Newman gives athletic director Vic Trilli another five-year deal

[Harry]

The question posed to Vic Trilli seven years ago struck him as odd.

Interviewing for the athletic director job at Newman, Trilli, then the athletic director at Garden City Community College, answered in the best way he could.

“They wanted to know, if I took the job, if I was even going to move to Wichita full-time,” Trilli said. “And I think that kind of was indicative of the state things were in at the time (at Newman).

“I just said ‘Hey, if I’m here, I’m in. Like, I’m all in.’”

Trilli has been that and more since he took the job at Newman in Sept. 2008, overseeing the school’s transition to NCAA Division II and a run of success from the school’s signature progams — men’s and women’s basketball — that has spread to other sports.

For his efforts, Trilli was rewarded with a second, five-year contract that begins July 1 with the added position of Vice President of Student Affairs. It follows similar deals struck at Wichita State for Eric Sexton and at Friends for Carole Obermeyer.

Before Trilli was hired, Newman went through five athletic directors in six years.

“There wasn’t a lot of trust between the coaches and the athletic director,” Trilli said. “And that was understandable.”

The new contract comes after — and in part because — Trilli applied for the open athletic director spot at Hutchinson Community College this spring, which triggered a social media movement among student-athletes using the hashtag #AthletesForTrilli.

“That made me a little nervous, because I didn’t understand quite where it was coming from,” Trilli said. “And ultimately, I have to answer to (Newman President) Noreen Carrocci about my job and anything that has to do with me. The Hutch job was intriguing because of the construction on the Sports Arena, hosting NJCAA Tournament and the support of the community … that’s big-time.

Read more:  http://www.kansas.com/sports/college/state-college-sports/article24811765.html

Read more here: http://www.kansas.com/sports/college/state-college-sports/article24811765.html#storylink=cpy

[oldguystudent]

It is often the case that the best coaches weren't particularly notable players.  I wonder if the correlation works between coaches becoming athletic directors.

[untjim1995]

The more I think about it, the more I think Vic Trilli would make a terrific AD at a big time school. He is passionate, sweet, and funny. Plus, he can motivate people to donate. As long as he doesn't have to coach, he would be a very strong AD somewhere. It wouldn't surpirse me to see hime move up the foodchain in college ADs across the region in the coming years.

[Stix]

This thread is worthless without a picture of his hair.

[foutsrouts]

Scared me for a minute. Thought I was in some kind of a time warp and Tommy Newman somehow hired Trilli as our AD for the next 5 years.