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The stories are in order as they appear in this content area:
Officials: UM sports face long haul (Missoulian).
Dennison says athletic department is responsible for raising extra funds (Missoulian).
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Third & Long: NFL Draft wrap-up - I-AA Edition (Tony Moss, TSN).
Amey Shines in Red-Zone Scrimmage (CSUS Sports Information).
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Kennedy set to interview for opening at Maryland school (Missoulian).
UM should cut ties with Kennedy era (Missoulian).
***
Officials: UM sports face long haul
By BETSY COHEN of the Missoulian
University of Montana officials revealed their plan to rescue UM athletics from the nearly $1 million deficit they expect by the end of the 2004 fiscal year.
While explaining the elaborate strategy to the UM Athletics Inquiry Panel on Friday, Bob Duringer, vice president for finance and administration, said the problem isn't going away anytime soon.
And neither is the debt load.
By 2005, Duringer said, the structural deficit - the chronic underfunding for department operations - is expected to exceed $1 million.
That figure is based on calculations UM administrators made after reviewing the athletic budget and rebuilding it from scratch, Duringer said.
Panel members were surprised to hear that the structural deficit had ballooned by another half-million dollars. UM officials had said the 2004 shortfall was due to a chronic deficit of $578,000 and $381,000 in accounting errors.
Duringer explained that the new budget, created from a "zero-base review,"
accounts for increases in student fee waivers and scholarship costs, insurance and security costs, employee health insurance costs, and $135,000 in annual debt connected to the north end zone expansion in the football stadium, which is expected to be paid off in 2009.
The new budget doesn't include fund-raising projections or revenue associated with hosting championship playoff games, which have been built into past budgets and are one of the reasons for the current crisis.
If the Montana Board of Regents approves the budget, the athletic department will be required to pay back the 2004 debt over a five-year period - two years longer than UM President George Dennison told the regents at their last meeting.
Later Friday, in remarks before the panel, Dennison said he approves of the plan but would have liked a shorter time period for resolving the deficit.
Among the options for reducing and solving UM's deficit:
Increasing football season tickets from $148 to $180, starting in fall 2004
Incrementally increasing the student athletic fee by $4 per semester over a four-year period, which by 2008 will cost full-time students $92 a year.
Charging students taking less than seven credits a $15 athletic fee per semester. Currently, those students do not pay a fee.
Charging students $5 per ticket for football games. Students now are admitted free.
Bolstering base funding for the athletic department with increased funding from Main Hall.
Creating a revenue-sharing arrangement that calls for athletics to garner $30,000 from the Adams Center concessions, $25,000 from UM's Coca-Cola contract, and $15,000 from collegiate licensing revenue annually.
n Requiring expense reductions in the athletic department.
"We think we can squeeze $360,000 out of our budget by working smarter,"
Duringer said.
To do so, the football team must pledge to reduce its out-of-state travel by $144,000, and slim game-day advances by $93,000 and recruiting expenses by $12,000. Men's basketball must trim $35,000 from out-of-state travel expenses and $2,000 in supplies. Womens soccer must cut $31,000 and the "spirit squad" $9,000 from their out-of-state travel budgets.
A savings of $11,000 is expected by scrimping on general department supplies, and $23,000 is already being saved by combining the positions of academic enhancement and compliance officers.
If all goes according to schedule, UM athletics will retire its debt in 2009 and be fiscally healthy, Duringer said. With the north end zone expansion paid off by then and the increase in ticket prices, the department will be able to fold roughly $700,000 into its operations.
Strengths of this plan?
"No one group will feel this (the increases) unfairly or inequitably,"
Duringer said.
And the weaknesses?
Since 27 percent of revenue comes from ticket sales, that money is contingent on good game attendance, Duringer said. To offset a slip in ticket sales, Duringer said his office will create a $100,000 contingency fund.
