Hamilton exudes EWU energy
Sherry Hamilton insisted her favorite color was red, and daughters Peyton and Paige squeezed their new stuffed Eagles.
Other than 16-month-old Pree, who also clutched an Eagle, the whole Hamilton family appeared enthusiastic to be the newest members of the Eastern Washington University family.
“Make no mistake, my family and I are extremely excited, not excited, we are extremely excited to be here and be part of Eastern’s family,” Dr. Darren Hamilton said after he was introduced as the new EWU athletic director at a campus press conference Tuesday afternoon.
“The Eastern Washington athletic department will be extraordinarily successful. We’re not going to be successful – we’ve been successful. We’re going to be extraordinarily successful under my leadership and direction.”
It was that enthusiasm that drew two members of the search committee, women’s basketball coach Wendy Schuller and football coach Paul Wulff, to Hamilton.
“Every time we talked to him, every interview, he was so high energy,” Schuller said. “I love his level of enthusiasm. … I was thinking of a quote: ‘Nothing great is ever achieved without enthusiasm.’ He’s got it. … I also really liked his academic background.”
Although Hamilton’s most recent job was athletic director at Chicago State, which does not have a football program, Wulff wasn’t concerned.
“I’m really confident with Darren,” he said. “I said from the beginning, when the search started, we needed someone with a good work ethic and someone everyone could trust.
“He brings great energy, great passion and he’s a very well-rounded individual. He played college athletics, he’s worked in athletic administration, he’s worked in academics, so he brings a lot to the table. He can identify with all the groups around the university.”
Hamilton replaces Scott Barnes, who left for the University of Washington last summer, and allows interim athletic director Pam Parks to resume her duties as associate athletic director/senior woman administrator.
Hamilton, who played football at Penn State and had administrative stops at Cheyney State, Bowling Green and Duke after receiving post-graduate degrees, is the first hire for EWU president Rodolfo Arevalo, who assumed his position April 1.
“There are many, many, many reasons why we selected Darren, many of which relate to the fine background and experience he has in a number of institutions,” Arevalo said in calling Hamilton the cream of the crop from a good candidate pool.
“Most important to me is that in his history of involvement in athletics he has been an ardent supporter of athletes’ success, especially in the classroom. I think that is part of the reason I gravitated to him. … That is one of my cornerstones as I begin my tenure here at Eastern, to make sure the students are successful and we graduate as many students as possible.”
Hamilton cited his successes at his past stops and pledged a long tenure at Eastern Washington.
“All students, all faculty and all staff members that walk through the doors at Eastern will walk away knowing the excitement and the great things about Eastern’s athletic department and its student/athletes. It’s not going to be good things – it’s going to be great things. … I don’t know anything about maintaining the status quo, but I know how to conduct business with high levels of energy and enthusiasm. I know how to conduct business with integrity, with team building and excellence. … I warn you not to blink because you’ll miss the action.”
As the new athletic director posed for pictures with a new EWU hat and polo shirt, Arevalo’s wife, Nadine, presented Hamilton’s wife, Sherry, with a matching shirt and presented Peyton, 7, Paige, 5, and Pree with stuffed mascots, signaling the next era in Eastern athletics.