After More Than 3 Decades, Dr. Farney Retires From UIL
By Jeanne Acton | Thursday, January 29, 2009 11:14 AM
On the wall in his office hangs a plain wooden plaque. It reads, “Success is never final. Failure is never fatal.”
Simple words with a powerful message.
This message sums up the Executive Director of the University Interscholastic League Dr. William Farney’s philosophy: “The winning doesn’t make you a better person. The competition does.”
For more than three decades at UIL, Dr. Farney has lived and led with that philosophy. But Jan. 30, 2009, after 14 years as executive director, Dr. Farney will take down that plaque and retire from the League.
“I really feel like it’s time,” he said. “We have people in place — strong people — to take care of this organization. I’d put this staff up against any staff in the U.S.”
In 1977, Dr. Farney started his career at the UIL as the athletic director and assistant director under then-director Bailey Marshall.
“There were a number of reasons for me coming,” he said. “It was a good professional opportunity, and I was trying to finish my doctoral degree at Baylor.”
Before being hired by the League, Dr. Farney was the superintendent at Crawford Independent School District. His career in education started right out of college as an English teacher and coach in Oklahoma.
From there, he moved back to Texas and up the education ladder quickly. At Lorena High School, Dr. Farney taught English for a semester, coached almost every sport at the school and advanced to high school principal within six months. Then, it was on to Robinson High School as principal.
And through all of those moves, Dr. Farney stayed connected to UIL.
“At Crawford as superintendent, I really pushed the academic portion of UIL,” he said. “We won Sweepstakes five years in a row before I left.”
He also started the band program at Crawford.
When he left Crawford to come to Austin, Dr. Farney had had plenty of experiences with the League. In fact, his first UIL experience happened years before he became a teacher, coach and administrator.
“In elementary school I competed in Declamation,” he said. He still remembers the poem. “Then, in high school, Chilton High School, I competed in several sports and typewriting, placing second in district. I also participated in the One Act Play. I was a prisoner on death row in that play. In a small school like mine, you couldn’t escape UIL.”
And apparently neither could his family.
“All of my children have participated in UIL events,” he said. “My oldest son won second in debate at state and my middle son won second in four different journalism contests at state.”
As a coach and principal, he worked to increase the number of girls’ athletic programs. He was instrumental in getting girls’ track added to the UIL set of sports.
He also took home a State Basketball Championship in 1975 while at Crawford High School. Strangely enough, he was the superintendent and the head girls’ basketball coach at the same time.
So joining the League in the late ‘70s seemed like a natural course for Dr. Farney. UIL had been in his blood for his lifetime, and now it was becoming his life.
When he started as athletic director, Dr. Farney said he did not have his sights set on the director position.
“My only goal when I started was to do a good job and represent the schools well,” he said. “I really thought [Dr.] Bailey [Marshall] would work forever. I thought by the time he retired, I would be too old.”
But that wasn’t the case. Dr. Marshall retired in March 1995 and Dr. Farney stepped in as director.
During his more than 30-year career at UIL, Dr. Farney has witnessed and led many changes.
“When I started, we had no fax machines, no e-mails,” he said. “We wrote 25 to 30 letters a day. Within a few years, the correspondence went down 25 to 35 percent, but the telephone load became tremendous. You could literally spend all your time on the phone.”
Also, rules were “straight-lined” back then, he said. “You were either eligible or you were not,” he said. “There were no waivers for kids. We began the waiver program in the middle to late ‘80s. Bonnie [Northcutt], Dr. Marshall and I pushed that forward. I was proud that that took place while I was here. This continues to be a strong facet of the League.”
Dr. Farney is also proud of his leadership in expanding the girls’ athletic program. “When I came we didn’t have as many girls’ sports,” he said. “Title IX certainly spurred on changes in girls athletics, but the League expanded its programs before Title IX.”
Athletics wasn’t the only program to change under Dr. Farney. The academic contests continued to develop to reflect and emphasize the curriculum of the day.
But the one thing that never changed during Dr. Farney’s tenure was his love for students and his love for the UIL.
“My favorite thing here at the League is seeing kids compete,” he said. “UIL gives students a chance to compete and be unique. It’s not a matter of beating someone, but the thrill of competing and doing your best. UIL gives students a certain drive and confidence.
“I’ve seen nothing but positive benefits from our kids participating,” he said.
