College Football Playoff: Everything New Executive Director Lt. Gen. Richard Clark Said In His First Media Call

Starting with the 2024 season, the College Football Playoff will have a new Executive Director in Liutenant General Richard Clark of the U.S. Air Force.

Since 2020, Clark has served as the president and superintendent of the Air Force Academy. He was also briefly a football coach on the Air Force staff from May 1986 to February 1987.

Clark had his first call with the national media on Monday afternoon. Here's everything that Clark had to say as he was formally introduced by outgoing CFP Executive Director Bill Hancock.

RICHARD CLARK: "Thank you, Mr. Hancock. And thank you, ladies and gentlemen, for joining us today. This is a special call, and I've had a lot of great opportunities in my life, but this one is absolutely special, and I am so grateful. I'm grateful to God for the opportunity. I want to thank President Keenum and the rest of the Board of Managers for having the confidence in me to take over this role."

"The search committee, especially to them, for going through the process and including me in it and continuing to vet me out to make sure that I have the qualities that they were looking for. So I'm grateful there, and certainly to Mr. Hancock, not just for what he's done already to help me in this process, but really what he's done for college football and the opportunity to take the torch from him is absolutely an honor. So thank you, sir, for what you've done for me and for college football."

"This opportunity is, in my view, is just another opportunity to serve. I've been serving in the Air Force for 38 years. I'd like to consider myself a servant leader, and now I get to serve the sport that I love so much. I was a college football player myself at the Air Force Academy for four years as a football player, and now I get to give back to the sport that gave so much to my development and to who I am as a leader."

"It means a lot to the young men. The student-athletes who play it. And that's always got to be first and foremost in our mind to make sure that they have every opportunity for success. I get to serve the schools where it's played to make sure that those institutions are able to thrive, to support not just all football and all sports but all students, and that is an especially significant honor for me. And then the fans who love the sport like me, to give them the opportunity to experience it in a way that America has experienced college football."

"But with the growth and the expansion of the College Football Playoffs, I think it's going to be a really special opportunity for all of us. And then certainly for the reporters who cover the sport so that you can help bring it to America the way that it deserves to be brought."

"So, again, to be able to serve this American tradition is extraordinarily special for me. As we grow into the 12-team playoff format, it's extremely exciting, and again I want to thank Mr. Hancock for what he's done already to plan for that, to move us into that next chapter, and I can't even imagine where college football will go with this new playoff format. But I am so excited to be a part of it."

"There's details I still have to learn. Mr. Hancock is already working with me to get up to speed, and I think that by June you'll be ready to really take the torch. But to have his mentorship even after that is very special and meaningful to me. So thank you again, sir."

"But I look forward to meeting all of you, getting to know you better over the months ahead. I know you have a lot of questions about where College Football Playoffs are right now."

"I'm not in necessarily the best position to answer those, but we will – and fortunately we have our expert, Bill Hancock, on board with us. So once again, Amy, my wife and I are extremely excited for this opportunity and looking forward to moving head."

Q. What is your grand vision for the role of the College Football Playoff in this next era with so many change coming aboard?

RICHARD CLARK: "The grand vision I have at this point is to be able to participate in the growth of college football to take it to the absolute maximum heights that it can go. Those opportunities are endless, and I know Bill Hancock has really fought through this throughout his tenure because he's continued to grow it."

"And I will pick up from where his vision leaves off when we actually make our turnover and our transition. So I might turn it over to Bill to talk a little bit about his thoughts on where it goes."

"And I know obviously the Board of Managers and the management of the CFP will have a big role in that vision."

Q. When you're going through the interview process, what are the people who just hired you telling you they're looking for? This is a role that I think a lot of people may, as the playoff evolves with it, so I guess what did you hear from the people who just hired you that they want from you?

RICHARD CLARK: "The number one thing that I heard from the committee was that they needed leadership. Like they've gotten from Mr. Hancock over the years, they want to continue that, and they want me to not just be a leader in the day-to-day operations but a strategic leader that not only helps develop the vision and where college football can go but to help execute that vision once we have it."

"And so I will be working very closely with the board and the committee to develop that vision and then I'll work with our staff at the CFP and all of the leaders in college football to execute it to ensure that we achieve the vision that's set before us."

