Martin Jarmond Introduced as William V. Campbell Director of Athletics
By Quinn Kelly
This afternoon in the Yawkey Athletics Center, the Martin Jarmond era began at Boston College. It is an era that ushers in hope, excitement, and ultimately a renewed vigor surrounding the program. It is an era that, given Jarmond’s youth and expected success given past achievements, has the potential to be a long, successful run for the Boston College Eagles. It is an era that was kicked off with class, dignity, and the perfect amount of passion and enthusiasm when Martin Jarmond took the podium today.
Today’s press conference began with an introduction by Jack Dunn and then Father William Leahy. Fr. Leahy introduced Jarmond with a ringing endorsement, commending his energy and enthusiasm as well as his decorated background. He stated that Jarmond fits the bill as an AD that would be able to link athletics, academics, excellence, and integrity.
Jarmond took the podium to a long round of applause. He told the crowd in a packed conference room that he was excited and humbled to be there today. After thanking his family, his BC contacts, and his former employers at Ohio State and OSU AD Gene Smith, Jarmond moved right into his vision for Boston College. He stated that he has two goals for BC. For one, he wants to help develop the athletics, academics, and spiritual and social dimensions of our athletes. Secondly, he wants to win. As simple as the latter point is, it is most certainly a welcomed sentiment at a university starving for marquee wins and hardware-type seasons.
Jarmond went on to talk about how the most successful teams have a shared vision that they develop together. He spoke on his three keys: passion, alignment, and competitive excellence. He said that as a husband and father, he has learned to have integrity and humility, two traits he believes will be foundations from which he’ll lead and serve. He closed his opening statements with a poignant phrase, assuring the Eagles faithful that “we will do the work.”
The press conference then moved into the question and answers section; a minefield that Jarmond navigated excellently. Many answers were somewhat similar in nature, with his desire to “understand and connect with the people” and “work the plan, work the process” being the overarching themes. Of particular note in the Q&A were Jarmond stating that the forthcoming $200 million budget and spot in the most competitive conference in the country were the major drawing points that lead him here, and his excellent handling of a particularly pointed question regarding the job security/replacement plans for Jim Christian and Erik Johnson, where he stated he had no specific plans for any program yet but, contrary to the accusation made, had in fact had experience hiring/firing coaches before.
Overall, this was an excellent introduction to the BC community for Martin Jarmond. He played well to a very friendly audience and said all the right things. Looking polished and composed, Monday’s press conference only heightened the excitement for his impending arrival in mid-June. As previously stated, welcome to the Heights, Martin!