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http://www.pressherald.com/sports/college/stories/020725lauzoncol.shtml

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                     Thursday, July 25, 2002

                     COLUMN: Jerry Lauzon



                        National search, sure, but look hard at the homegrown talent




                      Copyright  2002 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc.









Matt Bourque and Mark Wilson want to come back to their home state.

The University of Maine athletic director's position vacated by Sue Tyler in May would be a nice move for their careers. Bourque, a 1989 UMaine graduate, is an assistant commissioner for the America East Conference. Wilson, a 1991 UMaine graduate, is an associate athletic director for external affairs at Ohio University.

UMaine has yet to name a search committee, though it announced May 3 that the administration would immediately begin to consult staff to find out what qualities it would like to see in a new director.

A national search was expected to begin soon after to find a permanent replacement.

In the meantime, the university has named Paul Bubb, the senior associate athletic director in charge of fund raising, marketing, promotions and media relations, interim athletic director. He took over when Tyler stepped down June 30.

Bubb, 45, has plenty of athletic administration experience, with stops at Drake, Southern Illinois, and from 1996-1998 as athletic director at Cal State Northridge. He has already said that he is interested in becoming the full-time athletic director at UMaine.

When the university will begin the search is unclear. It may be at least six months to a year before the process is completed.

Bubb has an advantage over Bourque and Wilson by getting a trial run. When men's hockey coach Shawn Walsh died last September, the university named assistant Tim Whitehead interim coach. Then in April the school gave Whitehead the job only days after the Black Bears lost to Minnesota in the NCAA Division I national championship game. So much for a national search.

Having ties to UMaine and the state should help Bourque and Wilson. Bourque, 35, is from Bath and Morse High, and Wilson, 33, from Hallowell and Hall-Dale High. Both have aspirations to be a Division I athletic director.

How the job description is outlined will determine if either Bourque or Wilson would be considered. Bourque has a journalism degree and his primary responsibilities with America East are communications. Wilson received a degree in physical education and health from UMaine but added a master's degree in sports management from UMass to his resume. His strengths are similar to Bubb's - marketing, fund raising, ticket sales and media relations.

"I have great pride in the university and the state," said Wilson. "Being from Maine and having family in Maine, I have a keen interest in serving my alma mater."

Wilson's career path is solid with stops at Northeastern, UMass and Ohio, where's he's been since 1996. He also worked a summer in Orono.

"I've been very fortunate to be given tremendous opportunities at a young age," said Wilson. "People have taken chances on me and I've been able to produce for them."

Ohio has 28,000 students and 20 varsity programs, more than twice the students as UMaine, but only one more varsity sport.

"Maine has solid programs and good coaches," said Wilson. "I follow what's going on up there."

Bourque became sports information director at UMaine one year after graduating and stayed in that position until 1997, when he went to work for America East in its Boston office. Experience with the America East has helped round out Bourque's point of view.

"If you had asked me 10 years ago, I would have said UMaine was a unique place," he said. "Having been in this position for almost six years, I've learned that most of the schools are in the same position. They have the same challenges."

Money and budgets continue to plague NCAA schools with Division I-AA football. But some of the biggest schools in the country, most notably Nebraska, Iowa and Wisconsin, have eliminated athletic programs in the past year. Last spring UMass announced it would phase out seven sports over the next three years.

"I've spoken to Ian (McCaw the new UMass athletic director) and he knows what he's getting into," said Bourque. "I'd know what to expect at UMaine."

Three of the nine America East schools are looking for athletic directors.  McCaw, who worked in the athletic department at UMaine, was the athletic director at Northeastern until last week. Vermont Athletic Director Rick Farnham said Tuesday that this will be his final year after a decade.

Bourque is not interested in either of those positions.

"In my home state and at the state institution, that would be that much better," he said. "I'm waiting to see what the search committee comes up with."

The financial status of the university could favor hiring an administrator with a strong marketing background, an advantage to Bubb and Wilson. That doesn't worry Bourque.

"I've never been an athletic director," he said, "but I know Maine and Maine people."

That has to count for something.

Staff Writer Jerry Lauzon can be contacted at  791-6415 or at:

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