Would Sean Payton have agreed to attend Wednesday’s Athletic Director’s Gala had he been asked after he was a Super Bowl Champion?

It’s a question you likely won’t get a legitimate answer for. But it’s a question worth wondering.

Luckily for athletic director Barbara Burke, it’s a question she doesn’t have to worry about. When Payton committed, which is designed to recruit donors for the various projects the department has planned, he was just a head coach for a middle-of-the-road NFL franchise.

Of course, ‘just’ doesn’t do his success justice. The department would have likely been thrilled to have Payton as its guest even if the Saints were coming off a 4-12 season. But after leading his team to a Super Bowl Championship, and with all the exposure that came with it, that was, as Burke called it, “the icing on the cake.”

Another hypothetical to ponder: If Brad Childress – another former Panther – gets the best of Payton in the NFC Championship game and winds up lifting the Lombardi Trophy, how much would Burke have been kicking herself for choosing the ‘wrong’ star alumnus to promote the gala?

But everything worked out perfectly and the department wound up smelling like roses while thanking its lucky stars. Payton’s success was clearly beneficial as the number of people who shelled out $150 jumped from 75 to 310 in one year.

Last year’s guest was Larry Smith, an anchor with CNN who is an Eastern alumnus. While giving Smith props for his success since graduating, he doesn’t exactly bring the same star power as Payton. Among the guests were Tennessee Titans’ offensive coordinator Mike Heimerdinger and New Orleans Saints special teams coordinator Greg McMahon, both Eastern alums.

McMahon, who was a graduate assistant during Payton’s time at Eastern, is the man Payton credits with drawing up the now infamous onside kick the Saints pulled off in the Super Bowl.

Neither coach probably would have attended without the presence of Payton.

But then again, maybe Payton attends either way. He did say it was convenient because the gala was just down the road from the NFL Draft Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, which began this week. And being from Naperville, it may be nice for him to get back near his hometown.

But regardless of whether or not he would have attended, it’s safe to say Burke & Co. are in no hurry to discover the answer.

Their gala was a success. They put butts in the seats, cashed their checks and promoted the hell out of Eastern.

And for them, that’s all that matters.

Collin Whitchurch can be reached

at 581-7944 or [email protected]