USOC Shuffles Lineup
A proposed sweeping reorganization of the hierarchy of the U.S. Olympic Committee will claim executive director Dick Schultz, who announced he will step down next year.
Committee members emphasize that reorganizing the top staff is not because of the Salt Lake City bribery scandal, but say changes should boost confidence for sponsors, reports CBS News Correspondent Lee Frank.
Schultz lauded the recommendations for restructuring but said at a press conference on Monday that he will not seek the new position of president and CEO, which would replace his current job. He said it would require a longer commitment than he is prepared to make.
Last weekend, the USOC executive committee adopted a preliminary report from a USOC public-sector task force and from an independent consulting firm intended to put it more in line with how major corporations function.
A principal recommendation of the report calls for creation of a new professional staff position of president-CEO to lead the USOC. It also would change the role and definition of the USOC's volunteer president, making it a new position of chairman of the board.
Asked if he was invited to apply for president-CEO, Schultz said, "I certainly had the option of applying. But as it was laid out by McKinsey & Co. and the public-sector group, this is going to be a three- to five-year commitment. I'm not ready to commit that kind of time.
"I'm going to be 70 years old here in another week. I've been in this business 49 years. I've hardly had any weekends off. I have grandchildren I haven't seen. For me to think about going another three to five years after Sydney (the 2000 Summer Games) is just not appealing to me at all."
Schultz drew criticism shortly after Bill Hybl became USOC president in 1996, with growing concerns that his low-key style was resulting in a lack of leadership. Those troubles escalated this spring, when Hybl and other members of a volunteer board of directors were caught flat-footed when John Krimsky resigned as deputy executive director and marketing chief.
Hybl will assume the job of chairman. His current job is limited to one four-year term expiring at the end of 2000, but there apparently would be no limit on his tenure as chairman.
While a search begins for a new president-CEO, Schultz will devote more time to fund-raising, particularly for the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Schultz, formerly executive director of the NCAA, said fund-raising efforts are improving after being disrupted by the Olympic bribery scandal.
"I'm going to be spending a lot of my time doing that in the next 12 to 14 months," he said. "I will stay on until the job is finished, through 2000. If we have a shortfall or something and it's important for me to continue to be involved after that, I'll be willing to do that."
Asked how long he will continue as executive director, Schultz sai, "It depends on how fast the search committee can do its work and how quickly the board of directors will approve the constitution and bylaws changes. We're probably looking at five to six months minimum, but hopefully it will be quicker than that.
He said he will receive no severance package. "I'm just going to serve out my term," he said.