eGriz
eGriz.com RULER!
Joined: 27 Mar 2002
Posts: 3588
Location: Missoula, Montana
1541 eGriz Bucks
|
The stories are in order as they appear in this content area:
McFarland aims to end Griz draft drought (Missoulian).
Bernardi Named to NAU Coaching Staff (NAU Sports Information).
---
Former AD, fiscal manager speak before UM Athletics Inquiry Panel (Missoulian).
UM president Dennison marks milestone (Missoulian).
***
McFarland aims to end Griz draft drought
By JON KASPER of the Missoulian
Four NFL drafts have come and gone without a Montana Grizzly hearing his named called.
Since the Green Bay Packers selected offensive lineman Scott Curry in the sixth round in 1999, 1,073 players have been drafted - none of them Griz.
Dylan McFarland hopes the streak ends this weekend. The 6-foot-6, 305-pound left tackle from Kalispell is the Grizzlies' best hope to stop the draft drought.
"I'd say I'm more anxious than anything else,'' McFarland said. "I've been waiting around a long time. I'm kind of excited to take the next step."
The draft begins Saturday at 10 a.m. Rounds one through three will be held Saturday. Rounds four through seven will be Sunday.
"I think I'll probably get drafted, probably on the second day,'' McFarland said. "It could be the fifth, sixth or seventh round, or possibly a free agent. I don't think it's a big deal. I'm just looking forward to the opportunity.''
McFarland's family and some friends will be over at his house this weekend to watch the draft.
"It will be a nice little get together,'' McFarland said. "Well get together, hang out and watch the draft. It's not the most exciting thing to watch, unless you're in it. I'm excited for sure.''
McFarland said he's fielded calls from several scouts and offensive line coaches this week. Cleveland, Kansas City, Seattle and Dallas are among the teams who've shown interest.
"On some teams' boards I'm pretty high and I'm not on other teams' draft boards,'' McFarland said. "From what I've heard from a lot of people is sometimes the teams who are talking to you don't end up drafting you. It's the teams that don't show any interest in you that end up getting you. It's tough to tell. It's a tough thing to predict right now.''
McFarland attended the NFL Combine in February, and impressed scouts by benching 225-pounds 31 times. He also scored a 35 on the Wonderlic test.
Because of a hamstring injury, McFarland was unable to run the 40-yard dash at the Combine and at a pro day in Missoula in early March. McFarland was scheduled to run the 40 for some scouts earlier this month, but the hamstring wasn't ready.
"I think it will hurt me a little bit,'' McFarland said. "I think that's one of the stronger parts of my game is I'm quick on my feet and have the ability to run. I wasn't able to show that this offseason. I think it's something that could have helped me out. It doesn't help me at all, and it hurts a little bit, but it doesn't kill me.''
Grizzly kicker Chris Snyder, of Mead, Wash., is also excited for the draft, although he realizes the chances of hearing his named called are slim.
Snyder, who was a first team Associated Press All-American as a senior, is just hoping to sign a free-agent deal Sunday.
"It's been hard focusing on school,'' Snyder said. "I was studying for a test and the special teams coach from New Orleans called. I spent a half hour talking to him about what might happen."
Snyder, who connected on 25 of 30 field goals and scored 124 points as a senior, worked out for NFL scouts twice in Missoula. At the latest one in April, he missed one field goal inside of 40 yards.
"I was disappointed about that,'' he said. "The scout from New England said the kickoff workout I did was the best he's seen so far. I was happy about that. It was different because I did field goals and kickoffs for them.
Overall, I think it went pretty well.''
Snyder said he planned to talk with his agent Ken Staninger, who is also representing McFarland, Friday and then on Sunday afternoon to determine what team might be the best fit for him.
Grizzly offensive guard Jon Skinner and safety Dave DeCoite could also sign free-agent deals Sunday. Both worked out for NFL teams in Missoula.
"Jon didn't have very good workouts, but he's student teaching and hasn't worked out as much,'' said Staninger, who is also Skinner's agent. "That doesn't take away from the fact that he's 6-7, 315. He's played three years and played three positions. I've gotten some calls on Jon.''
