Daryl Gross thinks it’s a great time for Syracuse University’s athletic department to go in a new direction, he said in an interview Friday with The Daily Orange.

Gross stepped down as director of athletics Wednesday after 10 years in the role. He will now serve as vice president and special assistant to the chancellor, and will also teach sport management as an adjunct professor in the David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics.

In his time as athletic director, SU moved from the Big East to the Atlantic Coast Conference and had success in Olympic sports. The school was also the subject of a nearly eight-year NCAA investigation, the results of which were released in the Committee on Infractions’ report on March 6.

Gross said the decision to step down wasn’t to avoid the report, but he added that the timing “plays into it brilliantly.”

“It wasn’t like because there’s an NCAA problem I’m going to step aside. That’s not the reason,” Gross said. “But the noise that comes from that, there’s no reason for us to have any negativity for this program because it’s too good of a program.

“And for me, I feel like this would be a great time to let that noise just get behind us and go a new direction.”

He added that the typical tenure for an athletic director is about four and a half or five years at one place. In his 10 years on the job, Gross said the athletic department got a lot done, and that he’s happy with what the department was able to accomplish.

But, he said, it’s time to give the athletic department a fresh perspective, and to bring in someone with new ideas and a different philosophy.

“And there’s nothing wrong with that,” Gross said. “This gives the athletic department a chance to get a different lens on it.”

In Gross’s new role, he said he will focus on marketing and branding, which are his areas of expertise. In addition, he’ll teach sport management in Falk, where he said he’s excited to be able to share his experiences.

In describing his transition from director of athletics to professor and special assistant, Gross used a sports analogy.

“It’s like being in a NASCAR flying around the track race after race after race and trying to win at everything and off the field,” he said. “Now I can be part of the pit crew and try and help it from the outside and help the institution.”

Published on March 20, 2015 at 4:57 pm

Contact Brett: blsamuel@syr.edu | @Brett_Samuels27