''This Place Always Brings a Smile to My Face''
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Working in college athletics was never really part of the plan.
When Dan Radakovich came to Miami as a graduate student, his focus was on studying healthcare administration. He figured maybe, one day, he’d run a hospital.
Instead of managing doctors and nurses, though Radakovich eventually spent his career managing coaches and student-athletes.
Instead of raising funds for new medical buildings, he raised funds to help build training facilities and renovate stadiums and arenas. And instead of learning the ins and outs of healthcare laws and regulations, he learned the ins and outs of NCAA bylaws.
Hospitals and collegiate athletic departments are undoubtedly different. But it turns out they have more similarities than one might imagine and Radakovich has certainly used more than a few of the skills he learned during his time in Coral Gables to put together a remarkable 43-year athletics career that will come to an end Monday exactly where it began – Miami.
“If you look at it, running a hospital is not very different than running an athletic program,” Radakovich said. “You have facilities. You have communications. You have risk management. You have all these same compliances with government rules, all these same staff areas. And then you have your doctors and the specialties, which are kind of like your sports. So, whether it’s orthopedics, cardiology or whatever else, it’s football, basketball, women’s basketball and baseball.
“That’s what I thought I was going to do – and then I came here.”
Here was his graduate school alma mater, where Radakovich’s career began as Miami’s athletics business manager in 1983.
Over the course of the next four decades, Radakovich became one of the most influential and respected names in college athletics, spending time in a variety of roles at some of the most recognized programs in the nation, including Long Beach State, South Carolina and LSU.
He went on to lead the athletic departments at American University, Georgia Tech and Clemson before returning to Miami in 2021 as Vice President and Director of Athletics.
Now, after a memorable 4 ½ years in Coral Gables, Radakovich is retiring and setting his sights on a new chapter, one filled with family – including his wife, Marcie, his two sons, and his granddaughter – friends, maybe a bit of golfing and boating, too.
It’ll be the first time in a long time, he notes, that he’ll be able to make his own schedule.
But as busy as the days have been and as long as some of the nights have gone during his time as an athletics administrator, Radakovich has more than enjoyed the journey – especially when he’s seen student-athletes excel and fans celebrate their wins.
“I think the best part, without a doubt, is seeing people who’ve invested in the program for a long time – either giving funds or buying tickets or going to road games – and then the team has success and you’re able to see the joy they have,” Radakovich said. “That’s a big part of it, and probably right on the same plane are the student-athletes and just watching them grow. Those are very different things that bring joy, but you understand how people have spent their hard-earned dollars to bring the program where it needs to be and they get to enjoy that success.
“But the reason they have that success is because the student-athletes who come here have been tutored in the academic area, but also coached really well from the coaches that you’ve brought in to achieve that success. So, I’m happy for the student-athletes and certainly happy for the people that have invested.”
And there’s no doubt that under Radakovich’s guidance, there has been plenty of success – at Miami, and beyond.
During his time at Georgia Tech, the Yellow Jackets won 14 ACC conference championships, nine ACC regular-season titles and the women’s tennis team won the 2007 national title.
Facilities – including McCamish Pavilion, home to Tech’s men’s and women’s basketball teams and Shirley Clements Mewborn Field, home to Tech’s softball team – were built or enhanced.
When Radakovich took over as athletic director at Clemson, the Tigers became a college football powerhouse, winning two national championships, six ACC titles and making six College Football Playoff appearances.
Additionally, Clemson set a Graduation Success Rate school record in 2021, with a 95 percent and IPTAY, the school’s fundraising arm, saw significant increases in contributions which helped fund numerous infrastructure investments.
Radakovich also oversaw the development of Clemson’s softball program, which won its first ACC regular-season title and made its first trip to the NCAA Tournament in 2021 – a year after it began competing.
The Hurricanes have experienced their share of success under Radakovich, too.
