What do Hori BOP's bum, a vuvuzela trumpet and a Bayfair shoplifter have in common?

Not entirely what you'd expect - but they've all been part of the rich tapestry of Jeremy Curragh's tenure as chief executive of Bay of Plenty Rugby.

Curragh announced his departure this week, heading back into the commercial world in March to begin as boss of online retailer Natureshop.

Summing up nearly three years at a provincial union is tough but you can usually measure a chief executive's performance by the attendance at annual meetings.

Grumpy clubs calling for heads will usually pack the place out but in Curragh's time in charge there's barely been enough clubs there to establish a quorum.

Admittedly, the Greg Smith coaching crisis erupted shortly after the 2009 annual meeting but that example provided a crisp summary of Curragh's rugby reign; quick summation, decisive action and strategic nous.

Look at the vuvuzela debacle last year, when the BOPRU marketing department ordered 1000 of the noisy trumpets before they realised how vastly annoying they really were.

Curragh and his team managed to turn a potential nightmare into a PR success story, attracting national media interest as they sought innovative ways to dispose of the plastic cacophony.

His relationship with union chairman Bruce Cameron and the BOPRU board has been the key to turning a $900,000 loss into a relatively stable position.

A few other incidents stand out - like the perfect spot-tackle he put on a teenaged shoplifter in Bayfair last year, which led to calls for him to join the Steamers midfield.

Curragh also survived standing half-naked in Cathedral Square at 4am after the Christchurch earthquake last year and one of his first jobs as chief executive was trying to get the Steamers to Blenheim in 2009.

That involved flights, buses, floods, slips and 36hrs of the worst road trip imaginable, but eventually they got through ... and even got an unlikely win.

Part-time Steamers mascot Hori BOP - AKA Terry Leaming - recalls his first meeting with Curragh was particularly memorable when he shattered the plush new chair in the chief executive's office.

"He assured me it was safe to sit on but he did it with a worried look on his face and it only lasted about 10secs before it disintegrated," the svelte 165kg wig-wearing mascot recalls. "I challenge anyone in town to find an office chair big enough to handle Hori - but I was impressed with how Jeremy responded and I got to sit in his chair at all future meetings!"

And that may sum up Curragh's career as a sporting administrator, in a role where the ability to bounce back is just as important as steering an organisation out of trouble.

'Cos trouble has an unerring knack of steering itself through the doors of the BOPRU on an all-too-frequent basis.