Adios, Pete...

It was announced earlier today that UM senior associate athletic director Pete Garcia is headed up the road to Florida International University. Garcia will step in for Rick Mello, who FIU is reassigning somewhere else within the university. Expect to hear much more as this story unfolds, conincidentally the same week Miami and FIU are slated to meet in the Orange Bowl this Saturday.

How big of a blow this is to the Hurricanes, who knows? Rumor has it that Garcia was next in line to replace current athletic director Paul Dee, but the question remained, when? Dee is under contract with Miami until 2010, though there is speculation he could be gone as soon as the end of 2006, citing health issues and some poor decisions while in charge. Most notably the extension of Larry Coker's contract in summer 2005 and a lawsuit pending regarding former Miami women's basketball coach Ferne Labati. Miami is also still paying former men's basketball coach Perry Clark, another black eye on Dee's resume.

One thing for certain, the return of Butch Davis looks like less of a possibility that it did yesterday. Garcia and Davis worked in tandem during the probation era, helping rebuild Miami's football program through crafty recruiting tactics and finding those 'diamond in the rough' type players. When Davis bailed for Cleveland in January 2001, he made Garcia a member of the Browns organization.

Garcia returned to The U in September 2005 and as senior associate athletic director, he oversaw the ticket office, ticket sales, Internet and media relations. He also put his recruiting cap back on and assisted Coker as the Miami staff was short-handed due to recent firings.

With the propect of Dee sticking around Coral Gables up until 2010 and the fact FIU is right up the road, no one can really fault Garcia for leaving his post at Miami. College athletics is big business and this is a a huge move forward career-wise. Should Miami come calling if Dee is gone anytime in the near future, one would believe that Garcia would be all ears. He obviously loves the University of Miami, returning there after his stint in Cleveland. At this point of his career, 'athletic director' looks much better on the resume than 'senior associate athletic director'.

Congratulations to Pete Garcia. Hopefully he'll prove that he's a quality AD and in time here's hoping he's back at The U sooner than later, helping right the ship.


.:Canes305:.