(Photo: ASU Athletics)
At just nine years of age, on the day his father passed away, Ray Anderson knew what he wanted to do with his life. It was his father’s dream to be a lawyer, and Anderson knew from that moment on that he wanted to fulfill that dream.
After getting his law degree from Harvard and becoming an attorney, he achieved that dream.
But on Thursday, Anderson described his new dream, as he accepted the new athletic director job at Arizona State.
“To come to this opportunity, to be able to give back and be able to essentially reach to our young men and women as student athletes and hopefully be able to help them achieve and aspire and just thrive, is really exciting for me,” Anderson said.
Anderson still has a commitment to his former job as executive vice president of football operation for the NFL. He won’t be able to officially start work as the new athletic director until after the Super Bowl.
“I will be delighted to be back here on Feb. 5. I’m going to hit the ground running and I can’t wait,” Anderson said. “This is not a stepping stone for me to anywhere else. This is my destination. I will be here as long as I am effective.”
Anderson also provides valuable experience since he was a student-athlete at his alma mater of Stanford. He played both football and baseball for the Cardinal.
“The goal is to be an exemplar of student-athlete scholar success,” ASU president Michael Crow said. “He himself is an example of what we’re trying to do. He’s a devoted sports executive who’s now decided to commit his life to making a new model for college athletics work.”
Despite the fact that he graduated from Stanford, he says he will not have a problem rooting for Arizona State when the schools go head to head.
“I love my alma mater, [but] once we get in the competitive arena, it’s on,” Anderson said.
Anderson said he was drawn to Arizona State because of its model as the New American University and its renewed obligation to academic success.
“If you dig down into what that means and the influence and impact it can have, it really was exciting. The differentiator for me was the academic overload, and the real commitment to academics,” Anderson said.
Anderson acknowledged that he is taking a pay cut from what he earns in the NFL to become athletic director. However, he said it’s worth it because of the impact he can make on students’ lives.
“I don’t need NFL money. I need gratification and need the chance to be part of something really special, really dynamic and really life changing.”
When he was debating whether or not to leave his position as an NFL executive, Anderson said that his peers put things in perspective.
“Folks who know me well and folks who I really respect have said ‘Ray, this is an opportunity that can be better than any NFL President or general manager job that you could potentially be in line for,’” Anderson said.
“I listened to that and I’m glad I did because I’m going to be involved in some really good stuff over the next 10 to 12 years here.”
You can reach Mauricio Casillas on twitter @maucasillas94 or via email on mauricio.casillas94@gmail.com