Miami’s football team made its first appearance in the College Football Playoff earlier this year, and advanced to the CFP Championship Game. The men’s basketball team made its first appearance in the Final Four in 2023, while the women’s basketball team made its first appearance in the Elite Eight that same season.
Six Hurricanes have won individual national titles during his tenure, and twice in Radakovich’s 4 ½ years at Miami, the Hurricanes won the NCAA Team Works Community Service Competition.
And even in the days leading up to his retirement, the Hurricanes made history.
Miami’s rowing team made its first-ever appearance at the NCAA Championships this past weekend, finishing in 13th place in the 22-team field.
Over the course of the two-day competition, Miami’s three boats all set new program records – including the First Varsity Eight, which competed all season in a boat the program named after Radakovich last fall.
It was an honor the Hurricanes wanted to bestow on the athletic director who’d believed in them enough to help them move into a facility of their own, a renovated church on Miami’s campus the rowers have since affectionately dubbed “the erg church.”
“One of the things I’m really proud of is what we ended up doing for our women’s rowing program, moving them from a circumstance where they were truly nomads with their ergs and their workouts, going in and out of the Knight Sports Complex to working with campus to find a spot that could be rehabilitated and make it their space,” Radakovich said. “And I think we’ve seen results within that program, not only because of the great leadership of [head coach] James [Mulcahy], but the great work ethic of the young women, and not to mention the great philanthropic opportunities that have been led by Dr. [Stephen] Cerrone.”
And on Sunday, after the First Varsity Eight set a new record with a time of 6:02.54 in the Dan Radakovich, the crew celebrated – and gathered around the boat to document the moment with a photo they planned to send Radakovich.
“We’re retiring at the same time, so one last fast race for him and for us,” laughed senior rower Jovana Stanivuk, who arrived at Miami when the team still shared a facility with the volleyball program. “It was really special. Before, we didn’t really have any recognition from anybody. We were a team on the side … We didn’t have bikes; we didn’t have what was necessary to train at a high level. We didn’t really have a space for us. But knowing someone is investing in us and supporting us means a lot. He and Miami gave us everything we needed to achieve what we’ve achieved and that means a lot. We know people are taking us seriously and believe in us.”
Added Mulcahy, “I am very fortunate to have been one of Dan’s coaching hires during his tenure here at Miami because his leadership provided me with the perfect template for how to lead a team. … Of course, our new indoor facility in the church is the centerpiece of his support for rowing . It’s our team’s home on-campus, their secret weapon for studying and training, and a daily reminder of his impact on and investment in our program. The team achieved a lot of historic firsts and victories this year that wouldn’t have been possible without his vision and leadership, so it was very special to have his name on the bow of our First Varsity Eight all spring. We’re very proud of the fact that Dan not only got to witness a historic season for Miami rowing, but that the team got to take his boat across the finish line for victories and new school records.”
Moments like the one that Miami rowing team experienced Sunday have been common for the student-athletes who’ve competed at the schools where Radakovich has worked.
As he now steps away from that work and from Miami, Radakovich – who will undoubtedly remain connected to both the Hurricanes and college athletics as a whole – is grateful for it all – the experiences he’s had, the colleagues he’s worked with, the fans who’ve supported their schools and the student-athletes who’ve given their all in competition, in the classroom, and in their respective communities.
And Miami, he noted, will always hold a special place in his heart.
“Ever since I jumped in a car in August of 1980 and rode down here to be a graduate assistant in the [dorm] towers that no longer exist and got an MBA from here, I’ve told people the most fun I ever had were those two years as a GA here at Miami,” Radakovich said. “This place always brings a smile to my face from the standpoint of that time, and then even here, the last four-and-a-half years of working alongside some athletics professionals and people who care, I leave here hoping that they feel like we’ve made progress.
“I’ll leave that for someone else to pull together, but I feel really good about what we’ve been able to do. The high moments – the Final Fours, the national championship games, those types of things that were just great moments that people will always enjoy – I think that’s the wonder of athletics. Being able to be a small part of it, to be able to move it along, I think it’s great.”
