there's a special skill that you have to have to get anything
done there because it is a large organization with a lot of
stakeholders.
And then just another job that I've had. I've had to be able
to collaborate, to be a listener, and then to help pull
together all of the ideas and thoughts to drive us to a
decision.
Making decisions specifically on the kinds of agreements
that we're going to have to make, I have some learning to
do. And again I go back -- I'm very happy that Mr.
Hancock is going to be there to help me to understand that
in the months ahead so when those decisions are mine, to
help direct and guide, that I'll be able to build that
experience.
I've always considered myself a lifelong learner. Every job
I've ever gone into in the Air Force over 38 years, I'm
usually pretty new at whatever that mission was, and I had
a lot of learning to do, but I rely on my team around me, I
rely on my mentors who are supporting me and seek out
the experts that can help me with some of the complex
issues that surround these decisions.
So I've been doing this kind of work generally for a long
time but not specifically with college football, but I will bring
those skills to bear on this, and I'm excited to do it.
Q. Specifically, how much input and influence will you
have in relation to the CFP's next College Football
Playoff contract? And how much or what is your
experience as relates to media rights contracts and
deals?
RICHARD CLARK: The upcoming contract for CFP, again,
Mr. Hancock will still be in place all the way through into
'25. So depending on the timing of those contracts, that's
going to drive how much influence I'll have. But what I will
say is, regardless, I will be -- like Mr. Hancock said --
shoulder to shoulder with him as we go through so that I
can first build the experience in it, but then understand his
thought processes and how he goes through making these
kinds of decisions. So that will be very helpful.
I am confident that when the time comes for me to be the
one that is leading us through these decisions, I'll be ready.
I know Mr. Hancock is going to help us get there.
I don't have a lot of experience with media rights
agreements, but I, on the periphery as a Mountain West
Conference board of directors member -- we've had
discussions on these things and I've been involved in them
over the last three-plus years on where we were going to
go as a conference.
So not completely new territory, but in this role, it's going to
be new and I have a lot of learning to do, without question.
But I think I'm up to the task, and I know that Mr. Hancock
is ready to help me to figure out my way forward as I get
ready for this challenge. But I'm excited. I'm passionate.
And I'm ready to get after it.
Q. What's your preference through the way you like to
be addressed? Lieutenant General? General?
RICHARD CLARK: I like to be addressed by Rich. I'm
excited to actually -- when I retire -- that people can just
call me by the name my mom gave me. Although she
named me Richard. My wife calls me that. Everyone calls
me Rich. I'd appreciate that. Thank you, ma'am.
College Football Playoff introductory teleconference to
welcome new CFP Executive Director Lieutenant General
Richard Clark.
Joining us is Dr. Mark Keenum, president of Mississippi
State University and chair of the CFP Board of Managers;
Bill Hancock, the executive director of the College Football
Playoff, and future executive director, Lieutenant General
Richard Clark.
MARK KEENUM: Good morning. Thank you to everyone
who has joined us. Today is another very exciting day for
college football and certainly for its future.
I'm delighted to introduce to you Lieutenant General
Richard Clark. General Clark was recommended by the
CFP search committee that consisted of university
presidents and commissioners. He was selected because
of his leadership, his knowledge of college football and his
organizational skills.
He also holds the respect of so many who love this game.
The Board of Managers voted, as all know, this past Friday
morning to officially offer him the job. I would say that it
was a very thorough process, and I'm confident we have
found the right person. He is someone who personifies
leadership, a leader of leaders at the highest level. A
leader of impeccable character and the highest of integrity.
He is someone who will approach his new role as a humble
servant leader. As I told someone after the screening
interview that I participated in, General Clark has the wow
factor. General Clark has served his country with honor,
sacrifice, and commitment.
Among the many aircraft that he has piloted in his career,
he piloted the B-1 bomber, and given some of the issues in
college football, you may never know when that might
come in handy.
He is a diplomat, having served as a defense at attache
during his service in Cairo, Egypt, and as a base
commander in Germany. And, of course, as a
superintendant of the U.S. Air Force Academy. He's a
colleague and an individual who has his finger on the pulse
of college football.
General Clark, this is an exciting time for college football,
and I am delighted you will become a major part of it. The
qualities and characteristics General Clark possesses, I
would say, are very similar to those of Bill Hancock, who
has served CFP so capably, with such distinction, for 10
years.
We're deeply indebted to Bill for his service and leadership
to the CFP and all of college athletics. We are thankful
that he will be with us throughout the next or upcoming
season to ensure a very smooth transition for General
Clark as he moves into his new leadership role.
