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Athletic department in a state of chaos
I am concerned about the sports programs at Fresno State.
Everything seems to be a mess. High ticket prices, poor and
pricey parking, and cuts! Wrestling and soccer are big sports
in the high schools in this area; to not have them is a disgrace.
Look at the two big revenue sports— football and basketball.
The basketball program will be in a shamble for years. Poor
hiring and lawsuits will haunt the school for years. I'll
bet the new coach never will beat Pepperdine.
Our football coach can't beat any coach who knows him. He
can't adjust or change, and he loses games he should win easily.
The idea of going with one quarterback when you have three
with very different skills is from the dinosaur era. We are
told Title IX is the problem. Then organize and get help in
trying to change Title IX.
With high fuel and cost of living increases, we all need
to make wise choices as to how to spend our entertainment
dollar. We need more value from Fresno State.
William Jantzen, Madera
Fresno State needs new leadership
Why was it was necessary to cancel the wrestling program
at Fresno State? So far the only reason given was related
to balancing the budget. While this may be the real reason,
it makes the issue even more disturbing as the wrestling program
represents a tiny fraction of the total athletic budget.
It appears the administrators at Fresno State are acting
as if they are owners of a company that manages athletic teams
and this wrestling as a non-revenue generating sport appears
expendable. This is the easy way out and shows a real lack
of leadership.
I believe the community would be better served by leaders
who administered to the needs of the whole student body and
realized that the university is an educational institution
and as such should vigorously support all of its teams and
coaches.
Jon Bath, Fresno
An interesting set of circumstances
Fresno State president Dr. John Welty finally got his revenge
on Diane Milutinovich for her long-running efforts as the
associate athletic director to keep Fresno State in compliance
with Title IX and out of the scandals which eventually brought
embarrassment to our community. The charge against this 26-year
employee is that she was a poor administrator. Curious.
Let's take that standard and apply it to Dr. Welty using
Milutinovich's former department and boss as the example.
Scott Johnson presided over an out-of-control athletic department
that continues to tarnish the image of the university to this
day. Dr. Welty was his boss. There are three ongoing legal
actions by former coaches or employees. No need to mention
the failed drug tests, charges of harassment, or behavior
of former players. How did Dr. Welty handle the scandals?
He removed Milutinovich and he allowed Johnson to walk away
on his terms. Johnson is the economic development manager
for the city of Fresno; Milutinovich is being fired. Interesting.
Dr. Welty hires Thomas Boeh to steady the ship but it looks
suspiciously like nothing has changed. Don't believe me, ask
the wrestling team. Boeh said one thing, Welty said another
and of course blamed Title IX for the decision. Thankfully,
wrestling supporters were too wise to fall for that trick.
Would a good administrator behave this way?
Until Dr. Welty is removed from his post we should expect
more of the same. As the top administrator, Dr. Welty has
failed this community and it's time to let Charles Reed, chancellor
of the CSU system, know how this community feels.
Chris Hall, Fresno
A stake in wrestling
I would like to share some personal insights with regard
to the wrestling program since I wrestled at McLane High School
and at Fresno State. I also coached at McLane and at Sanger
High during my early days in education.
The value to me was tremendous because of my polio. I could
not compete in any other sport and have the same chance of
success. Wrestling afforded me an opportunity to excel in
an incredible way in spite of my disability. It is the only
sport in my opinion that is the great equalizer. I was a place
winner in the old Pacific Coast Athletic Association tournament
and wrestled some of the greatest wrestlers in the world at
the time.
When I was wrestling, it was headline news that someone with
such a disability could compete and win and actually be feared
by his opponents. The character building that was provided
to me by the sport was remarkable. At123 pounds, I bench-pressed320
pounds and climbed a 20-foot rope in 1.8 seconds.
Wrestling offered this skinny polio kid an opportunity at
recognition and excellence like nothing else.
I am saddened that there is not a way to keep the wrestling
program for kids who are like I was and for many of the minority
students who don't have the physical size or the wallet for
other sports.
While I was superintendent in Central Unified, we expanded
our wrestling program to fourth, fifth, and sixth grades and
had hundreds of students participate. Our middle school program
was one of the finest in the county and won several championships.
The Fresno area is such a fertile ground for wrestling. I
just thought it was necessary to share with you how important
the program was to me personally and is to the students in
Fresno County.
Larry Powell, Superintendent-elect, Fresno County
Superintendent's Office
Tulare on wrestlers' side
Dear President Welty:
During general comments at our City Council meetingJuly 18,
the subject of Fresno State's discontinuation of its intercollegiate
wrestling program was discussed.
The city of Tulare would like to express its support for
the Fresno State wrestling program. Although the decision
was made to discontinue the program effective July 1, 2006,
it is our hope that action will be reconsidered. This program
provides an outlet for athletes that cannot be found elsewhere
in our immediate area.For student-athletes from the Tulare/Visalia
area, Fresno State is the nearest four-year institution offering
a wrestling program.
The schools and colleges in the central San Joaquin Valley
long have been recognized for their tremendous wrestling programs,
and the popularity of wrestling has not waned. The perseverance,
stamina and personal dedication of these athletes will become
an intrinsic part of their lives and serve them well throughout
their education and careers. In addition, we lose so many
of our youths to larger communities and colleges. It is important
to make programs available locally to encourage students to
stay in the area, complete their education, and return to
their communities to contribute to the economic growth and
quality of life.
We know that you must make difficult decisions to ensure
the most effective use of budgeted funds, however, hope you
will revisit the decision to eliminate the wrestling program.
Thank you for your consideration of our comments.
Richard M. Ortega, Mayor of Tulare
Protests will only grow
Dear Dr. Welty and Mr. Boeh:
The insensitive approach that the Fresno State administration
employed to eliminate its wrestling team is unconscionable.
We can't imagine that the hiring of a new coach, allowing
him to recruit 22 aspiring student-athletes to campus, and
then eliminating the team (all within a year) can be consistent
with Fresno State's educational mission. It is equally difficult
to imagine how a state-supported school simply could dismiss
the intense public outcry from an otherwise very supportive
regional wrestling community.
Rather than letting the public outrage escalate (and it will
be relentless) and cause further damage to the image of your
school, we would like to propose that you meet with the wrestling
community to develop an alternative strategy that is viable.
The local, regional, and national wrestling community is willing
to do its fair share.
Ron Beaschler, President, National Wrestling Coaches Association
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