The image lingers, one of a proud father and boss peering over the shoulder of his son and employee at still another big announcement of a major gift for another University of Louisville athletic endeavor.
The father, Tom Jurich, vice president of athletics at UofL, recognized by his peers as one of the best athletic directors in the country. The son, Mark, senior associate athletic director for development, overseeing fund raising and the Cardinal Athletic Fund.
On Wednesday they were announcing a $3 million gift from Thorntons for the proposed Academic Center for Excellence. Before that it was Mark announcing the Maker’s Mark label for Tom to benefit the Center. A couple of years ago, it was Mark announcing a $5 million gift from Dr. Mark and Cindy Lynn for the new soccer stadium. Before that it was the expansion of Jim Patterson Stadium.
They share a deep affinity for UofL athletics, providing a powerful one-two punch. Considered among the most effective athletic directors by his peers, Tom describes his job as the best in the country. He has had three children graduate from UofL.
Mark is one of those graduates, a former Louisville baseball player from 2001 to 2004, a two-time All-American who played professionally in the Atlanta Braves organization. He returned to UofL in 2008 as an assistant on the development staff. He once tweeted that a highlight from a nightly bedtime ritural was when one of his own sons picked out a special book for him to read. The selection: a UofL football media guide.
Tom, at age 58, has been responsible for the unprecedented growth of Louisville’s athletic department and no one doubts that his aspirations for the University are boundless. Mark, in his early thirties, is his point man for fund raising and shares those aspirations.
Sooner or later, if it hasn’t happened already, another ambitious university is going to try to convince Mark that he can be the driving force for another up and coming school. He once told Sports Business Daily that his ambition is to become an athletic director, and he’s gaining vauable experience in his current position.
Mark told SBD that the best advice he ever received came from his dad, who told him “Find you passion and follow it … That really resonated with me, finding something you really love to do.”
Right now, Mark is passionate about UofL. If he continues to have fun, is patient and sticks around for a few more years, he could well be a candidate for a dream job in the Atlantic Coast Conference at a school near you.
It’s starting to become like the mafia around here.
I’m grooming a successor myself … hopefully.
Like Richard, I would love to see him have an early opportunity to go prove himself elsewhere. Then, if successful there, be a legitimate candidate for Dad’s job who has proven himself out on his own.