So with that, Bill, I will turn it to you for a few comments.
BILL HANCOCK: Well, thank you, President Keenum, for
the kind words and also for your leadership of CFP through
these years. Much appreciated.
And I want to say thank you to General Clark for your love
of this game and also congratulate you again. This is a
great job, and you're going to do really well. I'm proud to
know you and I look forward to working side by side with
you over the next several months. I don't want to say too
much today because this is about General Clark.
I have spoken with him previously and then again about
this job, and I can tell you that he has a great
understanding of what the job entails. I'll also note on a
personal level you don't get to meet a general too often
who is not only a strong leader but such a humble man. I
think General Clark has just the right touch and he's going
to do great.
Just so you know, I will remain as executive director
through the championship game in January and for a time
beyond that. The exact timing remains to be seen, but I
think much of 2024, let me say it that way, will be a year of
transition as Rich gets up to speed on all things CFP. He
and I will work shoulder and shoulder, certainly at least
until '24 and after that.
Rich will remain a superintendant through June and I will
officially retire early in 2025. I have three grandkids, a son
and two daughters-in-law and a wife who, I think, are going
to look forward to seeing more of me. At least I hope they
are. And I certainly look forward to spending more time
with my family.
Anyway, I'm happy to introduce to you the second
executive director in the history of CFP, General Rich
Clark. Rich, over to you.
RICHARD CLARK: Thank you, Mr. Hancock. And thank
you, ladies and gentlemen, for joining us today. This is a
special call, and I've had a lot of great opportunities in my
life, but this one is absolutely special, and I am so grateful.
I'm grateful to God for the opportunity. I want to thank
President Keenum and the rest of the Board of Managers
for having the confidence in me to take over this role.
The search committee, especially to them, for going
through the process and including me in it and continuing
to vet me out to make sure that I have the qualities that
they were looking for. So I'm grateful there, and certainly
to Mr. Hancock, not just for what he's done already to help
me in this process, but really what he's done for college
football and the opportunity to take the torch from him is
absolutely an honor. So thank you, sir, for what you've
done for me and for college football.
This opportunity is, in my view, is just another opportunity
to serve. I've been serving in the Air Force for 38 years.
I'd like to consider myself a servant leader, and now I get to
serve the sport that I love so much. I was a college football
player myself at the Air Force Academy for four years as a
football player, and now I get to give back to the sport that
gave so much to my development and to who I am as a
leader.
It means a lot to the young men. The student-athletes who
play it. And that's always got to be first and foremost in our
mind to make sure that they have every opportunity for
success. I get to serve the schools where it's played to
make sure that those institutions are able to thrive, to
support not just all football and all sports but all students,
and that is an especially significant honor for me. And then
the fans who love the sport like me, to give them the
opportunity to experience it in a way that America has
experienced college football.
But with the growth and the expansion of the College
Football Playoffs, I think it's going to be a really special
opportunity for all of us. And then certainly for the
reporters who cover the sport so that you can help bring it
to America the way that it deserves to be brought.
So, again, to be able to serve this American tradition is
extraordinarily special for me. As we grow into the
12-team playoff format, it's extremely exciting, and again I
want to thank Mr. Hancock for what he's done already to
plan for that, to move us into that next chapter, and I can't
even imagine where college football will go with this new
playoff format. But I am so excited to be a part of it.
There's details I still have to learn. Mr. Hancock is already
working with me to get up to speed, and I think that by
June you'll be ready to really take the torch. But to have
his mentorship even after that is very special and
meaningful to me. So thank you again, sir.
But I look forward to meeting all of you, getting to know you
better over the months ahead. I know you have a lot of
questions about where College Football Playoffs are right
now.
I'm not in necessarily the best position to answer those, but
we will -- and fortunately we have our expert, Bill Hancock,
on board with us. So once again, Amy, my wife and I are
extremely excited for this opportunity and looking forward
to moving head.
Q. What is your grand vision for the role of the College
Football Playoff in this next era with so many change
coming aboard?
RICHARD CLARK: The grand vision I have at this point is
to be able to participate in the growth of college football to
take it to the absolute maximum heights that it can go.
Those opportunities are endless, and I know Bill Hancock
has really fought through this throughout his tenure
because he's continued to grow it.
And I will pick up from where his vision leaves off when we
actually make our turnover and our transition. So I might
turn it over to Bill to talk a little bit about his thoughts on
where it goes.
And I know obviously the Board of Managers and the
management of the CFP will have a big role in that vision.
