Baddour, Friday, others to discuss future of college football

By Zach Hoskins

UNC-Chapel Hill Athletic Director Dick Baddour and former UNC President William Friday will join other sports and media professionals Oct. 27 on the University campus for a panel discussion of the future of college football.

The free, public event, presented by the School, will be from 5:15-6:45 p.m. in Carroll Hall auditorium.

The session will discuss the future of college football, not at a particular university but overall. Panelists will discuss media and sponsorships, football's place as part of a university's mission, its role as a life experience for players and coaches, and its effect on the university's image. Sports Communication Professor John Sweeney and students in his "Ethical Issues and Sports Communication" class are organizing the event.

"It should be a dramatic event," Sweeney said. "The students have researched all aspects of the game and will address their best questions to the panel. Those questions will explore the key challenges college football must address for a prosperous future."

Joining Baddour and Friday will be Sherri Chisolm, marketing executive for Jefferson Pilot Sports; Corey Holliday, UNC-Chapel Hill assistant athletic director for football student-athlete development; and Caulton Tudor, sports columnist for The News & Observer of Raleigh.

The panel discussion is part of the School's Sports Communication Program, established by a $1 million donation in 2001 from an anonymous donor. In addition to endowing the Sports Communication Professorship held by Sweeney, the funding provides courses about sports and the media, offers internships and scholarships for students, and brings visiting lecturers to the School.

Baddour, a 1966 Carolina graduate, has been athletic director for the past six years. During that time, the Tar Heels have won more ACC championships than any other school and have led all conference schools in the NACDA (National Association of Collegiate Athletic Directors) Directors' Cup five times. Baddour received a Distinguished Service Medal in 2001 from the UNC General Alumni Association.

Friday, a 1948 graduate of Carolina's School of Law, was assistant dean of students at UNC-Chapel Hill in 1948-51. He was named assistant to University President Gordon Gray in 1951. He was appointed secretary of the University in 1955 and then acting president of the consolidated University system in 1956. He became president later that year. He remained UNC president for 30 years until his retirement in 1986, making him the longest-serving university president of the 20th century.

Chisolm is director of client services in Jefferson Pilot's Charlotte, N.C., headquarters. Before taking her current job, she coordinated marketing and sponsorship associations for the Carolina Panthers, where she worked with major national accounts such as Alltel Communications, Miller Brewing Company and SonyEricsson. She has also worked in marketing for Duke Power, North Carolina A&T University and Florida State University.

Holliday joined the University's athletics department in 2002. He works with the football team in player relations and financial aid matters, and he works as a liaison with the academic support services program. Holliday earned a bachelor's degree from Carolina in 1993 and a master's degree in sports administration in 1997. He played wide receiver for the Tar Heels in 1989-93 and holds the University record for most career receiving yards (2,447). He played four seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers and was on the team that played in Super Bowl XXX against the Dallas Cowboys.

Tudor has covered ACC sports for more than 30 years for the N&O and earlier for the Raleigh Times. He is a member of the U.S. Basketball Writers National Hall of Fame and has covered each ACC national championship team with the exception of North Carolina in 1957. A two-time former president of the Atlantic Coast Sports Writers Association, he has been on the organization's board four times.

For more information about the event, contact Sweeney at (919) 962-4074 or jsweeney@email.unc.edu.

— Zach Hoskins is assistant dean for communication at the School of Journalism and Mass Communication.