The plan also assumes that enrollment projections hold steady, the state Legislature doesn't decrease its funding to the university, and the athletic department staff buys into the plan.
"I think it's a plan that can work," Duringer said.
And he's counting on the department's recently hired accountant, Ed Wingard, to help make sure it succeeds.
Wingard, who is currently at Portland State University, will begin at UM on May 26. He comes prepared, Duringer said, for he helped that school's athletic department resolve a $1 million debt.
When asked what oversight is in place to ensure the plan is on target and that athletic staff in particular operates within the reduced budgets, Duringer told the panel a lot of lessons have been learned since the deficit was made public and the investigation began.
"This whole process has been hurtful and hard on all of us," he said. "I think everyone will walk the walk and talk the talk. I have faith that will happen."
Asked one panel member: Aren't students being hit with a double whammy - a higher athletic fee plus a $5 purchase price for football tickets?
"I don't think next fall this will be remembered or $5 would be considered a nuisance fee for the biggest spectacle around," replied Duringer.
Another panel member asked: Didn't UM's top fiscal officers suspect something was awry when the athletic department came up short at the end of the 2003 fiscal year and a $325,000 general fund infusion was needed to balance the budget?
Duringer said $325,000 "was not an outrageous sum given the fragility of their plan - based on fund raising."
Except for that blip, everyone thought the athletic department was on track to fiscal health and the budget looked vital going into the 2004 fiscal year, he said.
"We thought we had it nailed."
***
Dennison says athletic department is responsible for raising extra funds
By BETSY COHEN of the Missoulian
Athletics is no different from the University of Montana's academic
programs: If there's not enough money for operations, each must do with what they have or find ways to bring in more.
So said UM president George Dennison in his testimony before the UM Athletics Inquiry Panel on Friday.
"An athletic director is expected to raise money, not to tell me that there isn't enough," Dennison told the 11-person panel in charge of investigating the athletic department's nearly $1 million deficit.
Last week, UM's former Athletic Director Wayne Hogan told the panel he had turned to Dennison to bolster the department's funding.
"I don't mean to be say that I was overly critical of him," Dennison said.
"It was my understanding he could raise money for operations and he turned out to be unsuccessful."
Dennison verified comments Hogan made in his testimony, saying he and the former athletic director did exchange letters about the department's funding problems, and those exchanges began as early as 1996.
In those communications, Dennison told Hogan he would not give athletics more institutional support.
"I have a guideline," he said, "we should spend roughly 3.5 percent of institutional budgeting on athletics," based on the national average.
Dennison said he's held fast to that formula since 1990 and will continue to do so.
In response to Hogan's pleas for more funds, Dennison told him, "I felt it was not appropriate to pull money out of the general fund when academics was struggling."
Dennison said he urged Hogan to turn to private donors, but as they found out, donors would rather contribute to bricks and mortar and not department operational expenses.
While Hogan was quite successful in raising funds - he brought in $8 million as athletic director - that money was earmarked for things like the football stadium expansion, the Grizzly Hall of Champions and the Adams Center renovation.
Dennison said he became frustrated by Hogan's inability to stabilize the athletic budget and told him he would be fired if the situation did not improve.
Dennison said he issued that ultimatum before the end of the 2003 fiscal year, "in an earlier period."
Despite the tensions, the fiscal year ended on a good note, even though the athletic department needed an 11th hour infusion of $325,000 from the general fund to balance its books.
No one knew how far off the budget was until later, after the department's fiscal manager resigned in September and Hogan asked for assistance from UM's budget and planning office, Dennison said.
Although he knew there were discrepancies in the budget as early as October, Dennison said he didn't know the full details until February.
It's not his style, he told the panel, to talk about significant topics without all the facts at hand.
"There's too much at risk," he said.
When asked if there was a conscious decision to allow athletic expenses to grow, Dennison said no.
"We will never be in a position to spend at will."
