"I know people say 70 isn't old. If you're a tree."
---LSU athletic director Skip Bertman, who turns 69 in May.
LSU athletic director's choice to replace him is Georgia Tech athletic director Dan Radakovich, who has LSU ties.
Bertman will step down as Tigers athletic director on June 30, 2008, and proceed to the athletic director emeritus position of fund raising for two years through 2010.
"Dan Radakovich would be an excellent choice," said Bertman." He can't miss at Georgia Tech or anywhere else. He's terrific. People like Radakovich would be excellent."
Radakovich was Bertman's first hire when he took over as athletic director in 2001 and Radakovich served as Bertman's right-hand man along with fellow assistant athletic director Herb Vincent, whom Bertman hired in 2002. Radakovich went to Georgia Tech last spring, and Vincent, who was LSU's sports information director from 1988-2000, replaced him.
Radakovich, 48, came to LSU from a one-year stint as the athletic director at American University in Washington, D.C. Before that, he was an associate athletic director at South Carolina and worked with financial opperations as well as marketing and promotions.
An Aliquippa, Pa., native who played football at Indiana University in Pennsylvania, Radakovick was an assistant athletic director at Long Beach State from 1989-84 and first met Bertman while the business manager at Miami from 1983-85.
Aliquippa also is the hometown of Pete and Press Maravich, Mike Ditka and Tony Dorsett.
While at LSU, Radakovich did some of the day-to-day work for Bertman, including marketing, outside contracts and implementing the premium ticket package in 2003 that instituted prerequisite fees of several hundred dollars from fans in order to buy football season tickets.
Bertman said LSU needs a younger athletic director. "I think they need an energetic person," said Bertman. "While I have some zip left, I think it's a hard job. As great as my stay has been, I think they need to search it out and find a guy or woman to provide that. And I'm going to help make a seamless transition."
In his new contract, Bertman will receive a raise of $20,000 a year to $450,000 a year. He will reach 25 years of service in 2008 and thus his retirement will make a large jump as it did when he reach 20 years. Bertman's retirement will be based on the best three years of his salary, which will be $450,000 a year, and make in the neighborhood of $185 to $200,000 a year of retirement benefits after he retires in 2010.
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