GREENSBORO, N.C. - Atlantic Coast Conference Commissioner John Swofford announced today that Nora Lynn Finch has been chosen to fill the position of Associate Commissioner for Women’s Basketball Operations and Senior Woman Administrator.
50 Responses to “Nora Lynn Finch Leaves NC State For The ACC”
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The quality of the NCSU Athletics Department just went down (another) large notch! Jed won’t have many more heads to stand on - maybe he will be exposed then (ha!)
“The quality of the NCSU Athletics Department just went down (another) large notch! Jed won’t have many more heads to stand on - maybe he will be exposed then (ha!)”
I don’t think that it’s possible for the NCSU Athletics Dept to drop in quality.
If LF is standing on Finch’s shoulders, that speaks volumes to our athletic dept’s leadership…and it’s not good.
Hey, I’ll take this. Don’t worry though, I’m sure you’ll another promotion from w/in the department.
The real question is, what will the “royal family” do without the princess??
That’s a nice picture of Nora Finch in the article there. I guess we’ll find out shortly how she looks in light blue.
Seriously, what do you guys think of NLF?
I seem to remember a lot of moaning and groaning about her when people suggested that she be made AD before Lee Fowler came.
I don’t know her, but I’ve never heard anyone say a kind word about her. They use another word other than “Finch.” That’s from about four different, independent sources.
When Buddy Green left, one person in particular said that Finch was a major factor in his departure.
That said, I think State has bigger problems than NLF.
When I was at State NLF was one of the drivers behind the transition of womens athletics from the AIAW to the NCAA. My impression of her was always that she had a lot on the ball and displayed plenty of intensity on the bench when she was on Coach Yow’s staff. I think the main conclusion I would draw from the things she did with the early NCAA Tournament work is that she’s not a status quo person and probably knows how to stir things up a little bit. Working for Uncle Jed may have been too much for her to take and she may realize that he’s not going anywhere for a good while.
Let’s just say that she is lucky to have worked at NC State or that excessively expensive office renovation that she unethically had done between ADs (Les Robinson to Lee Fowler) would have been grounds for dismissal at any other school.
Perhaps now the Women’s Basketball budget and ridiculous travel itineraries will be reigned in some.
The lady put in her 31 years and gets a promotion to a better job in recogniton of her abilities and an indication that she must do something right.
Like all folks in a job - some people like you and others don’t. Where you fall depends on your own bias.
Congrats to NLF for being recognized and rewarded. Time to start looking for a good replacement.
NLF was totally corrupt and a loose cannon.
People who don’t know that are obviously WAY out of the loop.
I guess she fits right in with Swofford and the ACC in the position of Associate Commissioner for Women’s Basketball Operations and Senior Woman Administrator.
For a person who is “totally corrupt” that’s pretty amazing. Lets see — was she ever arrested? Investigated by the police, SBI or State Auditor? Or is the statement “totally corrupt” just a personal opinion. What loop are you in?
Come on people. We are beating up on our school more than the opposition. we are starting to look more like whiners than fans.
I, for one, believe we are allowed to whine given the crap our school has tried to pass as athletics. I give credit when credit is due (a good baseball season) but I refuse to be all hunky dorey about our athletics as a whole (just about everything else).
And hearing comments from respectable posters like StateFans and Noah coupled with my already-developed cynicism towards our athletics department makes me want to believe she might not have been the greatest.
You reading this Fowler? By diminishing the quality of our athletics program and school you cause most people to have a bad opinion of the people in your department by default.
boknows - Finch has been a divisive figure in the athletic department for a while. I’ve heard negative generalizations of her in the past. My impression is that she was popular w/ those advocating the expansion of women’s sports. I do know this, the last sub prop 48 requirement SAT score admitted to NC State wasn’t a male athlete.
“Come on people. We are beating up on our school more than the opposition. We are starting to look more like whiners than fans.”
I couldn’t agree with you more Bo.
I don’t know a thing about Finch, except that I met her once at BB game, but she’s been heavily involved in this field forever and it sounds to me like she at least might have the, uh, guts to push the envelope a little.
Either you have someone who wants more, and not just more money, but someone who will PUSH and ruffle feathers to get something done that actually involves improving athletics at NC State. You can’t always be Mr/Mrs Goody Two Shoes as a person, or as a university, when you have important business to attend to.
If some of these posts are true then, with regards to a Lee Fowler type vs a Nora Finch type, maybe there is something closer to a happy median, but you canNOT have it both ways.
She dominated Fowler. He rolled over for her at every turn. Makes a lot of people really wonder who run/ran things over there.
red - that’s fair too. I think someone else had mentioned something similar.
My impression is that she was a bulldog if she wanted something. The question would be, which sports would she have fought hardest for at NC State? She was often mentioned in the media as a likely successor as the AD, but that never came to fruition.
It is interesting to read some of these comments –
The people that actually know stories and specifics are critical of NLF.
The people that admit that they don’t know anything are critical of others for making judgments and conclusions based on facts and educated positions.