The draft has the potential to be the best in many years for the Big Sky Conference, which has produced just seven picks in the last four drafts.
Montana State cornerback Joey Thomas is projected as a second or third-round pick. A Big Sky player hasn't been taken in the second round since Pittsburgh tabbed Weber State safety Scott Shields with the 59th pick in 1999.
Thomas recently traveled to Green Bay, Dallas and Pittsburgh to meet with those teams. Thomas has appeared in ESPN Radio and wrote a dairy for Sports Illustrated's Web site.
"It's been tiring, but a lot of fun,'' Thomas said. "I'm trying to just take it all in. This is something you only get to go through once, and I want to enjoy the experience. But yeah, it can make you a little anxious, wondering what's going to happen when it's all said and done.''
Northern Arizona wide receiver Clarence Moore, Idaho State defensive end Jared Allen, Sacramento State offensive tackle Marko Cavka, Eastern Washington offensive lineman Kurt Sigler, along with McFarland all have the potential to be drafted.
Since the draft went to seven rounds in 1994, the Big Sky has not had more than four players drafted in a single year.
Former Columbus standout Dwan Edwards, who starred at defensive tackle for Oregon State, also figures to be a first-day pick.
***
Bernardi Named to NAU Coaching Staff
NAU Sports Information, Apr 22, 2004
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. - Former Pac-10 assistant Gary Bernardi has joined the Northern Arizona University football staff as the offensive line coach and recruiting coordinator, head coach Jerome Souers announced thursday.
Bernardi, who first became a Pac-10 assistant in 1980 and has worked previously at three different Pac-10 schools including Arizona, UCLA and USC, will join the team immediately for the remainder of spring drills.
During his 10 years at UCLA, he coordinated UCLA's nationwide recruiting efforts. In the spring of 2002, UCLA put together a recruiting class which made many Top Five lists after ranking in the Top Five in 1999 and No. 1 in 1998. During his career, he has coached in 14 bowl games, including four Rose Bowls. He most recently coached the Bruin tight ends and helped tutor the offensive line and punt and punt return teams.
Bernardi began his collegiate coaching career at Arizona in 1980, under Larry Smith, as a part-time coach working with tight ends and serving as an administrative assistant. He became a full-time coach the following season and continued at the Tucson school through 1986, serving as tight ends coach and administrative assistant (1981-84), receivers coach (1986). He also worked as Arizona's recruiting coordinator.
In 1987, he followed coach Smith to USC where he handled the tight ends, offensive tackles and was special teams coordinator. In his final year at USC in 1992, offensive tackle Tony Boselli, a 1995 first round NFL draft pick, earned first-team All-America acclaim after being selected as a Freshman All-American.
Bernardi has coached seven NFL-bound tight ends-Mike Seidman, Bryan Fletcher, Mike Grieb, Ryan Neufeld, Paul Green, Scott Galbraith and Bran Banta-and also worked with future pro offensive lineman such as Jonathan Ogden, Kris Farris, Dave Cadigan and Pat Harlow.
*** ***
Former athletic director, fiscal manager speak before UM Athletics Inquiry Panel
By BETSY COHEN of the Missoulian
Lack of funding, entrenched accounting practices, human error and a high-stakes work environment are behind the nearly $1 million deficit in the University of Montana's athletic department, said two former administrators at the center of the budget woes.
The opinions were voiced by Wayne Hogan, UM's former athletic director, and Rob Edwards, the department's former fiscal manager, who fielded questions from the UM Athletics Inquiry Panel on Friday.
As early as 1996, Hogan knew his department was facing a structural, chronic deficit and urged the university's top administrators to address the issue, he told the 11-person panel charged with investigating the shortfall.
Edwards said he was overwhelmed by his job, which included balancing a chronically underfunded athletic budget, overseeing the accounting for the Grizzly Scholarship Association, and arranging team travel plans.
