Bobby Valentine to be SHU athletic director

FAIRFIELD, Conn. (WTNH) -- Bobby Valentine has done a lot of things and now the former baseball manager he takes on a new role as Athletic Director at Sacred Heart University.

He's never been an administrator at a university before which is why the first question he got was why he wanted this at this point in his life and that some people might consider this a joke.

"I really didn't think I'd be insulted with the first question, but what the hell? If it's a joke, it's an inside joke, I'm very serious about everything I do in my life," said Valentine.

Not that Valentine isn's one for jokes. Remember the stunt when he was the manager of the Mets? And that's how Valentine is known, as a baseball man, which is why this took some by surprise.

"We're known as the Pioneers, clearly, and once again we're pioneers, doing something unconventional," said John Petillo, President.

"I was a manager at 35 years old and I never managed before. I opened up a restuarant in 1980 and I never flipped a hamburger before," said Valetine.

"Some poeple might have questioned, well you know he's not a college athlete. What are you talkin about, you know what I mean? The guy's in athletics. Besides, who better has such an athletic experience and now combine it with the intelligence and the world travel and stuff like this, it's a tremendous pick," said Dave Bike, Sacred Heart Basketball Coach.

"You've obviously filled out lineup cards, but now you're gonna be involved in setting up fencing schedules and baseball schedules, how do you prepare yourself for that minutia," asked News 8's Noah Finz.

"I'm not sure I'll do a lot of the minutia, I might, but I'm hoping to lean on people and have a staff that's able to do things that I probably won't have to do because I'll be doing other things," said Valentine.

Valentine strengths will be in his many connections and his fame and instant name recognition. It's why the announcement was so well attended.

"Tell me, how did this come to be," asked News 8's Finz.

"It's a heck of a question, you know, it's a kind of a fate struck situation I think. You know a phone call, what do you think? Would you, might you, let's talk about it. I said yes," said Valentine.

Valentine starts his new job July 1st replacing the retiring Don Cook.