1998_05 Insight May 1998

              12
May 13. 1998
InSports
IWlght FINAL EDITION
Football coach helps athletic Year in Review
departments economic woes
by Luis Hernandez
Staff Writer
Coach Pat Hill has meant more
to the Fresno State athletic department than just wins and losses on the
football field. He has been its fiscal
savior.
Records show the athletic corporation, which fiscally manages the
athletic department, had an "operating deficit" for the last three years,
amounting to almost SI million.
"We spent more than what we
earned." said Les Snyder, the
corporation's general manager.
But thanks to Hill and the job he
has done since he took over as coach,
the corporation looks as if it's going
to make $200,000 this year, said Kd
Bulinski. university budget officer.
Hill has been able to install new
enthusiasm in the football program,
bringing in more people into the stadium and increasing the revenue for
the athletic departments budget.
"That's one of the main reasons
[for the budget's improvement}, football was better. Last year [in lQ06|.
there wasn't as much excitement."
Bulinski said."... with Pat Hill's success the impact wasn't as bad as it
could have been for a first- year
coach."
Because the football program is
about a quarter of the whole athletic
department's budget, an improvement in football means an improvement in the whole budgei. Bulinski
said.
Athletic Director Al Bohl. who
hired Hill, did not hesitate to praise
Hill's efforts.
"Pat Hill has done an outstanding job since he has been here." he
said.
The number of football gate receipts, the corporation's main source
of income, had decreased in Ihe last
three years, as the 20-year tenure of
former Coach Jim Sweeney was coming to an end. Records show that football gate receipts went from S2.7 million in 94-95 to $2.5 in 95-96.
Fulhermore. the corporation projects
$2.3 for the 96-97 year. That drop in
sales deeply hurt the corporation's
pockets.
"That's one of the reasons we
have a new coach." Snyder said.
In the 97-98 year. Hill's first
year, the gate receipts is projected to
be at $2.4 million.
"For his first year, it was pretty
good." Bulinski said.
Besides the gate receipts, the
number of football season ticket
holders and a change in the coaching
staff contributed to the corporation's
economic shortcomings.
To make matters worse, the athletic corporation decided to help the
university comply with the Title IX
requirements, the gender equity rule
that asks athletic departments to
spend money on women's sports until the number of student athletes is
proportional to the school's enrollment.
In order do to so. the corporation borrowed money to build the
"Bulldog Diamond" softhall stadium
and the North Gym annex women's
locker/shower meeting room complex. In addilion. improvements in
lighting and seating al the North Gym
for volleyball and women's basketball were completed.
In addilion. Fresno State added
two more women's sports, soccer and
equestrian, giving more opportunities
for female athletes.
Afl these improvements for
women's sports cost a total of $ 4
million.
The corporation is paying the
money back almost as fast as the
building went up.
"They want to pay it soon,"
Bulinski said. "They're supposed to .
pay it off in the next two years." He
added that the corporation has $ 1.7
million left to pay.
Snyder said it was about time
Fresno Slate spend money in
women's athletics. He added (hat
Title IX was passed in 1972. but the
university had not start complying
with it until 1989.
"It was the right thing to do."
Snyder said. "We even went further
than we had to."
The reserves of thti corporation
were down to aboul $50,000.
Bulinski said.
"We are not sure what they
would have done iI they had a deficit
this year." Bulinski said.
After those projects were completed, the corporation donated them
to the university so Fresno Slate
could show to the NCAA, the governing body of college athletics, immediate improvement in compliance
with Title IX.
If the university would have decided to head this projects, it would
have taken a longer time. Bulinski
said.
"But with the flexibility or the
corporation, it got done sooner." he
added. "|The corporation! was the
right vehicle to get it done."
The corporation was never in
danger of going under, however, it
had built big reserves and. in case it
got into deeper financial problems.
Ihe university would have picked up
ihe lab. Bulinski added.
But thanks to Hill's efforts and
the corporation staffs creativeness to
increase revenue, the budget looks
better this year.
"They have almost turned the
comer." Bulinski said.
In addilion to Hill's efforts, the
corporation's staff has been working
hard lo create enough revenue to
make up for the loss. In the last year,
the Christian convention "Promise
Keepers" was held at Bulldog Stadium. The corporation was able to
hammer out a deal with the Diamond
Group so Pete Beiden Field can serve
as the Grizzlies baseball team's temporary home. In the near future.
"Choosen Women." another Christian
convention, is coming to Bulldog Stadium. Snyder said.
"We're doing a good job of renting Ihe facilities when we're not using them." Bulinski said.
In addition, the Bulldog shop,
which opened in time for football
season on August 31. is setting Bulldog merchandise right and left, contributing to the corporation's budget.
"1 am extremely proud of the
way the [athletic corporation's) staff
"has stepped up lo the plate," Bohl
said.
"They have been very creative to
make sure they don't have a deficit."
Bulinski added.
But Bohl expects even more out
Hill.
"We i
where il
ant football to came back
irly 90s," Bohl
ring
i the tin
when
i hoarded thousands
of adoring fans from all over the Valley to Bulldog Stadium.
