By James Parziale

The nationwide search for the University’s new athletic director that began in February ended on Monday when President Stuart Rabinowitz announced the hiring of Jack Hayes.

Hayes joins the University after spending the last three years at the University of Connecticut. There, he was the associate athletic director and led fundraising efforts, ticket operations, staffing, policy implementation and sales strategies. He was a senior staff member for a $40 million program that supports 24 programs and 650 student-athletes.

Now he steps into a position he has sought his entire career.

“I always wanted to stay in athletics,” Hayes said. “At an early age I saw that you can stay in athletics and do some very interesting and unique things. So that certainly led me to pursue this career.”

Hayes could not disclose the terms of his contract, but said he accepted the position toward the end of last week. He visited the University, attended the men’s soccer game against Stony Brook on Sept. 19 and knew the University was ideal for him.

“There was no hesitation. You want to find the right fit…which is what I found when I walked the campus,” Hayes said. “I knew that if it worked out from Hofstra’s aspect it would move quickly because I wanted to be here.”

Hayes, 37, will take over the day-to-day operations of the athletic program sometime before Nov. 1. He replaces Harry Royle who was the athletic director for 15 of his 30 years at the University.

Royle will take a full-time fund-raising position as executive director of athletic development and endowment.

The University released a statement Friday announcing the hiring of a new athletic director, but virtually all coaches, administrators and players were unaware it was Hayes. The behind-closed-doors search, however, was not on the coaches’ minds.

“If the president had asked me, which he didn’t, but if he had asked me where to go to look for a new athletic director, I probably would have said UConn,” football coach Joe Gardi said. “That’s a program that’s been on the rise.”

Hayes brings an excellent basketball pedigree from Connecticut, which won the national championships in both men’s and women’s basketball last March. Pride basketball coach Tom Pecora is enthusiastic about potentially emulating Connecticut’s success.

“Anytime that you can take someone out of a program that is that well-respected, it’s a great hire,” Pecora said. “I’m excited about working for him.”

Besides maximizing the on-the-field potential of the University’s 18 teams, Hayes’ largest endeavor will be raising attendance levels, a problem that has plagued University athletics for years.

Last season, an average of 3,500 attended football games at James M. Shuart Stadium, which can seat up to 15,000. Though Hayes said he will rely on alumni to promote the program early in his tenure, he must get a feel for the University before he can implement a concrete plan to combat any problem.

“I think you need to come in with a plan,” Hayes said. “I’d like to measure that plan within the first 100 days that I’m here.” Hayes continued: “In the first 100 days there are a lot of people to meet – on campus and off campus. There are a lot of things to learn about–where the programs are now, the tradition and history in those various sports and where certain sports think their future is.”

Hayes’ primary goal is to familiarize himself with the neighboring communities and the student body so he can implement a strategy to combat poor attendance and other issues facing athletics.

“The first thing I need to do is meet as many coaches and student-athletes as possible,” he said. “I want to do that as soon as I get going. When you meet with them you get an understanding of what some of those challenges at an institution are.”

Jeff Hathaway, UConn’s athletic director and Hayes’ soon-to-be former boss, said Hayes has the skills to elevate the program.

“I think that Jeff is going to be a high-energy guy,” Hathaway said. “He’s going to bring enthusiasm everyday. He will try and utilize every asset that the Hofstra community has and, as hard as that sounds, he will do it. There are a lot of things you have to do…but at the end of the day it’s people [skills] and I think that’s what Jack’s strong suit is.”

Hayes, while uncertain about his future, believes he made the right choice coming to the University.

“Certainly you never know what’s going to happen,” he said. “You never know how long you’re going to be wanted, but I wanted to be somewhere that I was comfortable.”

Hayes said he is ready to devote himself to the position because he knows that is what will be demanded of him.

“Jobs like this – when you go home at the end of the day – you’re still the athletic director at Hofstra.”