PEELER: Finch Says Goodbye After 31 Years
8/13/2008 12:00:00 AM | Pack Athletics
BY TIM PEELER
The North Carolina AIAW required that after every contest in basketball, volleyball or softball, the home team had to provide cookies and punch for everyone involved. At the time, Finch was the head basketball and volleyball coach at
Women’s athletics was still in its infancy.
“Elon came to
“After the game, our teams went to have their punch and cookies and Kay and I stayed in the hallway and talked basketball. We were both coaching a couple of teams, in addition to teaching classes at our schools. I said, You know, I really liked your inbounds play.’ We started talking a little bit and we realized quickly that we kind of saw this coaching thing a little differently than the people who were coaching and teaching and doing the other stuff.”
They never did get around to having their punch and cookies. But they did become frequent opponents and life-long friends.
“I remember one year, because there were so few teams to play, that we kept getting invited to the same places to play volleyball,” Yow said. “If someone invited Elon to play, they also invited
In 1975, NC State athletics director Willis Casey hired Yow to be the first full-time college coach in the state of North Carolina, serving as the head coach for women’s basketball, softball and volleyball, as well as program administrator. Meanwhile, Finch also moved to
Within two years, Yow wanted to hire Finch to be her associate basketball coach and to assist with volleyball and softball.
“Willis didn’t want her to hire me,” Finch recalled. “He didn’t think she would be able to control me.”
Then again, no one ever has. Finch has a well-established reputation for pushing back against people who say no or who stand in the way of inevitable change. With women’s athletics already starting to take off, running three women’s sports became too much for just one person to handle.
“Just a few months after I was hired, Willis called the two of us into his office and said I have two titles: head women’s basketball coach and coordinator of women’s athletics. Kay, which one do you want?’” Finch recalled. “Kay said I’ll be the women’s basketball coach.’ He said, OK, Nora Lynn, you will be the coordinator of athletics. Do you have any questions?’
“I had some, but I knew better than to ask them.”
For the last 31 years, Finch has asked and answered many questions as one of the most well-regarded athletics administrators in the country. She was the ACC’s first female assistant athletics director. She was the first chair of the NCAA Division I Basketball Committee, holding that position for eight years. She negotiated the first women’s basketball tournament television contract with CBS. The Orlando Sentinel once ranked her No. 12 among the most important women in athletics.
She has been recognized as a pioneer in her field from many organizations, including her alma mater,
| Saying Goodbye NC State will hold a private reception today at Reynolds Coliseum for departing associate athletics director Nora Lynn Finch for department staff. On Sunday, Aug. 24, NC State will host a public farewell dinner, celebrating her 31 years of service at the McKimmon Center on Western Boulevard. Doors will open at 5:30 p.m.and the program will begin at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $20 per person. Business casual. |
Friday is Finch’s last day at NC State, as she heads to
“It’s been an emotional thing to even think about leaving after 31 years at NC State,” Finch said. “Since this was announced I have spent a lot of time with the people I have gotten to know here and answering the phone calls and e-mails I received.
“But I had to wait until the evenings to pack my things it was just too hard to carry things out of my office and bump into people in the hallways I have known and worked with for so long.”
It was a slam-dunk hire for ACC Commissioner John Swofford, when he looked for a replacement for Bernadette McGlade, who left in April to become the commissioner of the Atlantic 10.
“The list of reasons Nora Lynn is the right fit for the conference office is extensive and certainly includes her history and national involvement with women’s basketball,” Swofford said. “I can’t say enough about her passion and drive when it comes to athletics and specifically women’s athletics.
“She understands the landscape of athletics and has strong relationships within the league and across the country.”
Finch indeed has served on numerous ACC and NCAA committees and had a huge hand in growing not just women’s basketball but all collegiate Olympic sports.
“In addition to her contributions to NC State, Nora Lynn has been a great steward for the ACC and the NCAA throughout her career,” said athletics director Lee Fowler. “This is a natural transition for her.”
Yow, NC State’s legendary coach, especially will miss working with Finch on a daily basis.
M&W track & field, cross country coach
“It’s just unbelievable to me,” said Yow. “When you work with someone for 31 years, you kind of expect them to always be there. I am of course saddened by it, but we are all happy for her and her new opportunity. I knew it would take an awesome job for her to leave here after 31 years, and this is definitely it.”