"In the end, if there's one thing, one word to sum it up, it would be leadership. And I will do everything that I can, fully committed to ensuring that we reach the absolute highest level that we can in college football."

Q. First, why would you want this position, number one? And number two, there's been a lot of talk lately about athlete compensation, Name, Image and Likeness stuff. And I'm curious where you stand on that conversation in light of the CFP probably signing a new TV deal worth a lot of money soon. 

RICHARD CLARK: "The question about why I wanted to go through this process. I'll be honest with you, it wasn't something that was on my radar until a search firm that was employed by the Board of Managers and the management committee came to me and asked if I would be willing to put my name in the hat. And if I was going to sum that up in three sort of, I think, reasons why: First, at the lowest level, I just love college football. I love what it means. I love what it did for me as a leader and the opportunity to play football, it brought me to the Air Force Academy. I graduated from there in 1986. If it were not for college football I might not be here right now. So it's an opportunity for me to give back."

"The most important thing to me is student success and the success of our student-athletes and giving them every opportunity to experience this game in a way that will be meaningful for their whole lives is important to me, and it's something that I think that, like Bill, I can continue to grow and enhance that lifetime experience that they're going to have in this sport and, more importantly, the development of them as citizens and leaders in our country. So I'm very excited about that as well."

"And finally, the big changes that are happening: To be a part of something as big as this for our country, it's unimaginable to me that the opportunity presented itself, but I am honored and grateful for the chance to be a part of it. I look forward to learning more and moving forward to help us achieve those goals."

"As far as some of the other changes with student-athlete compensation or Name, Image and Likeness, those are things that I still have to think through, but certainly the governance process that will guide us in those areas is going to be very important."

"So I'll be formulating those ideas on how it affects the College Football Playoffs in the future, but there's certainly going to be important issues that we're going to have to consider as we move forward."

Q. General Clark, we've heard you were considered or going to be on the selection committee before this happened. So will you regret not being able to be part of that committee as well?

RICHARD CLARK: "You asked about me being disappointed to not be on the selection committee. I will tell you, when Mr. Hancock called me and let me know that I was going to be on that, I thought, oh, my gosh, this is probably the greatest honor I could have ever had. I was so excited. He told me I couldn't tell anybody until January. So I had to keep it under my hat."

"And I couldn't imagine that there would be a bigger honor than that until now. And to be able to do this and be a part of College Football Playoffs and collegiate athletics at this level is an even greater honor. So yeah, I'm a little disappointed I can't be on the selection committee, but I think it's all made up for by this position because it's again unimaginable that I'm talking to you right now about this. The honor, it surpasses even the honor that I have from the selection committee."

Q. I know that your position will not necessarily be in the policymaking, but as someone who represents a group of five institutions, going forward how important do you feel like it is that the group of five is assured of at least one spot in the playoffs? And also for Bill, how flattering is it that it took a person of General Clark's stature to replace you?

RICHARD CLARK: "I want to turn that second question that you just asked that the tables need to be turned. I'm flattered to be able to try to fill the shoes of Bill Hancock. You've been a legend in college sports for a long time. So the honor is mine. That's where the flattery comes. But I've got big shoes to fill. I just wanted to say that."

"As far as having a group of five team have the opportunity to move into the playoffs to me is huge. And my school right now, the Air Force Academy, certainly falls into that category. But what it gives a team is hope. It gives you that opportunity for you, your fans, the rest of your student population, to be involved in college football at the highest levels."

"So I think I always have this saying, if I got a shot, I've got a shot, and I'll take every opportunity to move into that position. So I appreciate the fact that Mr. Hancock and the rest of the team that made this possible considered the rest of the college football community, especially the group of five to have that opportunity. So I think it's vitally important for the whole sport that that opportunity is there."

Q. Wanted to ask you a little bit about the process and timeline. You mentioned being contacted by a search firm. What was the genesis of that and how quickly did this kind of come together at least on your end and what was sort of the interview process like?

RICHARD CLARK: "I'll say overall the interview process happened very quickly, but it was just the experience of that, whether I got selected or not was an incredible experience."

"The search committee, the screening interview, everybody was so respectful and kind throughout, but it was like a who's who in higher education, in college football, or I should say college athletics, because you have the commissioners and presidents there, but it was a really great experience."

