Has a Harvard AD Ever Done This?

One football alumnus goes to show that Lehigh alumni aren't just big names on Wall Street (Lee Iaccoca '45) and on the movie screen (Donny Most '72, whose acting career includes one of my 3AM pre-Greeker run favorites: Stewardess School). Joe Alleva ('75) is now commanding one of the most powerful college athletics programs in the world.

This weekend, Joe was anointed the Tiger's next athletics director by the LSU system president Dr. John Lombardi.

Joe had worked for Duke since getting his double degree from Lehigh in 1975 and his MBA in 1976.

“Joe Alleva brings a wealth of experience and accomplishment to LSU,” Lombardi said. “I’m confident we’ve found a new leader for LSU athletics who exemplifies the vision and integrity needed to lead our sports programs to new heights, a champion of student athletes who believes in the highest standards of competition both on the field and in the classroom.”

Best of all, he's a through-and-through football guy:

“It’s interesting and really exciting (to be at a football oriented
school). I’m a football guy, played football and I love football, and one of my previous disappointments at Duke was the fact that we never could get the football program going. I met with Coach Miles today and I told him I’ll do anything I can to help you and keep winning championships. That’s what I’m here for – to help him win championships and help all of our coaches win championships.”

I can see it now on the 2010 shedule: Lehigh... at LSU... in football. Before this weekend, it was a fantasy. Now? It actually could happen. Talk about a game that Lehigh football players would talk about their whole lives...

Comments

Anonymous said…

Very interesting change of scenery. Think the Duke lacrosse debacle had anything to do with this? That was badly handled. And now he goes to a school whose academic integrity, vis a vis athletics, has always been suspect. A most unusual move.

10:51 PM

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