March 3, 2017
By Jack Smith
Equestrian coach Greg Williams loves to sell Auburn to recruits and their parents.
He talks with passion about the program he built into a national power. He raves about the Auburn family.
He touts Auburn traditions. He might even quote the Auburn Creed.
Yet when Williams strolls down iconic South Donahue Drive with excited and anxious parents, he suddenly gets quiet. He lets Auburn's athletic facilities do all the talking.
Parents have the same reaction when they see the wildly popular Wellness Kitchen bustling with activity, as athletes and students finish off frozen yogurt cones on their way to class or carry their food to the plush residence hall across the street.
Wide-eyed moms and dads then turn and see nearby Watson Field House, transformed into a spacious strength and conditioning center for Auburn's Olympic sports after a $16 million Indoor Practice Facility freed up the space.
Just a short walk up South Donahue where Tiger Walk begins on those special fall Saturdays, they see student-athletes coming and going from study halls or meetings with mentors at the academic center connected to the main complex.
"Parents can stand in one place and turn around and look at what's been done and know all of that is available to their child," Williams said. "That alone helps recruit the best athletes. They don't really need to hear any words from me. They just have to see it."
Auburn's athletic facility footprint appeals to recruits who want to know where they will live, eat, practice and study. It eases the minds of parents eager to know their children will be in a safe and nurturing place that has more than recruiting panache.
"Not many schools can compete with that," Williams said. "It is so important for recruits and their parents to see we have everything right here with such easy access when they start their transition into a college career."
While it took the work and support of many to transform the Auburn Athletics' hub into what Williams describes as "our own Olympic village," he credits one man's vision for making it happen: Auburn Athletics Director Jay Jacobs.
Jacobs, who was named Auburn's AD in 2005 after serving in nearly every area of the department for two decades, was honored Thursday by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics as an Athletics Director of the Year.
Williams said the NACDA AD of the Year selection committee, comprised of top athletic directors and league commissioners from across the country, could not have picked a better honoree.
"We have incredible facilities and a lot of great things going on in the athletic department that give us a chance to recruit and compete at the highest level, and all of that comes from Jay's vision for Auburn," Williams said.
Vision, integrity & passion
Earlon McWhorter knows what it takes to transform a campus with aging and at one time inadequate facilities into a first-class village. The impressive brick building across Samford Avenue, home to Auburn's gymnastics and softball teams, has his name on it.
The former Auburn Trustee, longtime donor and current Tigers Unlimited board member said he was delighted to see Jacobs honored with an award that recognizes the department's excellence across the board--including the strong fiscal management that made Auburn's facilities renaissance possible.
"Jay is a smart businessman with vision and a unique ability to see what's coming down the road," McWhorter said. "During his time as AD, Auburn Athletics has invested millions in its facilities and programs while remaining fiscally strong. That has been possible because Jay is an excellent steward of the department's resources with a clear vision and well-defined goals."
McWhorter is confident in the future of Auburn Athletics in large part because he knows the department is fiscally sound. Athletics posted record revenues for the most recent fiscal year and has robust financial reserves.
"Auburn Athletics is in great shape financially," he said. "That's a credit to Jay's leadership and business skills."
Athletics has seen strong revenue growth in areas ranging from ticket sales and ticket priority to lucrative multi-year contracts negotiated with the likes of FOX Sports and Under Armour. The new multimedia rights agreement with FOX Sports reflects almost a $60 million increase over the previous deal with IMG.
The new agreement with Under Armour, at an average annual value of $7.8 million from 2016 through 2025, was recently reported by Forbes Magazine as being the seventh most valuable sports apparel deal in the country.
"It is no surprise to any of us at FOX Sports to see Jay recognized as AD of the Year," Home Team Sports CEO Kyle Sherman said. "During our critical launch year, Jay has been an innovative and supportive partner. Jay's professional integrity and passion for Auburn have created a beneficial partnership for FOX Sports and Auburn University."
'We clicked from day one'
When softball coach Clint Myers and his wife, Katie, came to The Plains to interview for the job with Jacobs, he was impressed by the Auburn campus and the community.
But what really sold him was Jacobs' passion for family--the Auburn Family and his own.
"The day Katie and I came down and had the interview, we were sitting down having lunch," Myers said. "He was telling me about the Auburn Family and I'm telling him about the Myers family, and we're saying the same thing. It was a relationship made for both of us, because we had the same ideas and goals as far as what we wanted to do and how we should be doing things. We clicked from day one."
Myers said great players are only one piece of what it takes to compete for championships, which he did in record time after leading Auburn to its first Women's College World Series and a national runner-up finish in his first three years. It takes the support and commitment of an entire department.
"The success has been tremendous, and you have to start at the top and look at what Jay has done for this program," Myers said. "He has given us great support."
The Hall of Fame coach said Jacobs is "basically self-made."
