GT Athletics Director Dan Radakovich just released Volume 7 of his bi-weekly newsletter The Good Word. I recommend you read it, but I'll highlight the key bits:

• Ramblinwreck.com will soon have a "Fan Guide" for gameday, with info on parking, pregame activities, etc. This is a VERY good thing. As of recently, RW.com had almost no info on parking; it just sent you to the GT parking site, which is hard as crap to navigate.
• Link to the GTAA Annual Report. Go watch D-Rad's video intro.
• Radio coverage is what it is. ISP has tried to find a higher-power FM station, but no avail yet. All ACC football and basketball games are on XM, but they feature the home announcers, so no Wes Durham for road games. Still a very good thing, though. Also, night games are simulcast on WREK, with Wes and the usual ISP sports crew.

I've gotta say, I'm mad stoked about D-Rad as the new AD, and I am continually impressed with his performance and attitude. He interacts directly with the fans through the Good Word and via email. He appears on TV and talks to the press. And one thing that I like is that he looks at GT athletics as a business, and discusses it as such. Sports are our product, and we have customers, not "just" fans.

Radakovich sees that we need to create a good experience overall, as well as field competitive teams. The AA has stuggled for years to develop a solid "sidewalk" fanbase, and hopefully Radakovich can get some wheels turning on that. (Yes, Atlanta is hindered by being a pro sports town, and by the fact that many Atlantans are transplants with existing college allegiances, but those are excuses. BDS should sell out hella more often.)

I didn't have a particular opinion during the AD search, because I knew little about the candidates. With the power of hindsight, though, I certainly think the search committee found the right man for the job. Not a lot to base it on yet, but I don't imagine D-Rad ever being seen as a bad choice.

Posted by Jeff on Thursday, August 03, 2006 at 10:18 PM | Permalink