It has been a long road. But the search is finally over.
On July 5, Terrance J. “Terry” Tumey was announced as the next Athletics Director for UC Davis.
Tumey travels from Dominican University of California, which is in San Rafael, after a three-year stint there.
As the Aggies put the finishing touches on their transition to becoming an official Division I school, they are caught at an interesting crossroads. UC Davis has been operating without an Athletics Director ever since Greg Warzecka officially left his position in July 2011.
Nona Richardson had been acting as interim director since Warzecka’s departure. Tumey went through an extensive process that spanned the entire 2011-12 school year and more, as did the three other candidates for the job.
The decision time was delayed several times, since the Athletics Advisory Committee had not determined its choice by its goal of January, then by commencement in June. The committee was comprised of students, faculty, staff and alumni.
“In Terry Tumey, we’ve found the perfect person to take UC Davis athletics forward,” said Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi on the announcement.
Katehi’s decision was affected by a multitude of input, including students, faculty, staff, alumni, the Academic Senate and Cedric Dempsey.
Former Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Fred Wood, who has since accepted a position as chancellor of the University of Minnesota at Crookston, was also one of the leaders in the search for Warzecka’s replacement.
UC Davis held a reception for the community in which it officially introduced Tumey as the director of athletics on July 10 on campus.
At the reception, Tumey cordially thanked those involved in the process and gave a short statement on his welcoming.
“This day is not about myself or this position, but this is about what it’s always been about: this great institution,” he said.
“Davis lives excellence every day,” Tumey said. “I look forward to the heavy lifting; it won’t just be me alone, but it will be all of us.”
It would seem anyone with enough patience to sit through the year-long process — as Tumey did — is determined and has the desire to fulfill the duties pioneering the next step in continuing UC Davis’ history of excellence.
Tumey closed the short speech with a battle cry to ring in the new era of UC Davis athletics, one that was so simple, yet spoke to so many across the globe. And it will not be the last time we hear this from Tumey, or anyone else for that matter.
“I think there’s only one thing I would like to say and I’m very proud to say this in my first stance here, and that is ‘Go Ags,’” Tumey said.
MATTHEW YUEN can be reached at sports@theaggie.org.