BILL HANCOCK: I would just add, the game is on a great
trajectory. And I expect it to continue on that trajectory
under Rich's leadership.
Q. When you're going through the interview process,
what are the people who just hired you telling you
they're looking for? This is a role that I think a lot of
people may, as the playoff evolves with it, so I guess
what did you hear from the people who just hired you
that they want from you?
RICHARD CLARK: The number one thing that I heard
from the committee was that they needed leadership. Like
they've gotten from Mr. Hancock over the years, they want
to continue that, and they want me to not just be a leader in
the day-to-day operations but a strategic leader that not
only helps develop the vision and where college football
can go but to help execute that vision once we have it.
And so I will be working very closely with the board and the
committee to develop that vision and then I'll work with our
staff at the CFP and all of the leaders in college football to
execute it to ensure that we achieve the vision that's set
before us.
In the end, if there's one thing, one word to sum it up, it
would be leadership. And I will do everything that I can,
fully committed to ensuring that we reach the absolute
highest level that we can in college football.
Q. First, why would you want this position, number
one? And number two, there's been a lot of talk lately
about athlete compensation, Name, Image and
Likeness stuff. And I'm curious where you stand on
that conversation in light of the CFP probably signing
a new TV deal worth a lot of money soon. And Bill, if
you could answer a question for me about maybe
when the next president's call will be to approve some
of the format recommendations and things that the
commissioners did last week.
RICHARD CLARK: The question about why I wanted to go
through this process. I'll be honest with you, it wasn't
something that was on my radar until a search firm that
was employed by the Board of Managers and the
management committee came to me and asked if I would
be willing to put my name in the hat. And if I was going to
sum that up in three sort of, I think, reasons why: First, at
the lowest level, I just love college football. I love what it
means. I love what it did for me as a leader and the
opportunity to play football, it brought me to the Air Force
Academy. I graduated from there in 1986. If it were not for
college football I might not be here right now. So it's an
opportunity for me to give back.
The most important thing to me is student success and the
success of our student-athletes and giving them every
opportunity to experience this game in a way that will be
meaningful for their whole lives is important to me, and it's
something that I think that, like Bill, I can continue to grow
and enhance that lifetime experience that they're going to
have in this sport and, more importantly, the development
of them as citizens and leaders in our country. So I'm very
excited about that as well.
And finally, the big changes that are happening: To be a
part of something as big as this for our country, it's
unimaginable to me that the opportunity presented itself,
but I am honored and grateful for the chance to be a part of
it. I look forward to learning more and moving forward to
help us achieve those goals.
As far as some of the other changes with student-athlete
compensation or Name, Image and Likeness, those are
things that I still have to think through, but certainly the
governance process that will guide us in those areas is
going to be very important.
So I'll be formulating those ideas on how it affects the
College Football Playoffs in the future, but there's certainly
going to be important issues that we're going to have to
consider as we move forward.
But I'll turn it over to Bill to answer some of the other
questions you asked.
BILL HANCOCK: No date has been set for the next call of
the board. They will meet on the day of the championship
game down in Houston. But whether there's a call before
then is yet to be determined.
Q. President Keenum, when you were going through
the process of considering various candidates, I know
you weren't on the committee, but how much is the
possibility of this role expanding into something far
greater factor in the candidates and for General Clark,
we've heard you were considered or going to be on the
selection committee before this happened. So will you
regret not being able to be part of that committee as
well?
MARK KEENUM: Chris, obviously college football is going
through a lot of change, and there are a lot of issues,
important issues, for our future that are to be determined.
So that's why, going back to what General Clark
mentioned, we were looking for someone who could bring
strong passionate leadership. That was the core of the
process that we went through is trying to find someone
who could be an outstanding leader.
Like I said, there are a lot of things that we're going to have
to work through. It's not just CFP, but it's all of collegiate
athletics for that matter, not just football. But where
football is concerned, we want someone who can be
strong, be an effective spokesperson, be a strong advocate
for the sport of football, because it is such a vital part of the
American fabric of who we are and has a strong fan base
and means so much to our respective universities, to this
institution that I serve. So it's important.
And so that was the process, of finding someone who
could be a strong, effective, capable leader, and how
thrilled I am that we were able to identify General Clark and
he was able to bring his abilities to provide the leadership
that we so need, so greatly need.
RICHARD CLARK: You asked about me being
disappointed to not be on the selection committee. I will
tell you, when Mr. Hancock called me and let me know that
I was going to be on that, I thought, oh, my gosh, this is
probably the greatest honor I could have ever had. I was
so excited. He told me I couldn't tell anybody until January.
