Looking back at Ron Mason’s tenure as AD
Ron Mason has made some very tough decisions as athletic director that have helped balance the budget, but have also drawn the ire of Spartans fans. He’s also made some bold hires such as football coach John L. Smith which took many fans by surprise.
Ultimately though, Mason the AD won’t accurately be judged until long after his tenure as AD is complete. You might assume that tenure will be coming to a close sooner rather than later based on Sunday’s Lansing State Journal story that reminisces about his four years as Michigan State’s AD.
“Active” is an accurate way to describe Mason’s first four years on the job. His reign has seen firings, hirings, on-field championships and disappointments, the largest crowd in college basketball history, a major radio coup and - most importantly - a series of measures, unpopular to some, that have squeezed more money out of MSU fans and helped stabilize the athletic department’s budget.
“When I came in, Clarence (Underwood) had really kind of calmed the waters from all the change that had been taking place,” said Mason of his predecessor, who followed the often-turbulent tenures of Merrily Dean Baker and Merritt Norvell. “I came in with a chance to move things forward, and I think that’s what we’ve done.”