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Northwestern AD Jim Phillips Spurns Stanford To Remain In Evanston

Northwestern athletic director Jim Phillips will stay in Evanston after turning down an offer from Stanford.

By Chris Vannini
LINCOLN, NE - NOVEMBER 5: The Northwestern Wildcats leave the field after beating the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Memorial Stadium November 5, 2011 in Lincoln, Nebraska. Northwestern beat Nebraska 28-25. (Photo by Eric Francis/Getty Images)
LINCOLN, NE - NOVEMBER 5: The Northwestern Wildcats leave the field after beating the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Memorial Stadium November 5, 2011 in Lincoln, Nebraska. Northwestern beat Nebraska 28-25. (Photo by Eric Francis/Getty Images)
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With Northwestern athletics booming, the department's future became a little more secure on Saturday.

Athletic director Jim Phillips turned down the vacant position at Stanford to remain at Northwestern, according to the Chicago Tribune.

Phillips was out of town Saturday and unavailable for comment. But sources said that even after Phillips' initial "no thanks" reply, the school asked to meet with him in the Chicago area. Though the job would pay as much as $1.4 million a year, Phillips declined.

Stanford's AD position was open because Bob Bowlsby left Palo Alto to become the commissioner of the Big 12. Last year, Phillips signed a 10-year deal with Northwestern. He was recently named AD of the Year for the Central Region and has been working for a major facilities update for the athletic department.

Phillip's declining says a lot about Northwestern, as Stanford has long had one of the best athletic departments in sports, winning the Directors Cup for 18 straight seasons.

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