So I had to keep it under my hat.
And I couldn't imagine that there would be a bigger honor
than that until now. And to be able to do this and be a part
of College Football Playoffs and collegiate athletics at this
level is an even greater honor. So yeah, I'm a little
disappointed I can't be on the selection committee, but I
think it's all made up for by this position because it's again
unimaginable that I'm talking to you right now about this.
The honor, it surpasses even the honor that I have from
the selection committee.
Q. President Keenum, so obviously the first CFP
director had a very long history in college football, Bill
Hancock. And General Clark is coming back to
football after a little bit. I'm curious how that played in
your decision and kind of, without sort of the football
backing that you kind of have seen before, what really
kind of drew you to General Clark?
MARK KEENUM: As I've mentioned, his leadership skills.
He's obviously someone who has played the sport, very
familiar with the sport. He's serving as the superintendent
of the Air Force Academy, which is the president of that
university. And football is very important to the Air Force
Academy. So he has a keen appreciation for the sport, but
his leadership, his passion and his vision for his approach
to leadership were just tremendous in the interview. You
could sense his passion.
And just his experience. As I mentioned in my statement,
this is a gentleman who has served this nation at the
highest level. He is a leader of leaders at very high levels
in our national defense of our government. He
understands what leadership is about. He's almost sitting
there -- again, I was not in the search interview. I was in
the screening interview.
We have a screening committee that interviewed all of our
candidates, and I participated in that. I asked Greg Sankey
to represent SEC on the search committee, and I asked
Father John Jenkins at Notre Dame to chair that
committee.
I knew we had a strong force with our presidents and
chancellors and commissioners that made up the search
committee, I knew that they would hone in on the right
person.
And again, having someone with General Clark's integrity,
his character, his leadership skills -- and I'll just share this
with you. When I was participating in the interviews during
the screening process, and when General Clark was going
through his interview, I wrote one word down by his name.
And that word was "wow." Very impressive, powerful
interview. Just extremely impressive. And when I said in
my statement, he has the wow factor, he has the wow
factor.
From where I'm coming from, I want someone who can be
a strong advocate for the sport. Yes, leadership, as I
mentioned, is critical, but someone who can be an
advocate, a spokesperson, be the image and the face of
college football. And where we go in our future, I don't
know, but I know that when General Clark walks in the
room to sit down and represent the College Football
Playoff and college football, we're going to have a strong,
effective, capable leader and spokesperson to represent
us.
So at the end of the day, I was beyond thrilled when the
search committee came back and said this is who we want
to lead the CFP.
Q. I know that your position will not necessarily be in
the policymaking, but as someone who represents a
group of five institutions, going forward how important
do you feel like it is that the group of five is assured of
at least one spot in the playoffs? And also for Bill,
how flattering is it that it took a person of General
Clark's stature to replace you?
RICHARD CLARK: I want to turn that second question that
you just asked that the tables need to be turned. I'm
flattered to be able to try to fill the shoes of Bill Hancock.
You've been a legend in college sports for a long time. So
the honor is mine. That's where the flattery comes. But
I've got big shoes to fill. I just wanted to say that.
As far as having a group of five team have the opportunity
to move into the playoffs to me is huge. And my school
right now, the Air Force Academy, certainly falls into that
category. But what it gives a team is hope. It gives you
that opportunity for you, your fans, the rest of your student
population, to be involved in college football at the highest
levels.
So I think I always have this saying, if I got a shot, I've got
a shot, and I'll take every opportunity to move into that
position. So I appreciate the fact that Mr. Hancock and the
rest of the team that made this possible considered the rest
of the college football community, especially the group of
five to have that opportunity. So I think it's vitally important
for the whole sport that that opportunity is there.
BILL HANCOCK: It's enormously flattering that someone
like Rich will step into this chair. Golly, not only a man with
a distinguished military career, but also a university
president. Yeah, extremely flattering, and let me just say
this, as you all get to know Rich over the months and years
ahead, you'll know what I mean.
Q. Bill, is Warde Manuel participating in the
deliberations this week?
BILL HANCOCK: Yes.
Q. Wanted to ask you a little bit about the process and
timeline. You mentioned being contacted by a search
firm. What was the genesis of that and how quickly
did this kind of come together at least on your end and
what was sort of the interview process like?
RICHARD CLARK: I'll say overall the interview process
happened very quickly, but it was just the experience of
that, whether I got selected or not was an incredible
experience.
