The Bear Insider had a chance to sit down with new Cal Athletic Director JIm Knowlton for the Bear Insider Podcast, discussing a wide range of topics with the latest Cal AD.
Knowlton, who started his job two weeks ago, has roots on the East Coast, moving steadily westward over time.
"I primarily grew up outside of Boston, in a place called Burlington and I was there pretty much my whole life until I went off to college," said Knowlton. "So I guess I called Boston home."
After a successful prep career, Knowlton was offered a scholarship at West Point. Though they hadn't been on his radar, the U.S. Military Academy proved to be a good match for Cal's future AD.
"You know, I think I probably wouldn't have considered it, but I was recruited for hockey. And as soon as I went down on a recruiting visit, I realized, wow, this really seems like a phenomenal opportunity," said Knowlton. "(I thought) I'd love to to be part of this. And so hockey sort of helped open the door, but it just was a good fit."
Knowlton, who described himself as the set-up guy who usually led his team in assists, was eventually named team captain of his squad.
"I think the thing that you learn being a captain of your peers, it's hard because you have to use different leadership techniques to bring the most out of people," said Knowlton. "People who are your friends, people who you played with. So when I talk about leadership opportunities, that's probably one of the most challenging. How do you lead this group of leaders that are on a team that are also your friends? So a lot of things that you do are trial and error and you learn. And then you sort of say, okay, that didn't work as well as I want. I think for my whole life, I've been critiquing everything I've done, saying, 'How can you do it better? What could I have done better, What techniques will I use next time?'"
Knowlton met his wife Cory while at the academy.
"She was an army brat and I met her after a hockey game," said Knowlton. "Her brother was also at the academy and he was in my company, and just by chance, we met each other.
Was it love at first sight?
"I knew I was gonna marry her after our third date," said Knowlton, with a smile. "It was quick. I couldn't get married while I was at West Point, so it took another few years."
Bear Insider Podcast: Cal AD Jim Knowlton
Following his collegiate career, Knowlton began a career in the Army, rising to the level of Colonel.
"It was an interesting career, where I get to really see the world," said Knowlton. I was on the Czech border during the Cold War and stood on the Berlin Wall the night the wall fell. It really was surreal. I hadn't gotten home that night till about 11 and had dinner and I just thought, 'I can't go to bed. This is historic.' And so I went down and climbed up on the wall in front of the Brandenberg Gate.
"It was just pandemonium, people experiencing freedom for the first time in their lifetime. That was amazing."
Did he take a whack at the wall like everyone else?
,
"You know what, I actually did," said Knowlton, with a smile. "I shipped pieces of the wall to every one of my friends who had served overseas with me. And they paid it back over the years as I got pieces of Saddam's palace or pieces of something else, and they'd say, 'I remember when you sent me a piece of the Berlin Wall.' I probably still have a little bit in my basement."
Knowlton eventually moved into the academic arena again, obtaining his masters in Civil Engineering from Cornell after majoring in Mechanical Engineering as an undergrad. Knowlton also taught Civil Engineering at West Point as a professor.
The next phase of Knowlton's career featured his first foray into athletic adminstration at West Point.
"I went there as the chief of staff of the athletic department and then within a year the athletic director left and I became the interim athletic director. So I did that, and then we brought on a new AD and I served as his deputy for awhile. Then I retired from the military (in 2008) and became the athletic director at a place called Rensselaer Polytechnic institute.
How did serving as athletic director differ from his prior experiences?
"Well, I think the big thing, I was a great opportunity for me to learn," said Knowlton. "And since you're at a smaller, multi-divisional school, you don't have the robust staff that many of the Division One schools have.
"So you have to be the Jack of all trades. You could be working on a sponsorship one day and lining the baseball field the next day, just whatever it needed, whatever it took. And you really learn the entire business of athletics. You're only one-deep in compliance. You're only one deep in marketing and promotions. And so I think it was a great education over seven years to learn athletics at its grassroots.
"We had phenomenal success both in the annual fund and major gifts, and we built a $100,000,000 athletic facility while I was there. It was a transformational facility, basketball arena, football arena and locker rooms.
"So a huge part of that was the fundraising piece. And I had never fundraised before, so I went to conventions, I went to classes and I read books because I wanted to be able to really do a good job with the fundraising piece. And I think that part of my education really accelerated while I was at RPI."
Knowlton stepped up to the D1 level when he took over as athletic director at the Air Force Academy -a successful stint by most any measure.
"We had the most three most successful years in their history from an athletic and fundraising and academic perspective and we had a good time doing it," said Knowlton. "We really jumped in the Learfield Director's Cup. I think our highest finish had been maybe 78 or 80 and we broke into the top 50 for different points in time. So all of the boats really rose in all of our sports and we had 29 different sports. And so I really felt like we really had coaches and student athletes that just continued to excel and get better and the proof was in the pudding.
"I also was responsible for all the PE courses. So I had about 60 or 65 PE instructors that taught 10 courses to 4,000 cadets over their four year career, whether it was boxing or survival, swimming or combatives. And we had to blend that whole department. So we felt like being one team was a key part of what we were able to accomplish during those three years.
Knowlton also oversaw intramurals at the academy during his tenure as AD.
Did he ever sleep?
No, not much," said Knowlton, with a laugh. "You want to be there for everyone -29 sports and PE and all. And, you know, it's easy to focus on one sport (like football) but you really want to make sure that -just like with my five kids, that you spread the love and make sure that everyone feels like they're a valued part of the team."
Now, as AD at a Pac-12 program, Knowlton finds himself in a bigger spotlight, faced with the unique realities of overseeing a transition from Prong IV to Prong I of Title 9 as well as helping balance a budget that's long been out of whack along with overseeing football, basketball and baseball programs that just completed their seasons with first year coaches.
How has his experience and reception been so far?
"Absolutely phenomenal," said Knowlton. "Really, everybody I've met, everyone I've talked to has been very welcoming and the passion for Cal Athletics has been over the top, so I'm excited."
The decision to hire Knowlton came a couple months before he officially started the job at Cal. But rather than wait till it was official, the new AD did all he could to lay the groundwork for a smooth transition.
According to Knowlton, the early transition went well.
"It was really good, much to the chagrin of my wife, who I had told I'm going to take a couple of weeks of vacation. But it really everything I could read, I read, and everything I could learn, I learned. And I talked to donors and called coaches and, in fact, as I was driving across country from Colorado, I get a chance to call as many coaches as possible. I wanted to know as much as I could and meet as many people as I could and I think I was able to do that some, though not as much as I wanted."
To hear more from Knowlton, listen to the Bear Insider Podcast below, in full:
Bear Insider Podcast: Cal AD Jim Knowlton
