LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Long before Josh Heird was named interim athletic director at the University of Louisville Monday, he proved his credentials as a collegiate runner.
Track or cross country, whatever was in season. Heird excelled.
Even after Heird moved into athletic administration, he remained on the go, competing in at least seven marathons. In 2014, Heird covered the 26.2 miles in the elite Boston Marathon in 2 hours and 37 minutes while wearing a U of L field hockey t-shirt.
Heird ran another marathon in 2015. Then he stopped, even though I often see him on early evening runs. He has that lean, graceful, confident look that competitive runners have.
But why no more marathons?
Heird said after 2015 that he no longer had the discretionary time to train the way he needed to train to be his absolute best.
“And I’m not going to settle for mediocrity,” Heird said.
Congratulations to @joshheird named interim AD @GoCards . One of the brightest minds , hardest workers and most driven and committed guys in our business ! Louisville’s future is bright indeed . pic.twitter.com/2fEktFRS2B
— Jay Wright (@VUCoachJWright) December 13, 2021
That sounds like a solid operating philosophy as Heird begins the task of replacing Vince Tyra as leader of Cardinal athletics, however long he is asked to serve.
As a guy who worked first for Tom Jurich and then for Tyra, Heird has the mindset to get the athletic department through the inevitable uncertainty as the school waits for the arrival of a new AD and president.
“I don’t think there is anything in college athletics that surprises me,” Heird said when he was asked for his reaction to the jarring back-to-back departures of Tyra and U of L president Dr. Neeli Bendapudi last week.
Heird aced his introduction. He didn’t dodge any questions or try to spin the attention toward himself.
He turned the spotlight where it needs to be this week — toward U of L’s top-ranked, unbeaten volleyball team, which will try to win the final two matches necessary to bring the school its first national title in any women’s sport this week in Columbus, Ohio.
Heird even broke some news that the school is working to extend the contract of volleyball coach Dani Busboom Kelly.
He tried to assure U of L fans about the uncertainty around the school’s football program, including the unhappiness that percolated after the Cardinals were blown out by Kentucky in their season finale.
Heird said that he participated in a 3 1/2-hour meeting with Tyra and football coach Scott Satterfield on Dec. 10, when it was determined the coach would return for a fourth season, a decision that angered some fans.
He promised that Satterfield would address the media this week. Satterfield should have talked after the Cards’ accepted their bid to the First Responder Bowl.
Heird said the decision for Satterfield not to answer questions was a result of the turmoil that surrounded the athletic department after reports that Tyra was a candidate for the Florida State job surfaced.
The football program needs a jolt of energy and competitiveness. Heird said the athletic department will invest more resources into recruiting. Satterfield will look for a former U of L player to return and assist with player development.
Heird said Satterfield spoke passionately during that meeting about how he must improve the program, which needs to defeat Air Force in the bowl game to avoid a second straight losing season. Satterfield needs to share his vision during his next media session, which is scheduled for 2 p.m. Wednesday, the opening day of the first college football signing period.
That’s plenty for an interim leader to address during his first day on the job. But Heird also credited the entire athletic department staff for pushing through last week as the world wondered what was going on at Louisville — again.
“We didn’t skip a beat,” he said.
He said that being an athletic director has always been his professional dream, but Heird did not campaign to become Tyra’s permanent successor.
That was the wise play. It’s not the time to discuss that. The board of trustees will have to determine what the school needs in the next leader of the athletic department and whether it’s time for a break from the Jurich and Tyra connections.
But Heird is the right guy for the interim role. He has already invested more than a dozen years of his professional career at Louisville. He is connected to the staff and to important donors.
The first 10 came under Tom Jurich. The last 2 1/2 have been under Tyra — after Heird worked at Villanova in Philadelphia for two years.
Heird said that he did not remember if he approached Tyra or if Tyra approached him about the opening that Heird filled when he returned in April 2019. They saw each other at a wedding. The interest was mutual. The connection grew from there.
Asked what he has taken from the leadership styles of the two men, Heird was prepared for the question.
From Jurich, it is tenacity. From Tyra, it is empathy.
Heird will need both of those qualities and more as he attempts to lead the University of Louisville athletics department forward.
Related Stories:
- JOSH HEIRD | 5 things to know about Louisville's interim athletics director
- CRAWFORD | University of Louisville accepts Tyra's resignation as athletic director
Copyright 2021 WDRB Media. All rights reserved.