In other testimony Friday, Emily Jones, a student member of the panel, said the idea of increasing the athletic fee "is not setting well" with students, who perceive athletics as having a culture of overspending.
She gathered her information through interviews, e-mails and discussions with other students.
Students are feeling sticker shock, she said, even with an incremental increase.
In student elections held earlier in the week, the athletic fee increase was rejected by a vote of 1,382 to 298.
Sylvia Weisenburger, the department's interim fiscal officer from 2000-02, said the athletic department had "a series of deficiencies" in how it managed it funds.
There was a lot of scholarship activity, she said, but until it came time to pay the bills, no one knew how much the department had to spend.
When it came time for her to retire, Weisenburger recommended that the athletic department hire an accountant.
Instead, through internal recruiting, Rob Edwards was hired to do the accounting at a salary of $32,000.
There was an internal search, she said, because "it was not that high of a position."
After Weisenburger left, Edwards' job changed considerably and he was asked to do more even though he was earning the same salary as an accounting technician. A decision was made to boost his salary to $42,000 and give him the accounting duties of the GSA.
That's when things got out of hand, Weisenburger said.
"I think Rob got totally overwhelmed and sucked up in the glory of traveling with a championship football team," she said. "And things weren't getting done ... despite the administration holding his feet to the fire."
When asked why Edwards' accounting errors were not caught until a large scale audit took place in the fall, Weisenburger said she didn't really know.
With the department's $10 million budget, checks come and go all the time from a host of different sources, she said.
In her parting comments, Weisenburger suggested some changes for the department and said:
"Athletics operates on the wire, no doubt about it ... athletics has never budgeted a contingency."
*** ***
Third & Long: NFL Draft wrap-up - I-AA Edition
By Tony Moss, The Sports Network
Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - Even with the gridiron season four-plus months in the distance, this past weekend was a glorious one for football fans of the Big Sky Conference. Five players from five different Big Sky teams were selected in the two-day televised drama known as the NFL Draft.
The first I-AA player chosen, cornerback Joey Thomas, honed his collegiate skills at Montana State. The first I-AA selection on day two, defensive end and Buck Buchanan Award winner Jared Allen, was formerly known as an Idaho State Bengal. By the time the final name was called on Sunday afternoon, a robust one-third of the I-AA selections had come from the Big Sky, warming hearts from Missoula to Flagstaff to Sacramento.
Those associated with the University of Delaware also had their chests puffed out, as the defending I-AA national champion was the sub-classification’s only school to have a pair of players selected in 2004.
Quarterback Andy Hall, the Atlantic 10’s reigning Offensive Player of the Year, was a sixth-round selection of the Philadelphia Eagles. Defensive End Shawn Johnson, the A-10’s top defensive player in ’03, went in the same round to the Oakland Raiders.
In terms of sheer numbers, the draft went down as an average two-day affair for I-AA. The fifteen players chosen were one more than the number selected in 2003, and the two first-day picks were one fewer than last year’s three.
A generous portion of the 15 selections figure to make their NFL team, a few will probably be cut, and the circle of football life will go on and on.
Below is a look at each of the I-AA players selected in the 2004 draft, including a brief synopsis of the chances for each to make his new squad’s active roster:
JOEY THOMAS, CB, Montana State (6-1, 187). 3rd Round, 70th pick, Green Bay Packers. Thomas was the first I-AA player selected in the 2004 draft, but unlike the first I-AA pick of ’03, Bethune-Cookman’s Rashean Mathis, Thomas might not get a significant amount of playing time right away. The Packers drafted another corner, Arkansas’ Ahmad Carroll, in the first round, and are unlikely to put two rookies on the field at the same time. Look for Thomas as a special-teamer in ’04, and a solid pro defensive back down the road.