I read that and a little bell went off. I can’t remember where I’ve read that before. Have we discussed this here?
Noah - I’m not sure if it was discussed here before. Without giving too much away, it’s pretty obvious why an exception was made - she had a very good career here.
SFN - the stuff on women’s b’ball intrigues me. Do we know how our budget compares to other women’s b’ball programs?
“I don’t know her, but I’ve never heard anyone say a kind word about her.”
Well I have known her and have never heard a bad word about her. Go figure.
I will say that it infuriates me when State fans beat up on their own. She deserves far better treatment for her service.
Off topic - but funny and involving NC State vs. South Carolina:
http://deadspin.com/5023013/college-football-opening-night-conspires-to-sink-obama
Please forgive the OT post and delete if necessary … just thought it was funny
SFN — What’s the old saying? Familiarity breeds contempt.
Well, then say some kind words about her and I won’t be able to say that anymore.
I know her well and always thought of her as a good person and a classy lady. Where people did not like her was they expected her to “be a lady” and take her place in the kitchen. She was far from that, and when she had a cause she would stand up for her cause. A woman who stands up is often labeled as some here would have her.
Did I always agree with her? No. But we knew how to respectfully agree to disagree. Out of the office, she was one of the nicest people I knew. In the office, she was not a bad person, just a fighter for her causes. I hate to see her go since she was such a staunch advocate (for the good I beleive) for womens athletics.
Not to argue but….
If we accept the premise that a person gets hired for a high visibility ACC job because they do good work then we should be honored that someone from our University got recognized in that manner. They could have taken anyone from any school and they took her. People usually get hired based on their reputaion and merit and her new job shines a nice light on NCSU.
Now if you don’t like her then you are all free to say so and you can be as happy as a clam in mud that she is gone. However, it just bugs me that here is one positive story being told about NC State and everyone wants to dwell on the negative.
I like SFN a lot because it educates me and keeps me up to date on Athletics. Maybe it’s me but it just seems that we are cnstantly berating our school. HEck I don’t like Fowler either and I make it a habit of telling everyone I know that — especially if they are influential enough to oust him.
And the folks who are influential enough to oust LF are pretty smart people. Just like us, they hate to spend many more thousands of dollars for the best seats/Suites in the RBC/Stadium to watch a mediocre preformance. I don’t think they are stupid and I do think that given a fair amount of time if an AD is not producing — they will make the move to get a new one.
Maybe the carping done here is the tip of a bigger iceburg — or maybe not. I just get a little offset when NC State fans are the butt of jokes on morning radio on 850 because we beat ourselves up so much. More so than our opponents.
Wow, OT or not! I’m glad to know I won’t have to be tempted to watch Bayrack that night since I’ll be in Williams Brice pulling for both teams!
Bo, I agree with you! The article was very positive and I have yet to pick up on anything factual in this thread to substantiate all of the negativity. She’s been there forever, so she’s bound to have stepped on somebody’s toes along the way, whether she did anything REALLY bad or not. Maybe she was as frustrated about her inability to get things done, because of her bosses, as we are? The negativity sounds personal to me, or it comes off sounding like spilled milk. So somebody please give me some facts or stats to back up the negativity or I’ll have to put this thread in the “Very Embarrassing/Lunatic” column.
“totally corrupt”, “loose
cannon”, “excessive”, “divisive”, “unethical”, “domineering”
What’s my point?
No point really, just looking for a better job and thought those might come in handy.
I would be curious to hear any knowledgeable opinions on who IS doing a good job in our athletics administration/Wolfpack Club. The verdict on Fowler is pretty clear, and NLF is gone so the discussion is moot anyway.
Bobby Purcell used to be spoken of pretty highly, feelings on his leadership these days? What about Ed Stack at WPC and David Horning in AD? Are there more junior staff that warrant some praise?
I agree with the no gloves critical analysis of our leadership in this forum - it’s a necessary activity and one of the main reasons I swing by here, but I’m also very curious if there are those who deserve some praise. I hope the rot from the top hasn’t permeated the entire structure…
I’m pleased with Tom O’Brien and his guys. I think Avent did a great job this year.
Purcell, despite his insistence on protecting those above him, seems to be doing a good job at fundraising.
I don’t think everyone over there sucks, by any means.
“I just get a little offset when NC State fans are the butt of jokes on morning radio on 850 because we beat ourselves up so much. More so than our opponents.” - BoKnows
First of all, 850 has started relying more and more on sensationalism and pandering — and serving up NC State fans for Carolina fans enjoyment is a sure-fire ticket. A lot of Carolina fans love it because it plays right into their sense of superiority and entitlement.
Secondly, NC State’s fans are frustrated at the miscues of the past two decades. Since the Sheridan era, save for a Gator Bowl win, football really hasn’t consistently brought much joy. Basketball has had one period of squeaking into the NCAA’s and then not doing much, but nothing other than that. State has not had a major sports championship since the 1980s, and State’s fans are in the top 5 in terms of athletic support where it counts the most: their wallets.