Dr. Charles Breithaupt, the newly appointed executive director, said Dr. Farney has had a “huge impact” on the League in the past three decades.
“Without a doubt his biggest impact on the League was to give the League back to the schools, making this the grassroots association that it was meant to be,” Dr. Breithaupt said. “He has a unique ability to connect back to the schools. He always made sure the schools had ownership, that this was not a top-down organization.”
Dr. Breithaupt said Dr. Farney was more than just a good leader for UIL. He was a good friend and mentor.
“He always told me, ‘Keep the constitution between you and the schools,’” Dr. Breithaupt said. “And he always told me to listen, which is what he did.”
Director of Policy Bonnie Northcutt, who has known Dr. Farney since 1973, called him a “multifaceted leader” who led the League with an undeniable dedication.
“He led with a compassionate strength and was able to guide a group with strong diverse opinions to a consensus,” she said. “He allowed his staff to direct their programs. He was infinitely patient with individuals who were unhappy with a rule or decision and disagreed without being disagreeable.”
Dr. Mark Henry, superintendent at Galena Park ISD and a member of the Legislative Council, said Dr. Farney has a “real calming effect on everyone.”
“It’s not easy to give directions to the 28 superintendents on the Legislative Council,” said Dr. Henry, who has worked with him for the past 10 years. “We are all used to being the boss. He always allowed us to say what we wanted to say and still managed to get a consensus from us.”
Dr. Farney’s tenure hasn’t been an easy one — with the courts ruling on Title IX requirements and with all of the legal issues that have evolved in the past 14 years, Dr. Henry said.
“Dr. Farney’s tenure as executive director has been some of the most difficult times UIL has ever experienced,” he said. “He’s handled it all with a great deal of professionalism and respect to all parties involved. And look at our girls’ athletic programs, they are flourishing.”
In addition to expanding the athletic and academic programs at the League, Northcutt also said Dr. Farney was instrumental in the growth of the Texas Interscholastic League Foundation, which has awarded millions of dollars to UIL academic state competitors.
“His dedication to growing the TILF scholarship opportunities has enabled many state meet competitors to attend college in Texas,” she said.
While his leadership was strong and constant, it will not be the only thing missed in February.
“I will miss his humor the most — the joy he brings to work with him every day,” Dr. Breithaupt said. “There is never a sad day with Dr. Farney. That will always be missed. He lives life to the fullest.”
Academic director Treva Dayton, who has known Dr. Farney since elementary school, agreed, saying Dr. Farney has the unique ability to leave good memories wherever he goes.
“One memory I cherish is an evening in the Lorena school cafeteria, where we were washing up dishes after our junior high graduation and reception,” she said. “We had just learned that Dr. Farney would be leaving Lorena for another position, and we were devastated. So to cheer us up and keep the evening a celebration, he began to sing, and led us in ‘Clementine,’ ‘You Are My Sunshine,’ and other old-time favorites.
“With sleeves rolled up, hands in a huge vat of suds and voice booming, he refocused the attention on us. Because he cared.”
That laughter, that thoughtfulness came across in everything he did, said Dr. Breithaupt.
“There are two kinds of people in this world — takers and givers,” he said. “Dr. Farney is a giver. All his life he’s been giving.”
Even though he’s leaving the position of director and plans to travel more and expand his computer skills, Dr. Farney promised that he would continue to be involved with UIL. Perhaps, that’s because he’s a giver.
“There are some things I would like to work on, like the history of the League,” he said. “I just didn’t have time as director.”
And that is fine with everyone involved.
“I know Dr. Farney is going to stay connected with UIL and that is going to help Dr. Breithaupt and the rest of UIL continue to be successful,” Dr. Henry said.
Dr. Farney’s retirement is somewhat bittersweet for the staff.
“I refuse to be sad this time as Dr. Farney moves onto yet another phase of his life,” Dayton said. “He has more than earned the opportunity to now devote his passion to his own children and their families, while still serving Texas kids in a different – and hopefully less stressful – capacity. Because he still cares, and he always will.”
As his final days as director comes to a close and he pulls that wooden plaque off his wall, Dr. Farney offered this advice to his successor:
“Try to reflect on the will of what our schools want and need,” he said. “The job is very complex. Sometimes you are leading the schools, and sometimes you are listening. Be hard to be insulted. Be open and honest and defend the schools. Most of all represent the schools, the students and the University.”