Hansen's Sunday Notebook: Decision to cut Pima College football program was inevitable

Decision on Pima leaves state's teams in despair

Pima College approved the addition of a football program on June 15, 2000; 18 years later, almost to the day, chancellor Lee Lambert killed it.

Oh, how times changed.

On that day in 2000, a representative of the Jim Click Automotive group promised $50,000 for start-up funds, Arizona athletic director Jim Livengood wrote a letter of support, and Tucson Sidewinders general manager Mike Feder pledged that his organization would help in a goal of raising $125,000.

Now? Fewer than 30 people attended the meeting to dissolve PCC football last week. No one pledged a dime to save Jim Monaco’s program.

It was inevitable.

No matter what else is said — the cost of insurance, the nightmare of football-related concussions, declining enrollment — the Aztecs had no one to play.

There are now two JC football programs in Arizona, one in Yuma and one in Thatcher, and as soon as PCC dropped football last week Eastern Arizona College AD Jim Bagnall, a former Arizona and Salpointe Catholic baseball standout, said EAC’s football program is now entering a period in which it will “determine if a schedule is viable.”

It isn’t.

There’s a reason there will be just two surviving JC football programs in Arizona, none in Nevada and only one each in Colorado and Utah.

It costs too much.

Texas is a huge, football-loving state, but it only has seven JC football programs.

And there’s this: Pima has 16 sports. That’s probably too many. EAC and Arizona Western only have eight sports. Cochise College has five. Snow College, which is part of the soon-to-be-dismantled Western States Football League, has just eight sports programs — and one of them is rodeo.

The downsizing in athletics at PCC is predictable. It has no real fundraising arm. In fact, the school’s total fundraising platform is unimpressive.

There is almost no community outreach by PCC, which is appalling. Do you ever see a TV commercial, or hear a radio spot, touting PCC and attempting to get students in the door? By 21st century standards, PCC’s website is prehistoric.

Pima College should be a gem in this city, but it is almost invisible.

My sad prediction: The demise of football at Pima will be the first in a series of football programs to die in Tucson. Ultimately, high school football programs in Southern Arizona will fall away, one by one. It might take 10 or 20 years to start, but the future of non-NCAA football programs and the numbers and money required to sustain them will become a common theme.

Dave Heeke, Arizona’s athletic department evolving to new model

After 14 months on the job, Arizona athletic director Dave Heeke has made the most significant changes to the school’s administration since Cedric Dempsey in the mid-1980s.

Most telling, Heeke recently hired a chief operating officer, Derek van der Merwe, from Austin Peay’s executive administration. The move, coupled with the hiring of Krystal Swindlehurst to operate the UA’s strategic planning, internal administration and human resources, has redirected Arizona’s front office.

It should prove two things: Heeke isn’t a maintenance AD. He’s in step with the growth and change necessary in college athletics. Both Swindlehurst and van der Merwe worked under Heeke at Central Michigan.

The old model of college athletics no longer works efficiently. Heeke deserves credit for recognizing the need for change from Greg Byrne’s model before being steamrolled by the progressive Pac-12.

Change was necessary. For one, Arizona is now ranked No. 49 in the Learfield Directors’ Cup, a total reflection on the effectiveness of each school’s sports programs. That’s unacceptable. Arizona State is 29th. The Wildcats find themselves bunched in the bottom third of the Pac-12 with No. 60 Utah, No. 75 Oregon State and No. 79 WSU.

You can get buried in that company.

Heeke’s administration at Arizona will be defined by his ability to move Arizona back into the top 25, as well as by his effectiveness in restoring the school’s image, one that has taken a beating in disturbing off-field issues with basketball player Elliott Pitts, assistant track coach Craig Carter and football coach Rich Rodriguez.

An AD’s job has changed thoroughly in the last 10 years. Do you realize that Arizona’s staff directory lists just 85 people involved strictly in sports programs, and 156 who work in various support roles, from compliance to fundraising?

The UA’s sports medical services lists 25 full-time employees. That’s more than the fundraising arm of the Wildcat Club, which has 21.

