ASU’s Kenny Dillingham, Willie Bloomquist react to Ray Anderson’s departure
BY STEPHEN GUGLIOCIELLO
TEMPE — The news of Ray Anderson’s resignation as Arizona State vice president for university athletics dropped on Monday before Sun Devils head football coach Kenny Dillingham held his weekly press conference.
“I found out this morning in a staff meeting,” Dillingham said. “Thankful for him giving me the opportunity to be the head coach here at my alma mater, my dream job, so I’m very very thankful for him. He’s been supportive of me since I got here.”
Baseball coach Willie Bloomquist, who was present to talk about a special recruit signing, also gave his thoughts on Anderson leaving.
“I’m obviously very grateful for Ray,” Bloomquist said. “He gave me the opportunity to come back to this place which I love, obviously I love Arizona State, and the man gave me my job back here. So I’m forever grateful for him for that opportunity.
“For me, I see a side of Ray that you guys don’t get to see every day and that is the fact that Ray’s a good man and has treated me absolutely outstanding since I’ve been here and supported me and everything that I’m doing.”
Bloomquist, who was hired in June 2021, played his collegiate ball for the Sun Devils.
NIL money
The question of name, image and likeness (NIL) money came up in both press conferences on Monday.
In the notice regarding Anderson’s dismissal, ASU athletics wrote: “The next athletic director will help navigate ASU’s upcoming move into the Big 12 conference and other landscape-shifting issues including NIL, the transfer portal and recent Title IX challenges.”
Bloomquist admitted it’s part of the changing landscape of collegiate sports.
“It’s changing every day,” Bloomquist said. “If we’re gonna be successful in today’s landscape of college sports, we are going to need help and that’s every sport. We’re gonna need help and that’s not a that’s not a threat, that’s not a cry, that’s just the honest truth. We’re gonna fall further behind if we don’t start getting some help from people. … Now, if we can actually put rubber to pavement on that and get the ball moving on it, I think it can certainly help because we’re going to need it moving forward.”
“I think anytime there’s change, it rattles enough cages to get some people involved,” Dillingham said. “(With) NIL, we’ve got about a month, but we got to step it up and we got to get rolling at a rapid, rapid, rapid, rapid, rapid rate in this next three weeks to one month.”
TEMPE — The news of Ray Anderson’s resignation as Arizona State vice president for university athletics dropped on Monday before Sun Devils head football coach Kenny Dillingham held his weekly press conference.
“I found out this morning in a staff meeting,” Dillingham said. “Thankful for him giving me the opportunity to be the head coach here at my alma mater, my dream job, so I’m very very thankful for him. He’s been supportive of me since I got here.”
Baseball coach Willie Bloomquist, who was present to talk about a special recruit signing, also gave his thoughts on Anderson leaving.
“I’m obviously very grateful for Ray,” Bloomquist said. “He gave me the opportunity to come back to this place which I love, obviously I love Arizona State, and the man gave me my job back here. So I’m forever grateful for him for that opportunity.
“For me, I see a side of Ray that you guys don’t get to see every day and that is the fact that Ray’s a good man and has treated me absolutely outstanding since I’ve been here and supported me and everything that I’m doing.”
Bloomquist, who was hired in June 2021, played his collegiate ball for the Sun Devils.
NIL money
The question of name, image and likeness (NIL) money came up in both press conferences on Monday.
In the notice regarding Anderson’s dismissal, ASU athletics wrote: “The next athletic director will help navigate ASU’s upcoming move into the Big 12 conference and other landscape-shifting issues including NIL, the transfer portal and recent Title IX challenges.”
Bloomquist admitted it’s part of the changing landscape of collegiate sports.
“It’s changing every day,” Bloomquist said. “If we’re gonna be successful in today’s landscape of college sports, we are going to need help and that’s every sport. We’re gonna need help and that’s not a that’s not a threat, that’s not a cry, that’s just the honest truth. We’re gonna fall further behind if we don’t start getting some help from people. … Now, if we can actually put rubber to pavement on that and get the ball moving on it, I think it can certainly help because we’re going to need it moving forward.”
“I think anytime there’s change, it rattles enough cages to get some people involved,” Dillingham said. “(With) NIL, we’ve got about a month, but we got to step it up and we got to get rolling at a rapid, rapid, rapid, rapid, rapid rate in this next three weeks to one month.”
Recent Stories
How a Wisconsin legend got his German protégé into Badgers pro day
Mar 15, 2024
Marlon Werthmann put his life on hold for the opportunity in front of him Friday at the McClain Center.Werthmann — a 6-foot-4, 290-pound offensive ...
Why former Wisconsin football running back Braelon Allen didn't run the 40 at pro day
Mar 15, 2024
Braelon Allen’s sweat covered his shirt and dripped off his beard as he approached a group of reporters Friday.The former University of Wisconsin football ...
How can UW recruit its best class ever? It starts with these five prospects
By Andy Yamashita
Seattle Times staff reporter
Jedd Fisch has lofty recruiting goals at Washington. He didn’t waste any time laying out his expectations to “do ...
Texas football kicks off spring practice Tuesday. We answer 24 questions for the 2024 team
Things certainly look fresh for the 2024 college football season, especially on the Texas campus.There’s a new conference for the Longhorns, if you haven’t heard. ...
College Football Playoff: Conferences solve their differences (for now) and agree on general framework for 2026 and beyond
The FBS conferences and Notre Dame agreed on Friday to continue the College Football Playoff beyond the 2025 season, signing a memorandum of understanding that paves ...
Latest Player Notes
How a Wisconsin legend got his German protégé into Badgers pro day
Mar 15, 2024
Marlon Werthmann put his life on hold for the opportunity in front of him Friday at the McClain Center.Werthmann ...
Why former Wisconsin football running back Braelon Allen didn't run the 40 at pro day
Mar 15, 2024
Braelon Allen’s sweat covered his shirt and dripped off his beard as he approached a group of reporters Friday.The ...
How can UW recruit its best class ever? It starts with these five prospects
By Andy Yamashita
Seattle Times staff reporter
Jedd Fisch has lofty recruiting goals at Washington. He didn’t waste any ...
Texas football kicks off spring practice Tuesday. We answer 24 questions for the 2024 team
Things certainly look fresh for the 2024 college football season, especially on the Texas campus.There’s a new conference ...
College Football Playoff: Conferences solve their differences (for now) and agree on general framework for 2026 and beyond
The FBS conferences and Notre Dame agreed on Friday to continue the College Football Playoff beyond the 2025 season, signing ...
Ball security, leadership key as Aztecs look to identify starting quarterback
San Diego State seemingly auditions a new starting quarterback on an annual basis.In the past 12 years, the Aztecs have opened ...
Results and more: A look at what happened at Penn State football’s Pro Day inside Holuba Hall
Most of those at Penn State’s Pro Day Friday were relatively quiet throughout the afternoon’s workouts, but there was one ...
Defense dominates first two weeks of Oregon State spring practice as Beavers ready for 2-week breather
CORVALLIS – Oregon State hit the break of spring practices Saturday, not exactly the midpoint but a good place to assess ...
Dillon Gabriel to have similar input, autonomy as Bo Nix had in Oregon’s offense
Published Mar. 16, 2024, 6:26 p.m.By James CrepeaEUGENE — Dillon Gabriel will have much of the same autonomy as Bo Nix did ...
Two transfers, one underclassman who impressed in Missouri football's spring game
With that, spring camp’s a wrap.Missouri football held its Black & Gold spring game Saturday in front of a healthy crowd ...