That makes any athletic director smile." Bohl said.
Bulinski shares Bohl's hopeful
"It looks like it is going to turn
around because of the big impact Pat
Hill has had." he said.     -
Photo by Sports Information
Fresno State football coach Pat Hill has helped the athletic department in
a big way. Hill helped the department bring in a revenue of about $200,000.
Bulldog fans in the 1997-1998
season experienced some startling
highs and lows, but overall this was
a very exciting year. Along with
John Sanders, I have created some
awards to recognize some of the
coaches, players and teams for their
outstanding efforts.
Male Athlete of the Year:
Michael Pittman (football); only the
third running back in school history
to record consecutive 1,000-yard
rushing seasons.
Female Athlete of the Year:
Melissa Price (track); first women
in NCAA history to clear 14-0 in the
pole vault.
Men's Coach of the Year:
Dennis DeLiddo (wrestling); with a
young and inexperienced team,
DeLiddo still captured another WAC
Championship.
Women's Coach of the Year:
Margie Wright (softball); her
Bulldogs set all-time records in
wins, best win/loss record, and consecutive WAC win streak.
Men's Team of the Year:
Track and field; the Bulldogs are
currently ranked No. 6 in the nation
according to the latest USTCA
power rankings.
Women's Team or the Year:
Softball; The Bulldogs are the only
program to have qualified for each
of the 17 NCAA Division I
Women's Softball Championships.
Comeback Player of the Year:
Chris Herren (basketball); after
spending three weeks in an Utah
rehabilitation facility rejoined the
Bulldogs to earn first team All-WAC
Pacific Division, selected by the
coaches and media.
—TCiUA $. State
The 1997-1998 season for all
j Fresno State sports brought many ups
j and downs, thrills and spills. Overall
it was a very productive year for Bull-
! dog athletics. So 1 felt that teams.
| coaches and individual athletes
i needed to be recognized for their
| achievements. Here are the first ever
\ 1997-1998 John Sanders Awards:
Male Athlete of the,Year:
Stephen Abas (wrestling); finished
fourth place in the NCAA Tournament, and he's only a freshman.
Female Athlete of the Year:
Laura Berg (softball): a three-time
Ail-American, a gold medalist in the
1996 Olympics, and second in the
NCAA in career hits. Need 1 say
more?
Men's Coach of the Year: Gene
"Red" Estes (track and field); his
Bulldogs are undefeated this season.
Women's Coach of the Year:
| Margie Wright (softball); her Bull-
i dogs have been ranked in the nation's
top five the entire season.
i Men's Team of the Year: Track
■ and field: the Bulldogs are loaded in
talent which could do damage at the
I NCAA's next month in Buffalo. N.Y.
Women's Team of the Year:
' Softball; a possible match-up with
'• Arizona in the finals'of the College
j World Series seems likely.
Most Improved Male Athlete
of the Year: Joe Gerber (baseball);
started only nine games last season
! while batting .167. This season has
started 43 games and is batting .315.
Most Improved Female Ath-
i lete of the Year: Shanus Bennett
(volleyball); finished this season with
472 kills, nearly quadrupling her output from last season.
—<hA« "S. Scutdcn*
QaotuW<*
ii
Some
succeed
because they
are destined
to, but most
succeed
because they
are
determined
to.
- Jerry Turkoman, Fresno
State Basketball coach
QUO,^Yar
ii
Why limit
yourself to the
small chance of
becoming a
professional
athlete for 1-5
years when you
can finish your
education and
become a
professional
person for 30-40
.    years.
99
— Bob Fraley, Fresno
State track coach
F>The   M
ound W
• Birftdog baseball pitcher
Jeff Weaver has struck out 137
batters in only 114.2 innings of
work.
• Fresno State centerfielder
Laura Berg broke the Bulldogs all-time hits mark
with 371.
• Fresno State golfer Josh Watney was named
the team's MVP, while leading the team in rounds
under par as well as top 20 finishes.
• EJ. Jackson and Derrick Mitchell have provisionally qualified for the NCAA Championships in
the 100 meters and long jump respectively.
• Dora Djilinova earned an automatic bid into
the NCAA Championships for women's tennis.
• The men's track and field team is ranked sixth
in the nation by the USTCA Power Rankings.
• Upcoming events: Baseball-WAC
Tournament @ San Diego (5/13-16),
NCAA Regionals & TBA (5/21-26).
College World Series @ Omaha,
Neb. (5/29-6/6): softball-NCAA
Regionals @ TBA (5/15-17). College World
Scries @ TBA (5/21-25); women's tennis-NCAA
Regionals @ Las Vegas (5/15-17). NCAA
Championships @ South Bend. Ind. (5/21-29);
men's tennis-NCAA Regionals @ Las Vegas (5/
15-17). NCAA Championships 9 Athens. Ga. (5/
23-31); men s and women s track and fteld-WAC
Championships @ Houston (5/21-23). NCAA
Championships @ Buffalo. N.Y. (6/3-6); golf-
NCAA Western Regionals & TBA (5/14-16),
NCAA Championships @ Albuquerque, N.M. (5/
27-30).
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