There is no universal way to operate a Pac-12 athletic program. Arizona’s van der Merwe is only one of two COOs (the other is at USC). Arizona State AD Ray Anderson has 67 more administrative employees than Arizona as listed in the Sun Devils’ staff directory — but the Sun Devils also sponsor hockey, lacrosse, wrestling, triathlon and water polo programs.

Anderson’s lead assistant is Jean Boyd, whose title is executive senior associate AD. Boyd’s key duties: overseeing the well-being of athletes, their path to graduation, diversity and inclusion.

This is no longer 1985 or even 1995. College athletics have become far more complicated. Heeke has thus far made the changes necessary to keep Arizona afloat.

Andy Trouard goes out as an All-American

Salpointe Catholic grad Andy Trouard completed his college distance-running career by finishing fourth in the NCAA 5,000-meter finals last week. He was also a chief part of NAU’s two NCAA championship cross-country teams.

Only four athletes from Tucson high schools have finished higher than Trouard at the NCAA finals: Cholla’s Vance Johnson won the 1982 long jump as an Arizona Wildcat; Pueblo’s Dale Frederick was second in the hurdles in 1966 as a Wildcat; Tucson High’s Abdi Abdirahman was second in the 5,000 meters in 1998; Amphi’s Dominic Johnson was third in the pole vault, 1996.

The compelling part of Trouard’s story is that he entered Salpointe as a soccer player and swimmer, and was part of state championship teams in both sports. But he became a runner as a sophomore, winning multiple state championships, and now joins Abdirahman and Santa Rita’s Tom Ansberry of the 1980s as the three leading distance runners in Tucson history. Ansberry equaled Trouard’s No. 4 finish in the 1984 NCAA finals at 10,000 meters.

Mike Van Ryn's departure not uncommon for minor-league coaches

The loss of Tucson Roadrunners coach Mike Van Ryn after one season — one AHL division-championship season — is disappointing but not a surprise. Minor-league coaches are as transient as minor-league ballplayers. In the first 30 years of the Tucson Toros, a Pacific Coast League franchise, the Toros had six one-season managers: Billy Adair, Larry Sherry, Hank Aguirre, Carlos Alfonso, Tim Tolman and Tim Ireland. Van Ryn joined the NHL’s St. Louis Blues as an assistant coach.

Sean Miller, Bobby Hurley used to coaching vacancies

Sean Miller took almost 2½ months to replace assistant coach Lorenzo Romar. That’s not unusual in college basketball. Arizona State’s Bobby Hurley has had a staff vacancy since mid-April. Why does it take so long? Sometimes it’s as simple as the school’s money people requesting than unless it’s absolutely necessary, it would be good to work with a reduced payroll for as long as possible. When you pay an assistant coach about $250,000 a year, it can be a considerable savings.

Talbott Denny staying in Tucson after short-lived UA career

Former Arizona basketball player Talbott Denny didn’t have the type of career he envisioned after a transfer from Lipscomb. He suffered a major knee injury, missed a season and only played six minutes for the Wildcats. That was a difficult come-down after averaging as many as 26 minutes a game at Lipscomb. But the Salpointe Catholic grad took advantage of his graduate scholarship and education opportunities. After graduating cum laude from the UA’s Eller School of Business, Denny has been hired by Raytheon as part of its engineering division.

Arizona Stadium games will feature better food, more fireworks

In preparation for the UA’s anticipated home football schedule — USC, Oregon, ASU, BYU — Arizona athletic director Dave Heeke told me there will be more changes than just out-of-town scores on the video screen, a new PA announcer, more music from the band and, of course, the new Zona Zoo facilities. “More fireworks,” he said. “Exploring new food options and local vendors. Enhancing ticket-purchasing methods. Pre-game tailgating improvements. New operational systems: entry, traffic flow and parking.” Sounds good. Fresno State announced it pocketed $110,000 last year in beer sales at football and basketball home games. Here’s guessing the UA’s next game-day change involves beer.

Stay tuned for homecoming by ex-Cat Robert Gamez

Hard to believe, but Robert Gamez, the 1989 NCAA Golfer of the Year at Arizona — winner of the Northern Telecom Open at Starr Pass as a PGA Tour rookie in 1990 — turns 50 next month and is preparing to join the PGA Tour Champions. That means he is likely to play in next February’s Cologuard Classic at Tucson National. Gamez, who is likely the top golfer in UA history, won three PGA Tour events and has recovered from a 2014 heart attack that almost killed him. The Tucson Conquistadores, including executive director Judy McDermott, plan to fly to Madison, Wisconsin, this week to visit the Exact Sciences (Cologuard) facilities and then meet with 2018 Tucson champion Steve Stricker at this week’s American Family Insurance Championship, a PGA Tour Champions event in Madison.