KEITH SMITH, CB, McNeese State (6-0, 182). 3rd Round, 73rd pick, Detroit Lions. The Lions are widely considered to have yielded the best draft crop, and Smith is a major reason why. The corner is expected to start right away in head coach Steve Mariucci’s younger, faster, rotation, and could also see plenty of time on special teams. Detroit is an up-and-coming NFL team, and Smith is among the team’s highly-regarded young studs.
JARED ALLEN, DE, Idaho State (6-6, 275). 4th Round, 126th pick, Kansas City Chiefs. It is fitting that the 2003 Buck Buchanan Award winner would be drafted by the team for which Buchanan himself starred at defensive end during a Hall of Fame career. Allen might not remind anyone of Buchanan right away, but the Chiefs loved his college productivity and will include him in their long-term plans. A bonus for Kansas City was the fact that Allen is a proven long-snapper, and he could immediately serve in that role, at the very least.
CHRIS THOMPSON, CB, Nicholls State (6-0, 190). 5th Round, 150th pick, Jacksonville Jaguars. The Jaguars were so enamored of the I-AA corner they nabbed in the ’03 draft, Bethune-Cookman’s Rashean Mathis, that they traveled the same road in selecting Thompson. The multi-dimensional Thompson has a chance to break through in what is considered to be a thin secondary, but Jacksonville will count on him to be a difference-maker on special teams right away. Thompson blocked 10 kicks during his collegiate career.
SHAWN JOHNSON, DE, Delaware (6-5, 275). 6th Round, 166th pick, Oakland Raiders. Johnson joins Delaware’s most famous football alumnus, Rich Gannon, on the roster of the legendary Silver and Black. The Raiders were encouraged not only by Johnson’s production during the Blue Hens’ run to the I-AA national title, but also by his strong showing (47 of a possible 50) on the NFL’s Wonderlic exam. Initially, expect the former All-ACC pick at Duke to contribute in the team’s nickel packages at defensive end.
MARKO CAVKA, OL, Sacramento State (6-7, 290). 6th Round, 178th pick, New York Jets. The Jets were in need of depth at the tackle position, and Cavka, who played both tackle spots at Sac State, was an ideal pickup for the team.
Cavka, a solid run and pass blocker, will battle for time with fellow rookie Adrian Jones, a fourth round selection out of Kansas. Expect the All-Big Sky selection to be included in the trench rotation right away.
NATE LAWRIE, TE, Yale (6-7, 256). 6th Round, 181st pick, Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Lawrie was the first of two Ivy League tight ends tabbed by the Bucs, as Dartmouth’s Casey Cramer went down as the team’s 7th round selection. But Lawrie figures to make the more immediate impact as a pass-catcher, as Tampa Bay is intrigued by the matchup problems he could cause in the middle of the field with his size and 4.8 speed. If the Bucs’
injury problems at tight end persist, Lawrie could move up the depth chart quickly.
ANDY HALL, QB, Delaware (6-3, 210). 6th Round, 185th pick, Philadelphia Eagles. The selection of Hall in the sixth round was something of a surprise, since most projections listed the All-American as a probable free agent pickup. But Eagles head coach Andy Reid was familiar with Hall and was confident in his ability to pick up the team’s offense quickly. In all likelihood, he’ll be Philadelphia’s third-string quarterback behind Donovan McNabb and Koy Detmer this season.
CLARENCE MOORE, WR, Northern Arizona (6-5, 200). 6th Round, 199th pick, Baltimore Ravens. Moore slipped to the sixth round in a receiver-heavy draft, but goes to a Ravens team that has long lacked a wealth of strong wideout options. Baltimore added another wideout in the late rounds, Kentucky’s Derek Abney, who might have a slightly stronger chance of making the roster because of his return abilities. But if Moore can show anything resembling big-play potential in the preseason, it’s hard to believe he’ll be excised from a team that could use some offensive fireworks.
