Bill Scholl has only been to one Ball State sporting event so far. It was a men's basketball game several years ago, sometime during Bubba Cunningham's tenure as Ball State athletic director from 2003-2005.
Scholl said he was invited to the game by Cunningham, whom he had worked with when they both were at Notre Dame. Most of the details about the game have been lost in Scholl's memory in the intervening years, but he does remember the Cardinals lost and then-coach Tim Buckley was ejected.
"He got a couple of Ts and got tossed," Scholl said. "It was a great game."
While Scholl, who was introduced as Ball State's new athletic director Monday, does not have much first-hand experience with Ball State athletics yet, he still is familiar with the university.
Before he was hired, Scholl said he talked to Cunningham, now athletic director at North Carolina, who advised him to take the job.
Other interactions with Ball State alumni and fans have been positive for Scholl, who has lived most of his life just a few hours away in South Bend. Through his conversations with Ball State alumni in the area over the years, he saw how proud they are of their alma mater, he said.
"We have a tendency at Notre Dame to think we're the most loyal people in the world, but Ball State alums have huge passion for their school," he said.
Scholl's inside experience of Ball State has in a much more conventional role: father. His daughter, Stefanie, is a senior at Ball State, offering him many opportunities to visit campus and given him a chance to see how the school is run.
Scholl attended Notre Dame, as did his two other children. While Stefanie's decision took him "out of what would be our comfort zone," he found Ball State to be a welcoming place beginning with freshman orientation.
"As parents, [we] felt very comforted that things were going to be ok," Scholl said. "She's had a great experience. As parents we saw it as a really good school, cool campus."
Scholl will begin his new job April 30, just days before Stefanie graduates from Ball State. This, he joked, has caused some tension.
"She leaves and I show up," he said. "Not sure where she's going to live, but we'll figure that one out."
As for getting accustomed to game day at Ball State, Scholl may not even wait until he officially begins work in two weeks. Scholl returned to South Bend on Monday evening but said he hopes to be back at Ball State this weekend for the spring football game.
Coach Pete Lembo said he was happy to hear his new boss would be in attendance Saturday.
"That says a lot about how excited he is to get started," Lembo said. "It will be a great opportunity for him to meet a lot of people that are connected to the football program."
Scholl said Lembo and the rest of Ball State's coaches will be seeing a lot more of him once he is on the job. More, perhaps, than they really want.
"I'm out roaming around," Scholl said. "I go to practices. They may or may not like that, but they'll see me at a lot of practices and they'll see me at their games."
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