"The first step of it, though, was getting a phone call from the search firm and asking if I'd put my name in the hat. And first I had to make sure it wasn't a joke from one of my friends because I couldn't believe it."

"It wasn't a trick question. So I absolutely was willing to put my name in the hat. I wondered, honestly, if I even had an opportunity because I had read some articles about speculation of the kinds of people that were going to be considered, and I just didn't think I matched up. But here I am, and I can't tell you how excited I am."

"But after I put my name in the hat, I went through the screening interview on Zoom. And again it was about an hour-plus-long interview, lots of questions, in-depth questions. I thought they were very thorough and made it to that next search committee interview, in person."

"Again, I met all of the members of that committee, amazing group of people. They asked questions but it was really more discussion, and we just talked about some of the issues and the things that they were looking for."

"Then a day later, I found out I had been selected and the Board of Managers agreed to me becoming the next executive director. All in all, the process just took a little over three weeks from when I first put my hat in the hat and when I was called and told that I would be the next executive director, and I'm still on cloud nine."

Q. Given the state of affairs, your position and/or the CFP, they end up running college football or at least FCS, I think it's pretty much assumed that the next contract for the CFP may be the largest in college football history. What uniquely qualifies you for those responsibilities?

RICHARD CLARK: "Well, I'll say that you bring up a great point. There's a lot of things that are going to have to happen as college football grows and where the CFP goes. Some of those decisions are decisions that I will be working very closely with all the stakeholders who are involved in that growth, which is one of the skills I think I've developed over the years as a person who collaborates and really helps to pull a team together to move forward with big decisions like this."

"As far as what uniquely qualifies me for the kinds of agreements that are going to have to be made – I throughout my career in the organizations I've been in, I've had to work with Congress. I've had to work through the Pentagon. If you have any familiarity with the Pentagon, there's a special skill that you have to have to get anything done there because it is a large organization with a lot of stakeholders."

"And then just another job that I've had. I've had to be able to collaborate, to be a listener, and then to help pull together all of the ideas and thoughts to drive us to a decision."

"Making decisions specifically on the kinds of agreements that we're going to have to make, I have some learning to do. And again I go back – I'm very happy that Mr. Hancock is going to be there to help me to understand that in the months ahead so when those decisions are mine, to help direct and guide, that I'll be able to build that experience."

"I've always considered myself a lifelong learner. Every job I've ever gone into in the Air Force over 38 years, I'm usually pretty new at whatever that mission was, and I had a lot of learning to do, but I rely on my team around me, I rely on my mentors who are supporting me and seek out the experts that can help me with some of the complex issues that surround these decisions."

"So I've been doing this kind of work generally for a long time but not specifically with college football, but I will bring those skills to bear on this, and I'm excited to do it."

Q. Specifically, how much input and influence will you have in relation to the CFP's next College Football Playoff contract? And how much or what is your experience as relates to media rights contracts and deals?

RICHARD CLARK: "The upcoming contract for CFP, again, Mr. Hancock will still be in place all the way through into '25. So depending on the timing of those contracts, that's going to drive how much influence I'll have. But what I will say is, regardless, I will be – like Mr. Hancock said – shoulder to shoulder with him as we go through so that I can first build the experience in it, but then understand his thought processes and how he goes through making these kinds of decisions. So that will be very helpful."

"I am confident that when the time comes for me to be the one that is leading us through these decisions, I'll be ready. I know Mr. Hancock is going to help us get there."

"I don't have a lot of experience with media rights agreements, but I, on the periphery as a Mountain West Conference board of directors member – we've had discussions on these things and I've been involved in them over the last three-plus years on where we were going to go as a conference."

"So not completely new territory, but in this role, it's going to be new and I have a lot of learning to do, without question. But I think I'm up to the task, and I know that Mr. Hancock is ready to help me to figure out my way forward as I get ready for this challenge. But I'm excited. I'm passionate. And I'm ready to get after it."

Q. What's your preference through the way you like to be addressed? Lieutenant General? General?

RICHARD CLARK: "I like to be addressed by Rich. I'm excited to actually – when I retire – that people can just call me by the name my mom gave me. Although she named me Richard. My wife calls me that. Everyone calls me Rich. I'd appreciate that. Thank you, ma'am."