Q&A: Mike Chalfant
Due to Jeff Long’s recent dismissal as KU AD, Jayhawk fans and program followers fired up the rumor mill regarding his replacement. A lot of familiar names emerged: UCF AD Terry Mojahir, Danny Manning (!!) and NDSU’s Matt Larsen, among others.
But another intriguing name got batted around: Mike Chalfant. While Chalfant isn’t the most high profile candidate, he has an intriguing background and is a Jayhawk alumnus, having earned his undergraduate degree from KU in 2010 and a Masters in 2011.
Though many tried (and failed) to secure first conversation with Mike, Streak Talk reporters worked the phones and connected with him earlier this afternoon. In our conversation, we touched on the situation in Lawrence, Chalfant’s blueprint for his administration, and what makes him uniquely qualified to become KU’s next AD.
First question… are you interested in the athletic director job?
MIKE CHALFANT: Yes, absolutely, I’m interested.
Your name started circulating online on Wednesday afternoon. Can you walk me through that 24 hour period? What was your reaction to the buzz?
MIKE CHALFANT: So three years ago, my name was circulated for the opening. It didn’t quite pick up then, but this time it has, likely from the same (or similar) origination, that I would be a candidate. This time yesterday, when the news broke and got picked up on various sites—I got an email from a notable KUsports.com beat writer—I was at the pickleball court and I had about 60 text messages from friends and family members.
It’s all very exciting. The support was great to see, of course. The job is a fantastic opportunity for anyone, I think. To see my name in the ring, per se, was exciting to think about. We’ll see where it goes.
Former KU AD Jeff Long used to throw around that he was “uniquely qualified” for the job because he was a graduate assistant at Michigan in the ‘80s. I was wondering if something from your background or from your skill set made you uniquely qualified for the role?
MIKE CHALFANT: Well, first and foremost is my deeply rooted love for the university and the athletic department. The athletic department is one of the most visible departments at the university and it helps open doors to other opportunities in other departments at KU. I believe that it’s one of the most valuable offices at the university. You know, growing up 40 miles away from the campus and spending five years on campus, including a graduate degree, I attended many Final Fours and bowl games. I've been to [counting out loud] three… four Final Fours. I’ve been to two bowl games, including the Orange Bowl, all within the past 20 years. So there’s a passion there.
As far as professional credentials, I do believe my experience in the business world would be helpful. Knowing your numbers is key for any leader—you got to know them inside out. I would have a nice background for that, starting at KPMG and continuing that at MyFreightWorld in the finance area.
But in the last several years, I’ve developed more into a leader, a galvanizer of people, bringing unity and directing us toward one common goal and winning together. So that's what I'd like to bring to the KU Athletic Department—bringing some unity back and making KU sports fun again.
Last question—I’m curious about your platform and your ideology coming into the role. What are some Day One priorities you have?
MIKE CHALFANT: On Day One, I talk to Coach Self to tell him I support him, but that I’m going to stay out of the way. Also Day One, I’ll galvanize the task force to pick the next KU head football coach. It will include the input of an outside search firm but I will also appoint a committee consisting of notable, loyal alumni—I already have several in mind—as well as former players and coaches. I’d like to have a head coach in place by late April/May, so that we can get a good summer program in for our guys and make sure that we keep the players that we have. We’ve had issues in the past few years, but the past two or three years of recruiting classes offer a lot of promise, with young high school kids that should be developing. So we have got to make sure that happens.
The next step would be uniting the department so that we can do a more effective job of uniting the fans. We have got to get the fans back to Hoglund Ballpark, and Rock Chalk Park to support our teams. And, of course, football in the fall. There are things we can do, tailgaiting-wise, to get people in the area, and ultimately to get people in the stadium. It’s not going to happen overnight. But we need to make progress in that area so in five years, KU football is on par with KU basketball—not necessarily in terms of popularity or in terms of results, but revenue and butts in the stands and in buzz. That’s the program.