"He came here as a football player, and he will leave here as an athletics director," Myers said. "That's a true success story."
Myers said he personally appreciates Jacobs' efforts to come to games and cheer for his girls.
"Not only is Jay Jacobs a great AD, he's a great man," Myers said. "He cares about everybody, and he lives a life just like he says. I think he's a role model for what young men today should aspire to be."
'The human touch'
Present and former student-athletes, coaches and staff who talked about the pride they felt in their AD in the wake of Thursday's announcement all said essentially the same thing about Jacobs. They pointed to a quality dear to Auburn faithful and defined in the Auburn Creed. The human touch.
Veteran Senior Woman Administrator and Executive Associate AD Meredith Jenkins and others pointed to two qualities they say define Jacobs as a leader. He cares. And he listens.
"Jay cares deeply for our student-athletes and he wants them to succeed at Auburn and beyond," Jenkins said. "He really listens to them and wants to address their needs. He's supportive of our teams but he also strongly supports each one of them as individuals."
Coaches and staff said several initiatives demonstrate that Jacobs invests the department's resources where his heart is: Doing whatever it takes to ensure Auburn's student-athletes compete at a high level, earn their degrees, develop socially and spiritually, enjoy good mental health and leave Auburn prepared for successful careers and meaningful lives.
Former Tiger football player Nosa Eguae completed his eligibility in 2013, but his relationship with Jacobs has only grown in the years since. The rising star at a major Chicago-based healthcare company credits Jacobs with helping him develop as a leader and a man.
"When I think of Jay Jacobs, I think of class," Eguae said. "I also think about how consistent he has been with me since the first time I met him in 2009."
Eguae remembers embracing Jacobs as Auburn celebrated its first national championship in 53 years in 2010. He also remembers Jacobs in the locker room after falling just short of another national title in 2013.
"I just remember him being there for us, and that's what a leader is supposed to do," Eguae said. "He stood there in the locker room with us. He took the time to make sure he spoke to every senior and thank them for their time at Auburn University."
Eguae said the average fan has no idea how much Jacobs does behind the scenes to encourage Auburn's football players and ensure the program gets what it needs. He meets regularly with small groups of players throughout the fall, just to listen.
"Every time I saw him, he would tell me to come by if I needed anything," Eguae said. "That open door policy remains, and that means a lot to you when you have completed your eligibility. He still treats me the same."
The affable former defensive lineman said he has learned a lesson or two about connecting with people from Jacobs, and the importance of taking the time to learn their names and a little about their story.
Jacobs briefly met his cousin in 2010. Three years later, he called him by name when he saw him again at the Rose Bowl.
"My cousin was blown away because Jay knew his name," Eguae said with a laugh. "It is unbelievable how good Jay is at that."
'Jay is our CEO'
Soccer coach Karen Hoppa, who led her program to historic highs the past two seasons, is the second-longest tenured head coach on staff.
Hoppa said Jacobs' wide-ranging experience in the department, which began with his first job as a strength coach on Coach Pat Dye's staff, gives him a unique ability to understand the needs of every coach and department that is now an almost $140 million a year enterprise.
"Jay having done so many different roles in the athletics department makes him a lot more relatable to all areas in our athletics department," Hoppa said. "He used to be a strength coach. When I first got here, I was calling him about my dealer cars. He's done a little bit of everything, and he did a great job of fundraising in Tigers Unlimited. At the end of the day, the athletics department is like a massive business. Jay is our CEO and he understands all of the different moving parts."
Hoppa echoed the sentiments of others who said Jacobs always takes time to connect with student-athletes, who deeply appreciate his encouragement and support.
"He takes time out of his day to talk to them, and he has lunch with the captains every month," Hoppa said. "It's not just for the football players, either. "It's all the student-athletes. Our girls feel he puts them first in the same way he puts other student-athletes first. That's what sets Jay apart."
Jacobs has aggressively pursued his goal of providing the best student-athlete experience possible throughout his tenure, but a number of initiatives the past few years have taken Auburn's program and the wide-ranging support services it offers to athletes to a new level.
Athletics ramped up its academic support staff and created its own in-house career center to help athletes decide what they want to do and make sure they are prepared to succeed after college.
The department's sports medicine team has increased dramatically under Jacobs' watch. It now includes two psychologists, a counselor, trainers for every sport and additional doctors to meet student-athletes' day-to-day health needs thanks to an innovative partnership with VCOM, the medical college just up the road from the Athletics Complex.
Jacobs was the driving force behind the $6.5 million Wellness Kitchen, which came from his desire to properly fuel Auburn athletes and teach them how to live longer, healthier lives. The first fulltime nutritionist at Auburn Athletics planned meals and even went on grocery store trips with athletes to teach them how to make healthy food choices.
