Wellman Named AD of the Year

On Thursday Street & Smith’s announced Ron Wellman as the A.D. of the Year. As previously mentioned, Wellman had been nominated along side Connecticut’s Jeff Hathaway, Kansas’ Lew Perkins, and Ohio State’s Gene Smith.

One of the cool things about an award like this is that it really is an award that says as much about our school and our entire athletic program as it does about Wellman. Obviously he’s been an incredible leader and has found the right people for the right jobs, emphasized the right things, and led the program to highs it hasn’t previously known. Still, he could make all the right decisions and not seen these kinds of results. Everyone in the program has done their part to make Wake the success it is.

All of us who are members of the Wake Forest family should take great pride in having Wellman leading the program. Anything is possible, but Wellman truly seems to be a “Wake Forest Guy,” who doesn’t seem to be the type that will leave. He has never given any hint that he would want to ride success like this to a job at a bigger school, but rather remains committed to this program. Whatever his reasons, the fact that he does this makes me like him that much more.

The 2007-2008 athletic season, for which Wellman won the award, has had both good and bad moments, yet Wellman’s leadership has been evident throughout. It started with Wellman’s excellent handling of Skip Prosser’s tragic death, and continued into a successful fall that included a 9-4 football campaign and a good run in field hockey. The month of December included the retention of football coach Jim Grobe, a National Championship in men’s soccer, and a Meineke Car Care Bowl victory. The spring has included the end of an exciting basketball season (which could have been more successful but was not a terrible disappointment all things considered) and some very good performances in golf and tennis.

I hope and expect Ron to stick around for the long haul. It’s an exciting time to be a Deacon fan, and he has a lot to do with that. Thanks for all your hard work, and keep it up.