When Jim Monaco was named Pima College's athletic director in late October, he set a primary goal: To find a way to save the Aztecs' remaining sports.
And he did.
Pima's golf and tennis programs will avoid the chopping block, Monaco said Monday. The new AD was able to trim enough money from other parts of the athletic department to save the teams.
Monaco said he decided not to fill some pending part-time positions that were open, consolidated some coaching positions and focused more on needs instead of wants.
“In all honesty, it was awesome because all the (other) coaches were on board,” Monaco said. “They all had to take a little reduction in a few things in order to save them and they were all on board. I was pretty jazzed about that because everybody wanted to do what they could to help out for the next year. …
“We were able to move some monies from some different positions, like some equipment issues where they maybe didn’t need something… but it came out really well."
As a result, the programs will avoid the fate of Monaco's former team. Pima's governing board decided this summer to cut football, effective at the end of the 2018 season. At the time football was eliminated, officials warned that more sports — notably golf and tennis — were likely next.
Monaco was named Pima's acting athletic director earlier this fall, when Edgar Soto — the Aztecs' former boss — took an administrative position at one of Pima's satellite campuses.