By order of Sheila Stearns, Montana's commissioner of higher education, the panel is instructed to get to the bottom of the deficit, which came as a surprise when news of it surfaced in February. UM officials had said the department budget was balanced and they were expecting a $200,000 surplus in their fall report to Stearns and the state Board of Regents.
"This is not something that jumped up and bit us two months ago," Hogan said.
As proof, Hogan provided panel chairwoman Diane Barz and the Missoulian a stack of letters he wrote and exchanged with UM President George Dennison during a four-year period in the late 1990s.
"This letter is to express to you some very serious concern I have for the overall health and well-being of our intercollegiate athletic programs in the coming years," Hogan wrote in an Aug. 1, 1997, letter asking, among many things, for Dennison to earmark 50 percent of royalties garnered from Grizzly logo gear for the department budget.
In his documents, Hogan plainly outlined a grim fiscal future for the department if it did not gain increased institutional support.
Without an annual, reliable infusion of funding, Hogan said in a January 2000 letter, there would be "a radical shredding of the (Grizzly) program."
"We simply cannot operate a Division I athletic program with the goals and aspirations you have presented to me without more consistent and unwavering financial support from your administration," Hogan wrote to Dennison.
"We have absolutely no chance to pay for our facilities and other improvements on the one hand, be competitive in the revenue producing sports on the other, and then be expected to meet our responsibility with regard to gender equity," he said. "It is flat out impossible to meet the demands of all three of these areas given our current funding level.
"Perhaps you could advise me as to which leg to lop off first."
Hogan, who appeared relaxed and calm, offered no excuses to the panel.
The deficit, he said, happened under his watch and he'll shoulder the blame.
Although the department has been chronically underfunded, Hogan believed that because of his fund-raising efforts and the help Edwards was getting from UM's top fiscal officers, the 2003 budget was balanced, and that because of their work, the 2004 budget looked strong.
His impression was further confirmed when none of UM's top finance and planning officials challenged the budget projections after Edwards gave them a formal presentation in September 2003, showing the department to be fiscally healthy.
Hogan said the nearly $1 million deficit came to light only after Edwards resigned last September under increased pressure from top UM administrators.
For Hogan, the current shortfall is two distinct issues and falls into two
categories: a long-standing structural deficit, and accounting mistakes.
Roughly $650,000 of the current deficit is due to a shortfall the department has been faced with for years, he said. Each year, the details of the problem change; one year it might be costs associated with national championships, another year with facility renovations, and always there is the rising cost of inflation associated with tuition, team travel, change in coaches, staff and supplies.
But each year, the inherent funding issue is always a shortfall somewhere between $400,000 and $650,000, and that's why in 2000, and again in January 2004, Hogan said he began lobbying for an increased student athletic fee. He hoped the fee, which hasn't been raised since 1994, would help significantly to battle the problem.
The remainder of the deficit, some $381,000 in accounting errors, "were just that, errors," Hogan said, "of a one-time nature, not pleasant, nevertheless explainable and repairable."
Of those mistakes, $264,050 is due to advances on Grizzly Scholarship Association money - "funds collected for a particular fiscal year, but used to cover a scholarship shortfall the previous year," Hogan said.
The practice of prematurely tapping the funds began under the department's former fiscal manager, Sylvia Weisenburger, whom Dennison appointed when former fiscal manager Chuck Maes took a new job in the department in 2000.
"Why auditors didn't surface this as a concern in previous years is a mystery to me," Hogan said.
Hogan said he was disappointed and frustrated by how news of the deficit was handled. Hogan said he felt excluded by Dennison, who refused to bring him along Feb. 27 when Dennison explained the issue to Regent John Mercer and handed him a rough memo outlining the deficit.
Hogan resigned five days after Dennison met with Mercer because he didn't feel supported.
Hogan told the panel he was relieved that UM's athletic funding challenges are now out in the open.
"I believe we are at a great crossroads today," he said. "I have dealt with this in my own private way for eight years."
