University of Evansville Magazine - Fall 2008 - (Page 10)

ACES IN ACTION Stanley Says Aces a Program to Bank On by Bob Boxell After 35 years in the banking business, John Stanley could have retired and headed to the beach. He did the first part, retiring from Old National Bank in Evansville in 2007, but only because he was beginning a second career at age 57 as director of athletics at the University of Evansville. One year later, there has not been much time for sand between his toes, or working on his tennis game, or catching up on his reading, but Stanley says he made the right decision. How does someone move from being a banker to an athletics director? Were you a student-athlete? I have always loved athletics and the college atmosphere, so this job is a great combination for me. I played sports at the high school and college levels and subsequently coached at the youth, high school, and collegiate levels, all great fun. The academic atmosphere at UE is also pleasant, and I enjoyed serving as an adjunct faculty member in the past. What has been the best part of the job? I would say the day-to-day interaction with the student-athletes and staff. I tried to make it to every home game in every sport during the season whenever I was in town. I was told I would get tired of it. There may be a time when that happens, but it did not happen this year. What has been the worst part? There is really no worst part. We have turnover [in staff ], which is the nature of athletics, but we are fortunate to get a lot of good applicants for our job openings. Nevertheless, it is still difficult to tell some very talented people they are not the first choice for our jobs because my nature is to try to accommodate people whenever possible. I do not like to tell someone “no” or hurt their feelings, but I am confident that because of UE’s reputation academically and athletically, we will always get good candidates to fill our open positions. Has there been anything that has surprised you? No huge surprises. Because we have a pretty small staff, some of the work requirements have made me adjust how I spend my time to be effective. It is not totally what I had anticipated. There are a lot of hours involved, but it is a labor of love. It requires a different sort of time management than what I did in banking. In what way? We are in the entertainment business and one of the most important things we can do is be responsive and appreciative. This requires a lot of personal communication with our donors, fans, sponsors, etc. I enjoy doing that because it is fun talking about the Aces, but it can also take a lot of time to do it effectively since there is so much in the way of one-on-one communication. What are the primary challenges you expect to deal with in the next year or two? Our regulatory body, the NCAA, is constantly changing rules. That can be challenging and costly, just like regulatory Like Father, Like Son Younger Denny Sets His Sights on Father’s Record by Tom Benson Now David’s oldest son, Brian, is following in his father’s footsteps, literally. Brian, a fourth-generation distance runner in the Denny family, began to consider attending the University of Evansville during his junior year at Colerain High School in Cincinnati, Ohio, after reading about the success of Coach Don Walters’ cross country program. “When Brian said he wanted to go to UE, there was a lot of excitement on my part because I had such a great time when I went there,” said David. “I told him there was a lot of hard work that went into the success that I was fortunate to achieve, and I told him to work hard both in the classroom and on the course, and to stay focused and keep his head on straight.” At his first collegiate meet, the 2007 Mid-America Opener hosted by the University of Evansville, Brian had a secret weapon by his side: his father. David UE MAGAZINE/FALL 2008 In the early 1980s, David Denny’s name was synonymous with University of Evansville cross country. Denny ’83 won back-to-back conference championships for the Purple Aces in 1981 and 1982, while establishing a school-record time of 24 minutes and 23 seconds in the 8,000-meter event which still stands to this day. 10

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University of Evansville Magazine - Fall 2008 Table of Contents Campus Connections Election Connections Where Are They Now? Stanley Says Aces A Program to Bank On Campaign Connections New Connections Alumni Connections

University of Evansville Magazine - Fall 2008

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