Michigan State University Athletics
Mason Prepares For Transition
Mason Prepares For Transition
Legendary MSU hockey coach officially takes over as athletics director on July 1, 2002.
June 14, 2002
EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) - For 36 years, Ron Mason's day-to-day concerns were players and coaching strategies.
Today, Mason's days are filled with administrative meetings. His new strategies concern raising money for Michigan State and developing plans to improve the athletic department.
Mason, the winningnest coach in college hockey history, is settling into his job as athletic director at the university. He officially takes over the position on July 1, but already has unofficially begun running the department.
The last day for Clarence Underwood, the outgoing athletic director, was Friday.
"It's been busy," Mason said. "It really has. I knew that going in. I said I'm on a learning curve and it's real steep right now. Once I get up and it levels off a little bit, it'll be different."
Mason is in charge of a $46.8 million budget and 25 varsity sports. The 62-year-old has agreed to a five-year contract with the university, but has yet to sign it. Terms of the contract have not been disclosed.
Mason earned $173,215 a year in base pay as hockey coach. Underwood's salary was $153,720.
While Mason said while he is still learning the job, there are several plans he'd like to explore that will boost athletic department revenue. Those include luxury boxes in Spartan Stadium and upgrading the Duffy Daugherty football building.
Besides that, Mason said all he wants to do is help the department maintain stability. He's the fourth athletic director the school has had in 10 years. But since Mason is highly regarded by the school's other coaches and administrators, he seems capable of maintaining the stability brought by Underwood.
"I don't think I exactly have to reinvent the wheel here," Mason said.
Unlike the last three athletic directors, Mason inherits the department while it is on an upswing. A grass field is being installed in Spartan Stadium, where the football team had played on artificial turf since 1969.
New locker rooms are being installed in Jenison Field House, which is used by the volleyball and track teams. A new track and artificial turf field also are being built.