Why moving on from Joe Parker was the right move — CSU's new leader must be bold

Joe Parker is no longer Colorado State’s athletic director. After nine years on the job, it was announced earlier this week that the school is moving in a different direction with the position and that John Weber will be taking over as the interim AD. 

“On behalf of the entire Ram community, I want to sincerely thank Joe for his leadership and commitment to building a program that values and strives for excellence on the field and in the classroom,” CSU president Amy Parsons said in a release. 

During his tenure as AD, Parker oversaw the construction of Canvas Stadium and secured the naming rights deal for the on-campus facility. He brought in a record-setting $5 million donation from the Bohemian Foundation to aid in the creation of the women’s sports facility. And Rams teams won a total of 24 Mountain West championships under his leadership. 

The problem of course was that while Olympic sports did see quite a bit of success under Parker, the football program really struggled.

Since Parker took over as AD, CSU Football is 40-63 with zero bowl wins and zero conference championship appearances. Not to mention that since opening up the gorgeous new football stadium in 2017, the Rams are an underwhelming 16-21 in games played in Fort Collins. 

Being fair to Parker, it’s not as if he was the one out there losing games. But that is the burden of leadership. When you are the face of the department and its most important asset struggles, that’s going to fall on you. 

Looking back at Parker’s tenure, the extension for Mike Bobo in 2017 was really where the problems began with the fans. His handling of the Larry Eustachy exit did not help his cause either — even if it eventually led to Niko Medved coming back to CSU. Ultimately, though, the breaking point for most folks was Steve Addazio. 

After a disappointing finish under Bobo in 2019, there was an opportunity to bring some life back to the program with an inspiring hire. Addazio was a move that never made sense, though. And boy, did it prove to be disastrous for CSU. 

The Addazio tenure started with the program being temporarily shut down due to complaints of player mistreatment. It ended with the loud mouth becoming the second coach in FBS history to be ejected for multiple unsportsmanlike conduct penalties. From start to finish it was an absolute train wreck.

While there is hope for CSU Football with Jay Norvell on the sidelines, what’s clear about the situation is that Parsons does not have faith in Parker to elevate the athletic department in an extremely volatile time for collegiate athletics.

Her comments in both the press release and her sitdown interview with Brian Roth are very honest about needing a certain type of leader to navigate these unprecedented waters. And it’s evident that Parker is just not the guy in her eyes. 

“The Rams aspire to play at the highest levels, and that means we have to look at innovative ways to support our student-athletes and coaches as well as engage our fans, alumni, students, faculty, staff and donors,” Parsons said.

 “Over the last year, I have spent time assessing and evaluating our athletics program, and navigating the rapidly changing landscape will require a new style of leadership. Joe and I have agreed that he will be stepping into another role.”

Whether we like it or not, college sports are changing in a hurry. Schools will either evolve or they will get left behind. 

While I have always gotten along with Parker in our conversations over the years, at the end of the day, it was time for change. Whether it was his general disdain for NIL, his inability to connect with alumni that don’t meet a certain tax bracket, or just the general lack of winning, much of Ram Nation had long been done with him. During a time where you need the fans to be as engaged as ever, that’s simply not a recipe for success. 

CSU needs an AD that will not only embrace the future, they will attack it aggressively. An AD that understands the only way for the Rams to break through to the next level is by going out and seizing the moment. 

If states like Arizona, Kansas, Utah and Oklahoma can all have multiple schools in power conferences, there is absolutely no reason that Colorado can’t. You don’t get an invite to the table by sitting around and hoping that they call you over, though. You have to kick the damn door down. That’s a mentality that starts at the top.