Top 10 years of service, NC State athletics Employee Position Years Richard Sykes Men's golf coach 34 Kay Yow Women's basketball coach 33 Pam Speight Administrative support specialist 32 Nora Lynn Finch Senior associate athletics director 31 Rollie Geiger 28 Mark Stevenson Gymnastics Coach 28 Wright Wayne Strength & Conditioning coach 28 Eddie Gardner Head football equipment manager 26 George Tarantini Men's soccer coach 25 David Horning Senior associate athletics director 24
Finch, one of the five longest-serving employees in the athletics department, knew it would take a special job opportunity and the right timing for her to leave NC State. She had been a candidate for athletics director positions in the past, but never found the right fit to leave the school where she had invested so much of her heart.
Now she has, though she candidly admits that part of her heart will always remain in “I remember our golf team had never flown anywhere. That was a big deal for us, when “When I first heard that Nora Lynn was leaving, I was at the beach at an annual family outing,” said women’s golf coach Page Marsh. “My brother-in-law, Jeff [Elliott, the ACC Associate Commissioner and Director of Finance and Administration], was there and I told him I didn’t know if I should congratulate him or kick him. “I know she will embrace being a part of the conference office and I have no doubts about her loyalty to all of the ACC institutions.” You may contact Tim Peeler at tim_peeler@ncsu.edu.
There are several reasons, Finch says, she accepted the position with the conference office. First, she wanted the opportunity to work with Swofford, for whom she has deep respect, to help expand women’s basketball around the ACC. Secondly, she likes the direction of the NC State athletics department, especially the four sports for which she served as administrator: women’s basketball, men’s soccer and men’s and women’s golf.
“Things are better at NC State than they ever have been in the 31 years I have been here things are set and in good order,” Finch said. “The golf course is about to open. Both our golf teams are benefiting from the short-game practice facility we built three years ago.
“Men’s soccer is playing on a new field, and I am excited about the possibilities for that program playing at a stadium in the center of the campus. Reynolds Coliseum just received a wonderful facelift And Kay is energized and ready for next year. I just believe things are good here.”
At the ACC, Finch will be in charge of growing ACC women’s basketball, and as always, she has some strong opinions about what needs to be done.
But her experience will be difficult to replace at NC State.
Finch has been a chief administrator for Wolfpack athletics ever since she assumed additional responsibilities in 1986, when men’s basketball coach Jim Valvano replaced Casey as athletics director. She met with every head coach and began asking what they needed to enhance the experience of the student athletes. Better food in the dining hall was a common suggestion, as was making travel more comfortable.
“Up until that period of time, when she became the administrator for golf, I never felt unfairly treated, but the answer to most questions was more often than not was no,” said men’s golf coach Richard Sykes. “Her answer after that was Let’s see if we can’t figure out a way to get that done.’
Finch has a passion for golf, of course. She has served as the co-chair of the fundraising committee for the long-awaited Lonnie Poole Golf Course on Centennial Campus and the game has long been her hobby.
But she has enhanced every sport she has worked with through the years, as well as overseen changes and improvements to the equipment rooms at Weisiger-Brown and Reynolds Coliseum. Her devotion to her job will be missed.
“Nora Lynn has been a great mentor to me because she is so good at what she does. She is leaving a great body of work and a great legacy for the university.”
And, most importantly, she has had constant interaction with student-athletes, hoping to improve their experiences while at NC State.
“The main reason she made a difference here was that she always had time for the players,” said men’s soccer coach George Tarantini. “They could always stop by her office and she would always stop what she was doing and take the time to talk and listen to them. The personal touch that she put into the job is something all of our former players appreciated, because she always put the needs of the student-athlete first.
“That personal touch is something I will truly miss.”
While she is leaving NC State, Finch doesn’t expect to be a stranger.
She told Swofford when he offered her the job that she had too much red to make a complete wardrobe change and that she would always be loyal to the school she represented for more than three decades.
“Nora Lynn has devoted much of her career to championing the student-athletes, coaches and programs not only at NC State, but in the ACC and the NCAA,” Swofford said. “she has certainly done a great job of during her tenure with NC State, but her reach has always been larger than just one team or one program.