The search committee, the screening interview, everybody
was so respectful and kind throughout, but it was like a
who's who in higher education, in college football, or I
should say college athletics, because you have the
commissioners and presidents there, but it was a really
great experience.
The first step of it, though, was getting a phone call from
the search firm and asking if I'd put my name in the hat.
And first I had to make sure it wasn't a joke from one of my
friends because I couldn't believe it.
It wasn't a trick question. So I absolutely was willing to put
my name in the hat. I wondered, honestly, if I even had an
opportunity because I had read some articles about
speculation of the kinds of people that were going to be
considered, and I just didn't think I matched up. But here I
am, and I can't tell you how excited I am.
But after I put my name in the hat, I went through the
screening interview on Zoom. And again it was about an
hour-plus-long interview, lots of questions, in-depth
questions. I thought they were very thorough and made it
to that next search committee interview, in person.
Again, I met all of the members of that committee, amazing
group of people. They asked questions but it was really
more discussion, and we just talked about some of the
issues and the things that they were looking for.
Then a day later, I found out I had been selected and the
Board of Managers agreed to me becoming the next
executive director. All in all, the process just took a little
over three weeks from when I first put my hat in the hat
and when I was called and told that I would be the next
executive director, and I'm still on cloud nine.
Q. Given the state of affairs, your position and/or the
CFP, they end up running college football or at least
FCS, I think it's pretty much assumed that the next
contract for the CFP may be the largest in college
football history. What uniquely qualifies you for those
responsibilities?
RICHARD CLARK: Well, I'll say that you bring up a great
point. There's a lot of things that are going to have to
happen as college football grows and where the CFP goes.
Some of those decisions are decisions that I will be
working very closely with all the stakeholders who are
involved in that growth, which is one of the skills I think I've
developed over the years as a person who collaborates
and really helps to pull a team together to move forward
with big decisions like this.
As far as what uniquely qualifies me for the kinds of
agreements that are going to have to be made -- I
throughout my career in the organizations I've been in, I've
had to work with Congress. I've had to work through the
Pentagon. If you have any familiarity with the Pentagon,
there's a special skill that you have to have to get anything
done there because it is a large organization with a lot of
stakeholders.
And then just another job that I've had. I've had to be able
to collaborate, to be a listener, and then to help pull
together all of the ideas and thoughts to drive us to a
decision.
Making decisions specifically on the kinds of agreements
that we're going to have to make, I have some learning to
do. And again I go back -- I'm very happy that Mr.
Hancock is going to be there to help me to understand that
in the months ahead so when those decisions are mine, to
help direct and guide, that I'll be able to build that
experience.
I've always considered myself a lifelong learner. Every job
I've ever gone into in the Air Force over 38 years, I'm
usually pretty new at whatever that mission was, and I had
a lot of learning to do, but I rely on my team around me, I
rely on my mentors who are supporting me and seek out
the experts that can help me with some of the complex
issues that surround these decisions.
So I've been doing this kind of work generally for a long
time but not specifically with college football, but I will bring
those skills to bear on this, and I'm excited to do it.
Q. Specifically, how much input and influence will you
have in relation to the CFP's next College Football
Playoff contract? And how much or what is your
experience as relates to media rights contracts and
deals?
RICHARD CLARK: The upcoming contract for CFP, again,
Mr. Hancock will still be in place all the way through into
'25. So depending on the timing of those contracts, that's
going to drive how much influence I'll have. But what I will
say is, regardless, I will be -- like Mr. Hancock said --
shoulder to shoulder with him as we go through so that I
can first build the experience in it, but then understand his
thought processes and how he goes through making these
kinds of decisions. So that will be very helpful.
I am confident that when the time comes for me to be the
one that is leading us through these decisions, I'll be ready.
I know Mr. Hancock is going to help us get there.
I don't have a lot of experience with media rights
agreements, but I, on the periphery as a Mountain West
Conference board of directors member -- we've had
discussions on these things and I've been involved in them
over the last three-plus years on where we were going to
go as a conference.
So not completely new territory, but in this role, it's going to
be new and I have a lot of learning to do, without question.
But I think I'm up to the task, and I know that Mr. Hancock
is ready to help me to figure out my way forward as I get
ready for this challenge. But I'm excited. I'm passionate.
And I'm ready to get after it.
Q. What's your preference through the way you like to
be addressed? Lieutenant General? General?
RICHARD CLARK: I like to be addressed by Rich. I'm
excited to actually -- when I retire -- that people can just
call me by the name my mom gave me. Although she
named me Richard. My wife calls me that. Everyone calls
me Rich. I'd appreciate that. Thank you, ma'am.
