https://mikefarrellsports.com/colle...rancois-but-not-its-promising-football-future
@Michael_fasusi7 on X/Twitter
By Rock Westfall
Reed-Francois has deep ties to the West and the old Pac-12 Conference footprint. She was born in Fremont, California, and earned her BA at UCLA. Her athletic administration career began in 1997 at the University of California, followed by jobs at Santa Clara, Fresno State, San Francisco, Tennessee, Cincinnati, Virginia Tech, and then UNLV, where she was an AD for the first time.
While there was incessant media wallowing and panic, the move is understandable based on her roots. It is NOT a knock on Mizzou that she is leaving, regardless of what anyone says.
Mizzou still has a damaged reputation from when former athletic director Mack Rhoades bailed for Baylor after the student strike at MU during the 2015 season. When Rhoades took the Baylor job, it was considered a graveyard because of the sexual abuse allegations that forced out popular head coach Art Briles. Rhoades' departure was taken as a sign that Mizzou was a hopeless nuclear wasteland.
This time, it’s not as much about Mizzou as it is about Reed-Francois wanting to rescue her alma mater from the ruins it now finds itself in and getting a reboot where she may be a better fit.
But Drinkwitz delivered an 11-2 season, which triggered five consecutive sellouts at Faurot Field to end the 2023 campaign. Following a name-brand Cotton Bowlwin over Ohio State, Drinkwitz was extended, and the program received a school-record $62 million donation.
Much of the media is trying to spin that donation as being due to Reed-Francois’s brilliance at fundraising. Instead, the donation was about a football coach she did not hire and may have wanted to fire, delivering a renaissance season for Ol’ Mizzou.
Reed-Francois did take over a department in the red and left it in the black. Certainly, she had a role in improving fundraising and facilities. But in 2023, it was Drinkwitz who closed the sale for most of it.
@Michael_fasusi7 on X/Twitter
By Rock Westfall
Desiree Reed-Francois Leaves Mizzou For Arizona in Surprise Move
The University of Missouri announced on Monday that athletic director Desiree Reed-Francois would be leaving to take over the athletic department of the University of Arizona, where she earned her law degree.Reed-Francois has deep ties to the West and the old Pac-12 Conference footprint. She was born in Fremont, California, and earned her BA at UCLA. Her athletic administration career began in 1997 at the University of California, followed by jobs at Santa Clara, Fresno State, San Francisco, Tennessee, Cincinnati, Virginia Tech, and then UNLV, where she was an AD for the first time.
While there was incessant media wallowing and panic, the move is understandable based on her roots. It is NOT a knock on Mizzou that she is leaving, regardless of what anyone says.
Mizzou still has a damaged reputation from when former athletic director Mack Rhoades bailed for Baylor after the student strike at MU during the 2015 season. When Rhoades took the Baylor job, it was considered a graveyard because of the sexual abuse allegations that forced out popular head coach Art Briles. Rhoades' departure was taken as a sign that Mizzou was a hopeless nuclear wasteland.
This time, it’s not as much about Mizzou as it is about Reed-Francois wanting to rescue her alma mater from the ruins it now finds itself in and getting a reboot where she may be a better fit.
Eli Bought the Drinks in 2023
It is no secret that Reed-Francois and head coach Eli Drinkwitz have had plenty of tension since she arrived in 2021. After three losing seasons, Drinkwitz was said to be on a very warm seat at the start of the 2023 season. Reed-Francois did not hire Drinkwitz, and that added to the pressure.But Drinkwitz delivered an 11-2 season, which triggered five consecutive sellouts at Faurot Field to end the 2023 campaign. Following a name-brand Cotton Bowlwin over Ohio State, Drinkwitz was extended, and the program received a school-record $62 million donation.
Much of the media is trying to spin that donation as being due to Reed-Francois’s brilliance at fundraising. Instead, the donation was about a football coach she did not hire and may have wanted to fire, delivering a renaissance season for Ol’ Mizzou.
Reed-Francois did take over a department in the red and left it in the black. Certainly, she had a role in improving fundraising and facilities. But in 2023, it was Drinkwitz who closed the sale for most of it.
