Haden's hire for baseball (choosing an SC alum) got us our best team in 15 years. His hire for track got us our best men's and women's finish in nearly a decade. Cynthia Cooper-Dyke (another alum) seems strong, and Enfield was a strong up-and-comer when we hired him. Water Polo, Golf, Tennis are all over-excelling. He came in during our darkest hour and made the quick, correct decision to oust Kiffin - few new ADs anywhere would have the nerve to do that mid season. And while Sark self destructed with several tragic addictions, Sark did beat Pete in 09, was a key to keeping the commitments we had, and could slide in rather smoothly (in theory). There were 13 people on the panel who chose to hire Sark...not just PH. Pat has added two sports, completed several facilities ahead of schedule and below budget, raised tons of money, has brought back alum that had checked out, and has a strong relationship with the University which is totally different than the athletic program. The millions brought in by football pales to the billions being brought in for our endowment fund. He gave Sark an ultimatum to get help and when he did not he pulled the trigger on him as well.That takes leadership. He knew Orgeron's long term value as a DC rather than a HC and offered him an insane package to try and get him to stay - again leadership. Pat did not seek out this position and turned it down several times, he took it (along with a pay cut coinciding with an insane increase in hours) to give back to the University and it is my opinion he is on track. No hire is guaranteed - too many variables, no coach can save or make a team. Pete without Pola, Holt, Orgeron, Norton, Davis, Chow and the others would not have won the NC and his last few years without them did not meet USC expectations either. Funny how Holt (Idaho), Orgeron (Miss), Chow (Hawaii), Kiffin (Tenn), Sark (Wash) and even Pete without his cast were not quite as mystical as individuals as they were as a part of a team. To quote Clint Eastwood, "A man's got to know his own limitations". I think Pat Haden is learning fast, owns up to his mistakes, and I fear any other "replacement" for him would fare no better. Haden definitely "gets" USC. When McKay played, USC was not even ranked in the top 120 universities, we are now tied with UCLA at 25 - there is much more to USC as an institution than ever before in history and we just may need an AD like Pat Haden for a few more years. I love football as much as the rest, have not missed a home game since OJ was playing and I was sitting on my dad's lap, I refuse to wear green and I will always support whatever coach we have during the season. Right now, I am also going to support every level of our team - including the AD.
