Are you happy with Crouthamel’s job performance? Talk about it on The Daily Orange Football Forum

The Orange Pack office was virtually silent.

Amid the cubicles and desks, small groups of employees held quiet conversations. The light was off, almost discouraging visitors. Through the whispers, the feeling of shock filled the air. The thought of what just transpired began to settle in.

Jake Crouthamel, SU’s athletic director for 26 years, announced his retirement yesterday afternoon. Almost immediately, the Syracuse community felt the reverberations from the newly created void.

Reactions to Crouthamel’s retirement were varied. Some people were surprised, others weren’t. Some questioned the timing and wondered if there was more to the situation. But in the end, Crouthamel’s achievements prevailed over any speculation.

‘I’m shocked,’ said Bill Nester, manager of the Manny’s clothing store. ‘Crouthamel has done such a great job. We hate to see him go. He had a tough job, and he ruffled some feathers. But he’s helped so many kids through rough times and helped them achieve great things.’

Many directly pointed to the football program as the reason Crouthamel is leaving. Some said he was taking the spotlight off of football head coach Paul Pasqualoni, a friend he has saved before.

But whether or not football was his motive for retiring, the abrupt nature of Crouthamel’s announcement took almost everyone by surprise.

‘Something administrative was going to happen, but I thought they would let Paul Pasqualoni go,’ said Jim Betar, an SU alumnus and football season ticket owner. ‘I don’t know if the new chancellor had something to do with it. I really thought it would be a different change. I didn’t even realize how long he’s been around. It’s surprising that he retired, he’s done great things for the university.’

Crouthamel has also formed great relationships. His public persona was very different from how people knew him privately. While he quietly did his job, Crouthamel consistently earned adoring friends.

‘I’ve been in the financial business over 25 years,’ said Paul Norcross, Syracuse’s director for development of athletics. ‘Jake Crouthamel is the best boss I’ve ever had. He hires qualified people and lets them do their job. Those are big shoes to fill.’

With those empty shoes comes a flood of support. As the news of the retirement reaches every corner of the SU community, the Orange Pack expects to get phone calls from alumni wanting to wish Crouthamel well.

And based on the success of Syracuse during his time as athletic director, the general feeling is he deserves every ounce of praise.

‘With the football program on the decline, it doesn’t surprise me that he’s leaving,’ said Tom Moran, an SU student and football and basketball season ticket holder. ‘He’s done a great job. Syracuse has a nationally known athletic department with successful football, basketball and lacrosse teams under Crouthamel. When your school wins national championships, he must have done something right.’

Published on November 17, 2004 at 12:00 pm