Gary Phillips has joked that he’ll have Ralph Swearngin’s number on speed dial next summer in those first weeks as new executive director of the GHSA.
But he probably won’t need it for the daily grind. He has been Swearngin’s right-hand man for 13 years.
What Phillips will need is the grasp of the issues and the art of diplomacy that Swearngin has employed so well to shape the association. Phillips also will need a vision for some of the GHSA’s more divisive issues. The GHSA’s reputation for being reactive, as opposed to proactive, is a fair one in some cases.
Swearngin has led the GHSA in contentious times. In 2000, Georgia Speaker of the House Tom Murphy pressured the GHSA to make a rule that placed many private schools in higher classifications, sparking years of friction that manifests today in separate public and private Class A championships. The General Assembly hovered over the GHSA for years on this and other issues.
But Swearngin is persuasive and genuine. He has kept the legislature at bay and the GHSA out of the courts. He got the GHSA’s executive committee to move the high school football finals to the Georgia Dome. He has been ahead of the curve, is some cases, with initiatives to promote safety and participation.
Swearngin’s tenure has not passed without criticism. The GHSA has been conservative about complaints over unfair competition. A small number of private schools dominate the all-sports trophies in classes AAAA, AAA and AA. City and magnet schools that allow students from outside their home districts also find their way onto trophy stands at a disproportionate rate.
The trend of high profile transfer student-athletes has reshaped the balance of power in many sports. During Swearngin’s tenure, no boys basketball champion in the highest classification has won a state title without at least one major transfer.
The GHSA fears that rules to address those concerns will invite legislative or judicial challenge. The GHSA’s main constituents are educators whose concerns are academic and financial and not competitive. Still, to fans and coaches and the student-athletes in the arena, these perceived uneven playing fields are some of their biggest complaints.
A new leader can make a few phone calls for help. But certain qualities must come from within. Swearngin has his critics, but no one questions his sincerity and understanding of the tough issues. Those qualities can be harder to fill than shoes.
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