DYLAN MCFARLAND, OL, Montana (6-6, 305). 7th Round, 207th pick, Buffalo Bills. McFarland was the only offensive lineman drafted by the Bills, and the fact that he can play either the tackle or guard position increases the likelihood that he will play and contribute in his first year. Offensive line was not seen as an area of dire need for Buffalo, but the fact that the team ranked near the bottom of most NFL offensive categories last year probably means they’ll be open to shaking things up. The smart money is on McFarland making this team.
CASEY CRAMER, TE, Dartmouth (6-2, 235). 7th Round, 228th pick, Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Cramer was the second Ivy League tight end chosen by the Bucs in as many rounds, as they made Yale’s Nate Lawrie their sixth-round pick. But Tampa plans on using Cramer in an h-back or fullback role primarily, with only occasional work at the traditional tight end position. With his exceptional pass-catching ability, Cramer has a good chance of being a productive pro with the Bucs.
LARRY TURNER, G/C, Eastern Kentucky (6-3, 290). 7th Round, 238th pick, St.
Louis Rams. Turner’s flexibility helped lead to his selection, as the All-OVC pick can play either guard or center and goes to a Rams team seeking depth at each spot on the offensive line. Turner won’t have much hope of cracking the starting lineup during his rookie season, but if he proves himself capable of being a stopgap at a couple of positions, he’ll have an opportunity to see some time in year one.
EUGENE AMANO, C/G, Southeast Missouri (6-2, 315). 7th Round, 239th pick, Tennessee Titans. For the second straight year, the 13th I-AA selection of the draft comes from Southeast Missouri, as Amano was nabbed in the same position as former teammate Willie Ponder. Ponder made the New York Giants roster, and Amano could catch on as well if he can display his versatility by playing both guard and center
LENNY WILLIAMS, CB, Southern (6-0, 190). 7th Round, 252nd pick, Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Williams was the third and final I-AA player selected by Tampa Bay (Yale tight end Nate Lawrie and Dartmouth tight end Casey Cramer were also tabbed by the Bucs), and was the lone SWAC athlete to garner a selection in ’04. Williams has some ability at the corner position, but Tampa Bay likely drafted him more for his ability on special teams. Except him to crack the rotation there initially.
ISAAC HILTON, DE, Hampton (6-3, 265). 7th Round, 253rd pick, New York Giants. Hilton was one of the top five available defensive ends according to some reports, so the fact that he was chosen just two spots before "Mr.
Irrelevant" was a relative shock. But Hilton will have a chance to play for a Giants franchise that has long seen value in I-AA and small school prospects, from Phil Simms to Dave Meggett to Michael Strahan. Hilton is as raw as they come, but it’s hard to believe the team will give up on a player of his physical stature very easily.
*** ***
Amey Shines in Red-Zone Scrimmage
CSUS Sports Information, May 1, 2004
SACRAMENTO, Calif. Wide receiver Fred Amey caught four touchdowns to lead
the Sacramento State offense in a red-zone scrimmage Friday afternoon. The scrimmage was the second of three for the team in the spring.
“We wanted to practice our red-zone offense because we did not have enough work last season,” Sacramento State head coach Steve Mooshagian said. “We made a lot of big plays on offense and put our defense in a situation where their backs were against the wall.”
The scrimmage saw the offense begin all of its drives from the 25-yard line and consisted of 30 plays. The offense scored its first touchdown on a 25-yard strike from Brad Tredway to redshirt freshman Walter Wallace.
However, Wallace injured his shoulder on the play, leaving the Hornets with just three receivers for the remainder of the scrimmage.
The depth problem to did not seem to affect Amey. The senior scored his first touchdown just six plays later from 17 yards out. On the play, Amey grabbed the Tredway pass then broke free of two defenders and ran the remaining 12 yards to the end zone. Amey¹s second score came on a 4-yard slant in the middle of the end zone. That score was set up by a 24-yard completion to tight end Kelly Micco.
“Fred practices exactly like he plays,” Mooshagian said. “He is a big-time playmaker and has been performing at a high level for the past three years.
