Lew Perkins might not be a familiar name in Lawrence, but the new Kansas University athletic director has a protege in Manhattan.
Kansas State AD Tim Weiser worked under Perkins when the new KU athletic director was running the Wichita State program from 1983 to 87.
“From a personal standpoint, he has been a close friend for 25 years,” Weiser said Monday. “We’ve relied on him over the years to bounce things off of. It’ll be different with him in, quote, enemy territory now.”
Friendship would have little impact, though, when Kansas and Kansas State collide in athletic competition, Weiser said.
“We’ll want to win just as bad as ever,” Weiser said, “and he told me the same thing.”
During the last couple of weeks, Weiser said he had talked off and on with Perkins about the KU vacancy.
“I knew this was something out there,” Weiser said. “He and I talked about the challenges at KU. He likes challenges. He likes to be in a position where he’s challenged.”
After 13 successful years at Connecticut, the prevailing opinion was that Perkins would remain at the Storrs, Conn., school until he retired.
“At the age of 58 to come in a roll up your sleeves and get to work,” Weiser said, “it’s not easy.”
Perkins didn’t face many easy tasks at Wichita State. He was the associate AD at Penn when WSU hired him in March of 1983 to take over the Shockers’ probation-riddled department.
“Those were tumultuous times,” Weiser said. “We had coaching changes to deal with, the dropping of football. They were extreme experiences, and to learn to deal with those crises was beneficial to me.”
During his five years at WSU, Weiser worked in compliance, academic support and development before being named associate AD his last year there.
Although none of the current KU staffers ever worked under Perkins, Lawrence High football coach Dirk Wedd knows the Jayhawks’ new AD. Wedd was the Shockers’ offensive line coach while Perkins was running the show at WSU.
“I think the world of him,” Wedd said. “He brought so much energy to the department. We were on probation and he cleaned that situation up.”
Age: 58.Education: Undergraduate degree, 1967, University of Iowa; Masters degree, 1975, University of South Carolina.Family: Wife, Gwen; daughters, Amy, Holly.Resume: 1990-present: University of Connecticut athletic director.1987-90: University of Maryland athletic director.1983-87: Wichita State University athletic director.1980-83: Pennsylvania associate athletic director.1969-80: University of South Carolina Aiken athletic director. |
Wedd remembered a time Perkins invited the WSU offensive linemen to dinner.
“I had 10 kids and six of them weighed over 300 pounds,” Wedd said. “He took them to his house and they ate him out of house and home. Yet afterward he was so complimentary of those kids.”
A few years ago when Wedd was trying to land his first head-coaching job, Perkins was eager to offer his support.
“Lew really helped me,” Wedd said. “When I applied for the Free State and Manhattan jobs, he wrote letters and made phone calls for me. That was a long time ago I was at Wichita State, and he was still doing that for me.”
Among others who worked under Perkins at Wichita State were Kevin Weiberg and Dan Beebe. Weiberg is the Big 12 Conference commissioner and Beebe, who spent 14 years as commissioner of the Ohio Valley Conference, is the Big 12’s new associate commissioner.
Weiser, incidentally, isn’t the only Kansas State administrator with WSU ties. Casey Scott, the Wildcats’ associate AD for operations, was hired by Perkins in 1985 to be the Shockers’ sports information director.