Santa Ono is set to take office as University of Michigan’s next president. Ono has long been an advocate for athletics and football, in particular.
Santa Ono won’t begin his term as University of Michigan president until Thursday. But he has already been in contact with the most famous person on campus.
Texts have flown back and forth between Ono and Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh, who even declared his new boss an honorary captain for the Oct. 29 game against Michigan State. It’s a goodwill gesture that could signal the beginning of a beautiful and potentially prosperous friendship between two of the campus’ chief power brokers at a time when college sports is in a state of flux.
Harbaugh said Monday he is “really looking forward” to the start of Ono’s administration, flashing a big smile as he told reporters of the positive feedback he heard from others who had worked with him.
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During a four-year stint as the University of Cincinnati president that ended in 2016, Ono built a reputation as an advocate for athletics by fostering relationships with the coaches and making the effort to understand the pressing issues that affected them. Ono would visit practices, give halftime speeches and even crowd surf in the student section, going places where stodgy academic types had never been.
“He’s very supportive and very genuine,” former Bearcats football coach Butch Jones told the Free Press. “The biggest thing is he was very visible all the time, very approachable. And he really, really united our university community. He’s able to relate to anyone and everyone.”
Ono’s predecessor at Michigan, Mark Schlissel, often did not. People around the university complained he was aloof and distant, contributing to the siloed, decentralized ecosystem that had developed on U-M’s campus. Critics of Schlissel noted he pursued his interests with gusto but seemed indifferent about the passions of others. He also struggled to grasp the enormous influence of Michigan athletics and the Block M’s hold over the rich alumni who donate big money. Catering to the needs of the football program, despite its wide following, was not a priority for Schlissel.