He has improved his leadership skills this spring and is in great shape.”
Redshirt freshman Crosby Wehr entered the game at quarterback for the next series. Wehr completed his first pass to Ryan Parillo but was sacked on third down by junior college transfer Jeff Dixon. Junior kicker Ryan Hunting added a 40-yard field goal to cap the drive.
Tredway returned an connected with Amey for a 25-yard touchdown on the first play of the drive. The defense bounced back with three stops, including a 6-yard tackle-for-loss by Seth Tago to force the offense into a 4th-and-16.
The team, once again, called on Hunting who connected on the 47-yard field goal.
“Hunting has been a pleasant surprise,” Mooshagian said. “It is going to be an interesting battle in the fall between him at (incoming freshman) Juan Gamboa.”
Micco grabbed a 16-yard pass from Wehr to start the next drive and running back Kris Daniels scored a 9-yard touchdown on a draw on the following play.
Wehr then hit tight end Zach Jiru for a 25-yard touchdown on the next play.
The last score went to Amey on a 5-yard fade to the sideline.
Tredway completed 5-of-6 passes for 95 yards and four touchdowns. Weher was
4-for-5 for 77 yards and a pair of scores. Daniels was the lone running back to carry the ball, recording 10 carries for 36 yards. Amey caught five passes for 51 yards and Micco added two catches for 40 yards.
The defense recorded three sacks (one each from Tyler Houston, Jeff Dixon and Chris Bessinger). The unit also stopped three rushing attempts from negative yardage and blocked a field goal attempt.
The final scrimmage of the spring will take place on Friday, May 7, at Oakmont HS in Roseville, Calif. The team will take the field at 6 p.m. and will begin the scrimmage at 7 p.m.
***
Kennedy set to interview for opening at Maryland school
By BOB MESEROLL Missoulian sports editor
University of Montana men's basketball coach Pat Kennedy:
a) Is in Baltimore on Sunday to interview for the vacant head basketball coaching position at Towson University.
b) Has been contacted by several schools, including the University of San Francisco, but is not an official candidate.
c) Has not pursued any other coaching jobs since the season ended back in March.
d) None of the above.
e) All of the above.
Answers to these and other questions were not available Saturday. Kennedy, as well as officials at Towson University, did not return phone calls placed by the Missoulian and the Associated Press.
But the Baltimore Sun reported in its Saturday edition that Kennedy confirmed he is a candidate to replace Michael Hunt, who resigned on April
14 after posting a 23-63 mark in three seasons. The Sun also cited an anonymous source saying that Kennedy would interview for the job on Sunday.
"Coach keeps his cards close to his chest," Montana assistant coach Wayne Tinkle said. "He hasn't given us any news that he's in contention.
"The thing he told me was that he's gotten calls from multiple schools and that he's not pursuing any particular job. He told me last night that he's not going anywhere unless there's a concrete offer and he didn't see that happening."
Montana interim athletic director Marie Porter said Towson officials asked her for permission to talk to Kennedy regarding the job.
"I think there are some schools out there that are interested in Pat,"
Porter said. "It's common courtesy for athletic directors to call other athletic directors to request permission to speak to (coaches). I did talk to the athletic director from Towson earlier this week."
Porter said she did not know whether Kennedy was interviewing for the job at Towson, a member of the Colonial Athletic Association.
The Sun reported that the other candidates are North Carolina State assistant Larry Hunter, Clemson assistant Ron Bradley and Connecticut assistant George Blaney.
News that Kennedy might be interested in leaving Montana first appeared Thursday in an article by Andy Katz on ESPN.com.
"Montana coach Pat Kennedy is getting restless again," Katz wrote of the former Iona, Florida State and DePaul coach who is 23-35 in two years at Montana.
Katz reported that Kennedy tried to get the San Francisco job and "now he's wedging his way into the Towson opening."