It pays to be a first-round pick

Tucsonan Cesar Salazar, a UA junior catcher, signed a $160,000 bonus with the Houston Astros last week and, as expected, will not return to Arizona for his senior season. He will be assigned to a Class A team. Here’s the difference between being drafted in the seventh round, as Salazar, and the first round. UA baseball coach Jay Johnson signed the No. 17 overall choice, Phoenix pitcher Matthew Liberatore, who signed with Tampa Bay for $3.5 million. Third baseman Nolan Gorman of Phoenix, the 19th overall pick and also an Arizona signee, accepted $3.27 million from St. Louis.

Sarah Sellers competing again after Boston Marathon triumph

Tucson nurse anesthetist Sarah Sellers, who finished second in the Boston Marathon in April, returned to competition last week and finished 17th out of about 8,500 runners in the women’s-only New York Mini-10K in Manhattan. Sellers will run in the half-marathon July 24 in Salt Lake City, and has not yet scheduled another full marathon.

National champion Haley Moore wins Cactus Tour event

In her first competitive golf appearance since sinking a 5-foot putt that won the NCAA championship for the UA women’s golf team, junior Haley Moore won last week’s Cactus Tour event at Las Vegas’ Stallion Mountain Country Club. Moore shot rounds of 68-70-74 but declined to accept the $2,100 winner’s check. She thus retains eligibility for the UA’s 2018-19 season, unless she qualifies for the LPGA Tour in qualifying school later this year. You never know who you’ll run into in a pro golf tournament. Moore played opposite 1980 Arizona All-American Crista Johnson in Las Vegas. A nine-time LPGA Tour winner, Johnson, who lives in Tucson, finished fifth in Las Vegas.

Amphi grad Jessica Williams wins statewide Match Play event

Amphi grad Jessica Williams, who had an All-American golfing season for Division III Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, won the Arizona State Amateur Match Play championship last week in Phoenix. Williams, the No. 5 seed, went 4-0 in match play. She has two more seasons of college golf.

New Mexico State's Nick Gonzales earns freshman award

Cienega grad Nick Gonzales last week was selected to Collegiate Baseball’s Freshman All-American first team. Gonzales, a freshman at New Mexico State, hit .347 with nine home runs, a key part of NMSU’s run to the WAC championship and NCAA Tournament. Earlier, Gonzales was chosen WAC Freshman of the Year.

Salpointe Catholic's Harsh Parikh ascends to No. 1 in the Southwest

Tucson’s leading teenage tennis player, Salpointe’s Harsh Parikh, has climbed to No. 1 in Boys 18 rankings in the Southwest, and No. 6 in the United States. Parikh last week won the Southwest Closed Junior Championships, winning the boys 18 singles even though he is 16. Parikh defeated tennis players from Albuquerque and Mesa in the final two rounds.

My two cents: Arizona's nonconference home schedule lacks punch, prestige

Those who re-upped to purchase UA basketball season tickets last month surely felt deflated when the Star’s Bruce Pascoe wrote about the McKale Center home schedule last week.

The most appealing game, talent-wise, is probably the Red-Blue Game on Oct. 14.

How did Arizona ever get to the point that its home schedule includes the following: Western New Mexico, Chaminade, Cal Poly, UTEP, Texas Southern, Utah Valley, Baylor, Montana and UC Davis? One early November game remains to be scheduled as a precursor to the Maui Invitational.

In addition to that, UCLA and USC won’t play at McKale Center next season.

During a media availability two weeks ago, Sean Miller spoke on the topic of nonconference home schedules and said it was no longer possible to follow Lute Olson’s lead and engage top programs in Tucson several times a year.

But come on: Scheduling one top-25 nonconference opponent at McKale every season isn’t asking too much.

These Cupcake Campaigns aren’t likely to change until those who pay the freight at McKale voice their displeasure.