We have every right to expect some return for our support, and every right to complain when it doesn’t happen. This simple message seems lost on the university’s movers and shakers. They seem entirely happy to cash our checks and then tell us what idiots we are for having an opinion.
I am really pissed that I’ll have to DVR Obama’s speech and post-speech reaction. I was especially looking forward to it b/c I’m a Bronco fan (speech at new Mile High). I will also want to watch the post-mortem with the pundits.
I’ll be lucky to get to bed by 4:00 am on August 28th. Much later if we actually win and I am typing on the blog in celebration.
BJD, are you referring to this?
RAWFS I think you have it exactly correct. I don’t know Finch and am not commenting on her at all. Maybe she was great, maybe she sucked. If she was great I feel sure Lee will replace her with someone worse. If she sucked, nothing will likely change…
But I think we as State fans have great frustrations built up about the state of our athletics programs overall and these frustrations (rightfully so IMO) are directed towards our Athletic Dept. Anyone in there is likely (whether they deserve it or not) to get negative comments generated when there is a thread specifically concerning that dept.
On the other hand most of us feel totally opposite at this point about TOB and his staff. So we generate generally good comments in a TOB thread. Avent as well.
And yes there are trolls on here, but I beleive the readers here are for the most part State fans and fans whine, bitch, moan, and sometimes cheer and write checks. Thats what fans do. Even further we MAY be the lunatic fringe but I don’t believe that we are any different from the average NC State fan. When we get together whether it is on this blog, on the golf course, at the hunting club, at a game, or in a bar, we whine bitch and moan just like we do on SFN or RWFS.
But win a damn football game and there will be 10 pages of positive comments (as there should be).
Personally I don’t give a rat’s ass what a Carolina fan says about us. Beat them in something (especially basketball) and then they will talk about us. Until then it doesn’t really matter.
I understand some thinking we are harder on our own, but it is the same thing as picking on your sister. You can do it but you would not want anyone else to do it. I think this is a safe place to do a certain ammount of self criticism.
“First of all, 850 has started relying more and more on sensationalism and pandering …”
Yes, they have - and it started right when 99.9 the fan started going live … Big mistake IMO for 850 to give in and start doing foolish things (foolish to me, anyway) just b/c of a little competition … Good way to alienate folks - but, then again, I don’t really know anything about running a radio station …
I, for one, hope you have a really late night on Aug 28th BJD - due to a sterling Pack victory that night … Just be sure to stock up on the Advil / Tylenol for the next day
… Ohh, and Terrell Davis and John Elway helped make me a lot of money in the late ’90’s in Fantasy - so yeah, Go Broncos!
The next day is the Friday before Labor Day, so if I come into work late (and nap while I’m there), not sure anyone will notice!
My apologies for the thread jack. ESPN’s “blue ribbon” analysis for State’s fottball season is pretty positive. They speculate they will make a bowl game though lose the division, which I would call a successful year at this point. We being State fans, wouldn’t dare such an optimistic prediction, but its good to hear it anyway.
http://insider.espn.go.com/ncf/insider/news/story?id=3477965
Most of the regular football posters will agree with the assessment of our strenghts and weaknessess, O line and LB’s, and of course, QB. The culture already seems better based on the player quotes. We’ll see if it has any postive effect on their play. Even though it is only year two, the unfamiliar stability of the coaching staff may speed up the rebuild.
BJD, like the new country song says…I can sleep when I’m dead!!
I don’t have any info on NLF, but the more revealing issue may be who LF hires to replace her.
I doubt if it will be a person that is a proven, dynamic leader that demands effort and success, and is innovative, proactive, etc. As that would be the anti-matter to LF and a sure fire consuming explosion of univeral scope.
BJD - I am in the opposite of your shoes. I am an actual delegate to the convention in Denver. There is no way I can get near a TV to catch the game. Thank God for SFN in-game blogging that I can follow on the blackberry!
^ You had better at least wear a State hat. On opening night, it’s the least you can do. Hopefully, blackberry reception is good in New Mile High - I know the concrete can make it spotty within the confines of C-F.
It did warm my heart to see Obama give the wolf sign on the night he effectively cinched the nomination.
You know it! I am trying to come up with some sort of sign idea incorporating the flag and State!
Hey the Pack is competing in the Under Armour College Bass National Championship. Competition started yesterday. 50+ teams. Va Tech is the only other ACC team competing (based on the list I saw). Fishing starts up again today and then a fish-off for the top 5 leaders follows for the championship title.
Here are the top five for day one
1. University of Alabama
2. Texas A&M University
3. Auburn University
4. Faulkner University
5. University of Tennessee-Martin
No info on where the pack stands or if they have a chance to fish themselves back in to the top 5 today.
Since it is a little slow around SFN, entertain yourself and see how well you know NCAA football’s rules.
^I would suggest going to RAWFS’ link for the pic alone
Ohh — damn all those years I went to Catholic Schools — there were no nuns that sexy.
^ I fell deeply “in love” with Sister St. Anne, my first grade teacher at Catholic School. She was young, blonde and what I thought was very attractive at the time. Amazing how kid-crushes work.