The former football player championed construction of the South Donahue Residence Hall funded by the university. It replaced Sewell Hall, the old brick building where he and other players lived, dined and made memories in the early 1980s.
When supporting the cause for the new residence hall, Jacobs talked about the need to bring athletes who had moved off campus back together to create the kind of camaraderie that helps teams grow closer and more connected to campus life.
Since 2005, Auburn has also opened an $86 million basketball arena that other schools now look to as a model, new tennis and golf facilities and a soccer-track facility. More than $30 million was spent on phased-in improvements at Jordan-Hare Stadium in addition to millions spent on regular maintenance.
The Board of Trustees recently approved Jacobs' proposal for a major locker room renovation and a new recruiting lounge and club amenities at Jordan-Hare.
A few years ago, as Jacobs was sitting at the conference table in his office with an inspiring view of Auburn Arena and Jordan-Hare Stadium, he thought of fan surveys he'd read countless times. They all wanted a new video board and a better sound system.
Jacobs was thinking big. As in the largest video board in college football. A team of engineers, architects and facilities experts in the department and on campus went to work. It required a complicated choreography of complex engineering, meticulous planning and seamless teamwork to finish a project that should have taken 10 months in just half a year.
Architect and former Auburn football player Yann Cowart said the video board was a visible symbol of Jacobs' commitment to making Auburn the best it can be. Cowart said he hopes fans appreciate the level of investment in Auburn's athletics facilities under Jacobs' watch.
"Jay has overseen essentially 90 percent of the athletics facilities improvements in this university's history," Cowart said. "There are very few Power 5 athletics facilities that have as a whole what Auburn has. He has shown that he has a big vision and an ability to get people around him to execute his plan."
The investments have yielded a return by almost any measure. Ticket sales have increased for multiple sports. Last year, fans voted Auburn's gameday experience the best in the SEC, a league where tailgating and cherished fall traditions are as competitive as the football games fans come to see.
Making it happen
Coaches, staff and student-athletes say Jacobs is tenacious when he identifies projects that will enhance the experience. Perhaps he learned to push through obstacles on the practice field during Coach Dye's infamous "three-a-day" workouts his first year on the job. As Jacobs often jokes, more highly recruited players often left a note on the bed in the dark of night, never to be seen again. Jacobs ended up starting.
Williams said he and other head coaches often say they had better get on the same page when bringing a need to Jacobs' attention. He gets it done, quickly.
"Jay's ability to immediately implement plans is amazing," Williams said. "We have got to make sure we are all in agreement on what we want, because Jay is going to make it happen."
A recent example of Jacobs' determination to push a project through came from the captains' meetings he holds with student-athletes. They repeatedly shared how they needed a place to gather and relax away from their sports and their books.
Jacobs and his staff went to to work coming up with plans for a plush game room beyond anything most teenagers might dream of inside the South Donahue Residence Hall.
Within weeks, a brightly colored, state-of-the-art game room offering lounge chairs and multiple TV monitors, video games, pool tables, ping pong, fooz ball and more opened. The words of the Auburn Creed cover one wall, and each of the tables is custom branded with "War Eagle," reflecting Jacobs' keen attention to detail.
Jacobs recently shared pictures of smiling football players, golfers and regular students enjoying the room. Visitors are likely to hear the clack of billiards, the roar of motorcycle video games and the sounds of laughter as they enter the room.
The new hub of social activity in the residence hall is exactly what Jacobs envisioned.
Staff had to ensure it complied with all the rules, an obstacle Jacobs cleared when he declared it would be open and available to all students who live in the apartment-style residence hall, not just athletes. The result met one of his goals of giving student-athletes who might otherwise be isolated a chance to connect with regular students on campus.
"He's been very open to anything that creates a great experience for our student-athletes," Jenkins said. "He takes care of them and he has supported their needs."
Other behind-the-scenes efforts never make the news, but they make a difference.
Auburn football and basketball are not the only teams that charter planes to key away games. Soccer, volleyball, softball and other teams that would have thought a charter flight was an out-of-reach luxury not many years ago now fly from the Auburn airport to select games and competitions. It's a little thing that goes a long way.
"A lot of people don't realize being in Auburn, Alabama what a huge thing that is for our student-athletes to get back and be able to go to class," Jenkins said.
'We don't struggle for average'
Former softball All-American Emily Carosone has traveled the journey Jacobs hopes all Auburn student-athletes experience. She left Auburn with SEC championship rings on her fingers, a diploma in her hand and big dreams in her heart.
In between the summer seasons of professional softball, Carosone is working to gain experience that will help in her eventual career. She is currently interning at Auburn, a product of Jacobs' emphasis on providing post-graduate internships.
She said the personal interest Jacobs took in her and her teammates well before softball exploded in popularity proved she made the right college choice, especially after graduating from a high school with 24 classmates.
