Just when the NCAA thought is was safe … the shark is back

Sporting News, The, Dec 2, 1996 by Douglas S. Looney

The day before Tark was named coach, in April 1995 (salary: $78,000, plus a possible 25 percent bonus at the president's discretion), Welty met with him for an hour and a halL Says Welty, "I told him my expectations were that the program would be run by the rules, that there be a commitment to the athletes that they graduate and that we do the best we can to build a strong program." A strong program, Welty says, would mean getting into the 64 team NCAA Tournament "from time to time, but certainly not the Final Four." Yet, presidents dream, too, and he admitted such a climb to the mountaintop would be extraordinary testimony to Tark's storied coaching skills.

At this meeting, Tarkanian asked Welty to hire a compliance officer to ensure all rules would be followed. Welty enthusiastically agreed.

Roast bite: Friedkin says Tark had such a brief, 5 unsuccessful career in the NBA (he coached San Antonio for 20 games in 1992) because he wasn't used to dealing with players "who worked for so little money.

Not everywhere around Fresno is everyone so enthusiastic. Warren Kessler, an ethics professor, describes himself as "very outspoken as a critic" and says that "I wish they had gone a different way." In fairness, it is de rigueur for academics to be unhappy about athletics at universities. Much of the unhappiness is caused by jealousy of the attention and envy of the money.

Kessler says the Tark hiring "sent the wrong message and indicated we were indifferent to his history. On its face, it looked as if we had someone not all that concerned with NCAA rules." In fact, the whole situation smacks in Kessler's mind of a bumper sticker he has seen: "If you're rich, I'm single." The implication, of course, is willingness to forsake all commitments, all values, all ethics in the name of cash and winning.

Here, however, is a legitimate sticky wicket. Fresno State, like many schools, has serious financial troubles--including athletics.

The executive director of the Bulldog Foundation, the money-raising arm for Fresno athletics, is Pat Ogle, and he says the hiring of Tarkanian was a "life-saving stroke" for sports at the school. He trots out the numbers: In 1994, the year before Tark arrived, the group raised $3.9 million for athletics. The very next year, with Tark in place, contributions totaled $5.1 million and this year, $6.2 million. "This increase n says Ogle, "is not 100, percent because of Tark, but I'd say it's 90 percent." It's indisputable that one thing fires up contributors and that's winning-or at least the serious prospect of it. Jim Sweeney, the football coach, has had a long and successful run, but he has fallen on hard times of late. This year is the football team's third losing season in a row, and Sweeney, 67, is retiring. That leaves basketball as king.

Success under Tark would do inordinate good for the school and its cash flow and the community's self-image. The town is stuck in never-ever land, between the glitz of Southern California and the glories of San Francisco. Fresno has raisins.