Despite the funding challenges, amazing accomplishments were achieved in athletics - national championship titles, two expansions of the football stadium, improved soccer and track facilities, the opening of the Grizzly Hall of Champions - because of staff commitment to Grizzly athletics, Hogan said.
"I believe this panel has an opportunity of monumental and historical proportions," Hogan said. "I urge you to save this great phenomenon in our state and resist the temptation to publicly dismantle it piece by piece."
In response to questions from the panel, Hogan explained that Edwards was hired at the recommendation of Weisenburger, who worked with him in other UM departments.
When it was Edwards' time to talk, he thanked the panel for the opportunity to share his perspective. He told panel members that, contrary to testimony at previous meetings, he did not have a lot of power or control over the money spent or generated by the department.
Edwards said he had no control over who got procurement cards and only under rare circumstances could he request money from the UM Foundation. He didn't have the power to stop expenditures or approve other peoples' expenditures - "nor did I feel that was in my realm," he said.
One of the most frustrating aspects of his job was knowing that most of the budget relied on private funding secured by Hogan, "and that was always difficult to track ... it was outside my control," Edwards said. The other burden was always knowing that UM's top fiscal officers demanded the budget be balanced, despite the lack of revenue and increased operating expenses.
All of his concerns came to a head in the spring of 2003 when it came time to close out the budget and prepare the 2004 budget, Edwards said.
"It was a very, very tense time," he said.
Receipts were still coming in, last-minute fund raising was under way, and other issues added to his stress - so too the feeling that his job was on the line if he failed to have a balanced budget.
When asked what the consequences would be for failure to present a balanced budget, Edwards said: "I didn't think I would be employed anymore."
That pressure, he said, came from Bob Duringer, UM's vice president for finance and administration. But there was not any time he felt pressured to make false accounting entries to balance the books, he said.
He takes offense to any suggestion that there was any intentional wrongdoing.
"Accounting errors," he said, were "mistakes."
"I thought we had a plan in place," he said. "One with no hiccups ... one we could finish on budget."
If you're interested
The UM Athletics Inquiry Panel will reconvene at 10 a.m. Friday, April 30,
at the University of Montana.
The panel will be discussing the athletic department's nearly $1 million
deficit with UM President George Dennison; Bob Duringer, UM vice president
for finance and administration; and Sylvia Weisenburger, former UM athletic
department accountant.
The meeting is open to the public and will take place in the Presidents Room
in Brantly Hall.
***
UM president Dennison marks milestone
By BETSY COHEN of the Missoulian
One by one, University of Montana President George Dennison has ticked off
items on the to-do list he compiled when he became UM's top administrator
and 16th president on Aug. 15, 1990.
Since then, he's helped to nearly double enrollment, pushed for increased
campus diversity, lead the largest capital campaign in the school's history,
improved campus facilities, ushered in a construction boom for new campus
buildings and encouraged academic departments to offer more master's and
doctoral programs.
Under his watch, research funding brought in by UM faculty has increased
nearly tenfold, from about $7 million in 1990 to more than $60 million
today.
Come Sunday, Dennison will check off another item, perhaps the most
difficult one he set for himself 13 years, 8 months and 9 days ago.
On April 25, Dennison will be the longest serving president in UM's history,
beating out his closest contender, former UM President Charles Clapp
(1921-1935), by one day.
Dennison admits he's kept an unwavering eye on that title for some time now.
"It feels pretty good to be in this place this long," he said.
Of his accomplishment, former UM President Robert Pantzer said: "It's a huge
milestone."
"The president's job is hard in many ways, and I think he's done very well,"
said Pantzer, who was president from 1966 to 1974. "Everything isn't always
peaches and cream, and it's a difficult task, no doubt.
"I congratulate and compliment him on the achievement."
Early in his career at Western Michigan University, University of Arkansas,
University of Washington and Colorado State University, Dennison said he
studied how successful administrators operated.