Carosone learned the Auburn Family was real the first time she went to a meeting as a freshman. Jacobs gave out his personal cell phone to all the athletes.
"He told us if we ever needed anything or had a concern to give him a call or shoot him a text," Carosone said. "I know a couple of softball players did that and he got their needs taken care of pretty quickly. It was nice that someone so high up in the athletics department not only cares about the athletes but also cares about the individuals.
Carosone said fans who expect freshmen to contribute right away might not realize how critical it is for them to feel secure while they adjust to college life with two full-time jobs as student and athlete.
"That feeling of having a personal connection is so important for all student-athletes, especially those who are away from home for the first time," she said. "Jay understands that."
Coach Williams knows first-hand the challenge of staying on top after reaching the summit, as Auburn equestrian has won three national championships. He said a leader of any team or organization that enjoys success has to be relentless in pursuing excellence and looking for ways to improve.
That is exactly how Auburn coaches describe Jacobs' constant drive to improve, whether it's bringing in the Disney Institute to elevate the gameday experience or working feverishly with campus facilities to add 2,000 new parking spots and tailgating spaces. Unlike almost every other major program, Jacobs insisted the newly created spots would be free of charge to fans.
"I think a lot of that determination and drive in Jay comes from being a competitor and an athlete," Williams said. "You really are ready to move on to the next challenge as soon as you have a victory or goal that is achieved. Once it's done, it is immediately on to the next game, the next season, whatever. It is so important for us as staff to have a leader like that, and that is what we have in Jay."
Carosone puts it another way after spending a few years under the tutelage of the guru of women's softball coaches, Clint Myers.
"I know the softball players, we don't like to struggle for average or be complacent," Carosone said. "Jay is always looking for ways to better all of the sports. That's why he meets with the captains and constantly talks to the student-athletes. Hearing what they have to say straight from them just shows he's not going to settle for average. He wants us all to be as great as we can be and do our jobs to the best of our ability."
One attribute prized by AD of the Year selection committees is whether athletics directors provide opportunities for continuing education and professional growth.
Members of Jacobs' staff have completed numerous programs at the NCAA level, from the NCAA Pathway Program and Title IX to diversity and inclusion seminars. They are actively involved in leadership roles at the SEC and NCAA.
Two staff members recently received their PhD's. Another executive staff member who came to Auburn to learn under Jacobs was recently hired by the University of Connecticut as their Director of Athletics.
Jacobs himself is a two-time graduate of the Harvard Business School Leadership Best Practices Program. He serves on numerous committees at the NCAA and SEC levels, including the NCAA Administrative Cabinet / NCAA Division I Strategic Vision Planning Committee. In a post that has traditionally been a one-year rotation, Jacobs has served as chairman of the SEC AD's for the past five years.
Marcy Girton is among the newest members of Jacobs' leadership team. The department's chief operating officer came to Auburn after successful stints at Texas A&M and South Carolina. How did she end up on The Plains?
"I was attracted to Auburn because Jay is so well respected," Girton said. "His values align with my values. He's a man of integrity. He cares a great deal about the student-athletes and that's a major priority for me. Jay cares so much about people and he's willing to meet people where they are and meet their needs."
Serving the Greater Good
Auburn Athletics Chief Marketing Officer Ward Swift says that as much as Jacobs does for student-athletes, a big part of his legacy will be all he has done to serve the greater good.
"Jay believes in making dreams come true," Swift said. "He challenges us to focus on those things that truly matter, that have enduring value."
Those who work in Auburn Athletics have great respect for Jay's leadership and all he has done to ensure they achieve their shared goals of athletic success, academic excellence, fiscal responsibility, playing by the rules, and delivering a best-in-class experience for donors and fans. But what they are most proud of is who Jay Jacobs is as a man.
"There is so much that people don't know about Jay," Swift said, "They don't know that Jay is leading the fight to end child hunger in Alabama. They don't know of Jay's visit to a small elementary school on the south side of Chicago to inspire and make dreams come true. They don't know that Jay and his wife, Angie, have opened their hearts and homes to many foster children since 2009."
The list of accomplishments during Jacobs' 12-year tenure is long and remarkably diverse. Swift said what he appreciates most is what Jacobs stands for and the way he represents his alma mater.
"He is everything we expect in an Auburn Man," Swift said. "All of us in Auburn Athletics are just so very proud of who Jay is as a person. He has earned the honor and distinction that is bestowed by this prestigious award."
Jade Rhodes is another decorated Auburn softball player currently gaining experience in the department. As a player, she saw Jacobs as a fan and a family man.
"Playing softball, I would see his face in the crowd, and that meant a lot to me," Rhodes said. "Then to be welcomed into his home by him and his wife for our senior dinner, that just shows you what kind of man he is. He's a family man who really cares for us. I'm proud to call him our athletics director."