Bye Bye Bubba

Bubba Cunningham is going to leave Tulsa and take on the athletic director's role at the University of North Carolina. I've gotta say, I like the move for him personally. I will miss having him here. He's a good guy with a lot of great ideas about what works and doesn't work for a school TU's size.

Now, he's in the ACC. He has always said that getting to a school with an automatic BCS bid is a big deal. In the end, I see this move as a way for him to get one step closer to his dream job – Notre Dame.

He's going to have a lot to deal with at UNC but should have success. I don't see why he wouldn't. In terms of football, he took TU from a relative no-name school and elevated it to a respected name in C-USA and across the nation. They beat Notre Dame last year and have picked up big wins in the past. TU is better off for having him in the AD office.

My favorite thing about him was how open he was to just hanging out and chatting with guys that covered his school's athletic programs. He was a hands-on guy who sat and talked with me in airports and sidelines numerous times. He hosted a monthly luncheon called Brunch with Bubba where we got to speak with him candidly about topics ranging from conference realignment to the World Cup.

He was very approachable and funny. His personality will mesh with any program. I think he's a smart leader with tremendous upside. The Tar Heels are getting a winner. Now, Tulsa needs to figure out how to replace a guy that took them from the bottom to the top of its league.