Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, December 9, 1994 TAG: 9412100059
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHARLOTTESVILLE LENGTH: Medium
Jim Copeland, University of Virginia athletic director since 1987, will be named to the same post at Southern Methodist University today.
SMU basketball coach John Shumate and Southwest Conference Associate Commissioner Bill Foster confirmed that Copeland would be introduced at a news conference in Dallas.
Copeland was not in attendance at the Cavaliers' basketball game Thursday night but reportedly informed his senior advisers of his decision earlier in the day.
``Where did you get that?'' Copeland asked when reached at his home Thursday. ``I don't have any comment.''
He did say, however, that ``I have talked to SMU.''
When asked if he was aware of a news conference, Copeland said, ``No comment.'' UVa Executive Vice President Leonard Sandridge had a similar response when asked about the report.
Copeland, 49, is a Virginia alumnus who played professional football with the Cleveland Browns. He earlier was athletic director at William and Mary and at Utah.
Copeland has been lauded for his fund raising, particularly in the construction of the $8.5 million Frank C. McCue Center, but has come under fire in the last two years for his lobbying efforts with football bowl committees.
UVa fans recently have voiced their displeasure about Virginia's invitation to the Independence Bowl. Three lower-ranked ACC teams were invited to higher-paying bowls.
Copeland's popularity waned in 1990, when his efforts to find a successor to then-basketball coach Terry Holland met with several rejections before he hired former assistant and player Jeff Jones.
The school later was put on NCAA probation for an illegal-loan practice that began under former Athletic Director Dick Schultz. Although some of the loans were made during Copeland's tenure, he was not found to be responsible and received a five-year contract extension in 1992.
Many of Copeland's most noteworthy accomplishments were in the area of gender equity. In 1993, Virginia became one of the first schools to raise the salary of the women's basketball coach to that of the men's.
by CNB