05-26-2015, 11:04 PM
http://www.forbes.com/sites/jasonbelzer/...ned-frogs/
Quote:While the university’s administration and constituents were doing everything they could to convince Big 12 officials on the Horned Frogs candidacy, Del Conte knew that none of it would matter if they couldn’t persuade The University of Texas (aka the 800 pound gorilla of the conference) that it was in their best interest to vote for TCU’s inclusion. So he did the only reasonable thing that someone in his shoes would do in the situation – he got in his car and drove down to Austin to meet with his counterpart at Texas, athletic director DeLoss Dodds.
Except, there were just two small problems…
He didn’t have an appointment, nor did he actually know DeLoss Dodds.
“After waiting for several hours, I was finally allowed to see him,” recollects Del Conte. “I walked into his office and said ‘Hi, I’m Chris Del Conte from Texas Christian University’ and DeLoss looked up from his desk and replied, ‘Nice to meet you Del!’ I figured if I was successful in persuading him to vote for us, he’d eventually figure out what my name actually was.”
In reality, while DeLoss might have seemed coy, as a fellow businessman he was thoroughly impressed by Del Conte’s boldness in coming to see him unexpectedly (Establish Credibility). The two men spent the next several hours having drinks and dinner at a private club in downtown Austin, discussing the state of college athletics and the issues their institutions were facing (Identify Common Ground). When the time was right, Del Conte presented Dodds with binders full of information overlaying TCU’s academic reputation, athletic success and the program’s potential if given the opportunity to compete in a league like the Big 12 (Compelling Evidence). But most importantly, the two spent the majority of their time together talking about themselves, how they grew up and the type of life they were trying to provide for their families and those they cared about (Connect Emotionally).
As Del Conte remembers, “When I left the meeting, I had absolutely no idea where we stood. I knew DeLoss and I had clicked, but the funny thing is I never made a hard sell, it was just… a natural, free flowing conversation. Two days later [October 6th] I was in my bedroom getting ready for work when I got a call from then interim Big 12 commissioner Chuck Neinas, and when I picked up, he simply said ‘Welcome home Chris.’ I remember having this wave of emotion sweep over me and collapsing on my bed in tears. I don’t know how we did it.”