In his opening press conference, Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Tom Collins said there was no reason Ball State University could not compete in all sports in the Mid-American Conference. He also said he would find the necessary resources for all sports programs.
Five months into his tenure as athletic director, Collins has stayed true to his word.
In early March, he removed men's basketball coach Tim Buckley, who failed to lead the Cardinals to a MAC championship in his six years at Ball State. In late May, Collins said goodbye to softball coach Terri Laux, who had been at the helm of the program for 10 years. She had only won one MAC championship and finished with a career record of 222-283-1.
This initiative shows Collins will not stand for complacency for any sport in the athletic program. Even though football and men's basketball are the biggest money-makers in the department, there is no reason to let the other sports fall to the sidelines. The message Collins is sending to coaches is a strong one: Get your team's act together, or you could be next.
He made a huge splash in replacing the men's basketball coach. He brought in a well-known name in college basketball with the selection of Ronny Thompson, the son of legendary Georgetown University coach John Thompson.
With Collins having such a quick trigger-finger, Brady Hoke's job could be next. He has lasted three seasons in Muncie, never winning more than four games in a season. Collins has shown a refusal to accept mediocrity, and another 4-7 season from what is supposed to be a vastly improved squad could spell the end of the Hoke era at Ball State.
An athletic director with the vision to take Ball State athletics to the next level is something the school hasn't had in a while. The overall emphasis on accountability within all programs is what makes Tom Collins - at the present time - a major improvement over predecessors Bubba Cunningham and Andi Seger.
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