"One mentor said to me, 'These presidents who move around a lot are really
taking advantage of a situation. They come in, create problems, take a job
somewhere else and let someone else take care of the problem they created
and left behind.' "
"I didn't want to do that," Dennison said. "By my estimation, three to five
years is just enough time to understand what a place is all about. It takes
at least five years to understand what is needed, and I believe you better
be around 10 to 15 years if you are going to accomplish something over the
long term."
Dennison said it's been an honor to be president of his alma mater - at the
university where he received his bachelor's degree and his master's degree
in history.
While his tenure has been rewarding, productive and noteworthy, it hasn't
been without its challenges or critics.
Mention the topic of UM's "spirit colors" and the 1995 decision to change
the university's colors from copper and gold to maroon and gray and Dennison
shakes his head.
Of all the issues, including student housing shortages, funding battles with
state legislators, public outcry over the transfer and sale of UM land at
Fort Missoula, and a lawsuit demanding that health care benefits be extended
to same-sex partners of faculty, changing UM's colors, Dennison said, was
among the most delicate.
"I knew going into it that this is the kind of issue presidents can get
thrown out over and lead to an early exit," he said.
He prevailed, though, because he was adamant that there be a lot of
community discourse about the topic. It helped too, that the change was
really a return to tradition and a return to UM's original colors.
Dennison said he's learned, sometimes the hard way, that it's vitally
important to solicit opinion and feedback on the big topics and not back
down when dialogue becomes heated.
It's a lesson he's learned during the state's legislative session when
funding for Montana's universities is on the line.
"I've tried to remain on good speaking terms with legislators, and I've
think I've managed to do that," Dennison said. "That's not to say everybody
likes me - they don't have to. But I think they understand that I am
articulating the needs and the best interests of the university, and that's
the perspective I'm coming from."
Dennison said he knows there is a public perception that people in higher
education are arrogant.
"Many people say that about me," Dennison said. " I don't share that view."
"I try to discuss things, and I'll argue if I have to," he said. "I don't
spend a lot of time trying to gloss that, and I'll talk straight, which may
come off as abrupt."
When asked to describe his bold, direct leadership style, Dennison said, he
doesn't see himself as a bully, as he's heard some people call him. Rather,
he defines himself as "tenacious."
"My differences over the years with President Dennison have been over my
ability to relate to him by virtue of his presentation - he's from the
academic world and I'm not, and I have often told him he needs to speak
plain English," said John Mercer, former Montana legislator and current
chairman of the state Board of Regents.
"His leadership style is a double-edge sword - he's very decisive, and I'm
not sure that's fully appreciated," Mercer said. "The culture of academics
and the culture of government tends to be different anyhow, and you don't
see strong leaders like George Dennison too much in government, you tend to
see them more in private business."
"A perfect George would be a little more considerate of others and
viewpoints," Mercer said. "But I don't think anyone should underestimate
what a powerful, successful and influential leader he has been in the
university system.
"His proof is on the ground."
Montana's commissioner of higher education said Dennison has served UM and
the state with dedication and distinction.
"Clearly and impressively, he has never lost the vision and passion he
brought to his first day on the job," said Sheila Stearns, who worked with
Dennison at UM and while she was chancellor of UM-Western, before her
appointment as commissioner.
As he did during his early years as president, each day Dennison rises at 4
a.m. and runs about five miles before heading to his elegantly appointed
office in Main Hall at 6:30 a.m. His well-established routine of meetings,
phone calls and e-mails begins around 7 a.m. and continues through lunch.
There are no meals or snack breaks, just a glass of orange juice and coffee
to get Dennison through the day, until he arrives home around 6 p.m.
He operates on one meal, five hours of sleep and works most of his weekends.
"I don't need much," Dennison said.
The rigorous schedule will remain a while longer, he said, perhaps a few
more years. But there's no denying that retirement is close.
There are grandchildren and golf greens that demand his attention, he said,
and at age 68, he's got that feeling "it's time to do other things."
"It's been fun," Dennison.
"Some days are better than others, but it's all been worthwhile," he said.
"I've enjoyed it - I still do."
Source: Tom Griz Fan
April 24, 2004
|
|
|
|
