Who’s who at USD? | Q&A: Athletic Director David Herbster

Grant Bosiacki: Overall, this past year can be described as what?

David Herbster: It’s gone very well. We’ve had increased involvement with our fans and our community, and that’s a trend that will continue.

GB: Is there anything about your job that has surprised you?

DH: Every once in awhile you get shocked by things, but for the most part, no. If anything, I have been pleasantly surprised by certain things.

GB: The summer is here for the athletes and students. Is this a more relaxing time for you or are you just as busy?

DH: There’s not really a down time. We’re going to start the construction project and continue fundraising, but most importantly, the summer is used to prepare for the upcoming seasons. So believe it or not, the summer is actually probably a busier time for myself and the people around me.

GB: So, no exciting vacations to Hawaii or somewhere near the border?

DH: (Laughs) Well no, but I am actually taking a vacation. I’m finally taking a week-long vacation to Virginia and Washington D.C. with the family. It will be nice to sneak away for a little bit.

GB: When did you know you wanted to be an athletic director?

DH: It was back in college. At that point I had a relationship with my athletic director (at Virginia Tech), and in graduate school I saw everything he was doing to make athletics possible for the athletes.

GB: What excites you about the future at USD?

DH: Winning. Seeing all the work we do in putting together an event or whatever it is, just to see that culminate into wins and championships and graduation is what excites me.

GB: This past March the women’s basketball team made it to the NCAA Tournament. How big was that for the school?

DH: It really gave this school some confidence. It gave us a sense that we do belong in D-I athletics. We all felt a sense of accomplishment, achievement and an awful lot of pride.

GB: What are your impressions with how Joe Glenn has lead this football team throughout the last two years?

DH: He has definitely changed the culture of football around here. The values that he has instilled in his team are lifelong values that will benefit them for many years.

GB: At the end of March Craig Smith was named the head coach of the men’s basketball team. Why is the right guy for the job?

DH: He offers energy, passion and integrity. Those three qualities impressed me the most about him.

GB: What can he bring to this school to help take us to the next level?

DH: He’ll offer a level of engagement that will bring people into the program. He’s a tireless recruiter and an excellent x’s and o’s strategist. Much like coach Glenn, he is great at building relationships and will turn these kids into great men for the rest of their lives.

GB: Whether or not Tyler Starr gets drafted in this weekend’s upcoming NFL Draft, he’ll surely be battling for a roster spot in training camp with some team. That has to be pretty exciting for you.

DH: The school should really take pride in Tyler. He is one of our success stories. He struggled early on in his career but turned his life around, both personally and academically and you can tell the type of player he was able to become because of all of that. Very, very proud of Tyler Starr.

GB: It was pretty cool to see a Coyote participate at the NFL Combine. What do you say — can we get one guy a year from here on out to go there?

DH: I can handle that — I think that would bode well for the football team.

GB: Are first-years who are coming here next year picking the perfect time to become Coyotes?

DH: I think so. The next crew that is coming in will be coming in during the next wave of growth on this campus. This next wave will get everything up-to-date and will have the benefit of being a part of opening up a new building, which will be the basketball arena in 2016. Whether it’s the business school building, the union, the expansion of the MUC or a basketball arena, it’s just cool to be apart of the first of something.

GB: They’re especially coming in at the right time when we beat the Jackrabbits in football next year, right?

DH: Amen to that.