San Francisco ended up naming Louisiana-Lafayette's Jessie Evans as its next coach on April 22.
Katz went on to speculate that Gonzaga assistant Leon Rice would be a likely candidate as Kennedy's successor.
But Kennedy denied Katz's assertions in an interview with the Great Falls Tribune on Friday.
"No, there's no truth to any of Andy's rumors," Kennedy told the Tribune.
"I've gotten calls from four or five schools since the year ended, but there's nothing going on."
The Sun reported that Towson officials expected to name a coach by early this week.
***
UM should cut ties with Kennedy era
By RIAL CUMMINGS of the Missoulian
Montana men's basketball coach Pat Kennedy told the Baltimore Sun on Friday that he's a candidate for the coaching job at Towson University, and the newspaper, citing a source close to the process, reported that Kennedy expected to be in Baltimore today for an interview.
Yet Friday was also the day that Kennedy told the Great Falls Tribune he wasn't actively looking for another job, had not officially applied for any position and added: "There's nothing going on."
Well, something is going on. And if it doesn't signal Kennedy's imminent departure from Missoula, it should.
Kennedy has no obligation to be truthful with the media - or anybody else.
But it's not the best example to be setting for the young men entrusted to his charge. And while Kennedy is free to pursue other opportunities, Montana is equally free not to renew his year-to-year contract.
If the Grizzlies are smart, they'll cut their losses, cut loose Kennedy, and get on with the business of rebuilding a program that, under Kennedy's leadership, has posted its worst back-to-back seasons in 33 years.
In doing so, Montana can officially jettison former athletic director Wayne Hogan's inflated, delusional chase of the Gonzaga chimera - which is what Kennedy's hire represented - and find someone more realistically committed to the long-term restoration of Grizzly basketball, recognizing both its strengths and limitations.
Kennedy came to Montana with a national name, but a spotty record, having slipped badly after promising starts at Florida State and DePaul. He was a city guy, plopped down in an isolated, rural state. The fit has never seemed right, and not just because it shattered the in-house continuity that had produced a string of fine coaches, starting with Jud Heathcote and continuing through Mike Montgomery, Stew Morrill and Blaine Taylor.
Hogan fired Don Holst, the last of five straight UM assistants to be promoted to the top job, in 2002, just days after the fifth NCAA appearance in school history. Then Hogan talked about aiming for the Sweet 16 and hired Kennedy, a friend from their days at Florida State.
The Grizzlies' present challenge is less grandiose. They have to regain their competitive footing following the 13-17 and 10-18 campaigns of Kennedy's first two seasons, and reverse an attendance slide that has reached its lowest ebb since the 1970s.
It won't be a snap.
One could argue, tepidly perhaps, that Kennedy was prepared to tackle the challenge, even after Hogan resigned in March, following the revelation that UM's athletic department was $1 million in the red.
"I'm not going to run and hide from the pressure," Kennedy said in a season wrap-up story. "We've got to turn the corner and turn it up."
Now it appears Kennedy would prefer to cut and run.
To be fair, you can see why he might. Montana not only has financial problems, but can't offer Kennedy any kind of security, because state policy doesn't allow UM to offer coaches multi-year contracts. You can argue that a lack of commitment on Kennedy's side of the fence is matched on the other side too.
But Kennedy knew that when he landed in Missoula.
Kennedy is angling for a job that's no gem. Towson is a little-known school in a mid-major conference, the Colonial Athletic Association. Towson went
23-63 the past three years under Michael Hunt, whose inaugural 11-18 record made him the winningest first-year coach ever at the suburban Baltimore college. Whoo, boy.
By pursuing such a position with something less than candor, Kennedy has compromised his credibility back home.
Pat Kennedy has made it patently obvious he doesn't want to be here, so why keep the charade going? It's time for UM to say thanks, coach. Thanks, goodbye and good luck.
Source: Tom Griz Fan
May 1, 2004
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