April 13, 2005
SAN DIEGO - San Diego State University is proceeding immediately on a national search for a new permanent director of intercollegiate athletics, and has named Steve Becvar interim director for the department.
Becvar, the department's senior associate athletic director, will take over for Mike Bohn, who officially announced today he is resigning from SDSU to become the Athletic Director at the University of Colorado starting May 1.
"Our Athletics Department is in a very strong position to succeed thanks to the leadership of Mike Bohn and the good work of the department's coaches, student-athletes and staff, so we expect our AD vacancy will generate significant interest nationally," said SDSU President Stephen L. Weber. "In the meantime, we wish Mike well in his future endeavors and offer our most sincere thanks for his strong and successful leadership of our Athletics program."
Weber said he expects to have a new director running the Athletics Department by this summer. SDSU officials have selected Neinas Sports Services, a leading athletics executive search firm, to assist in identifying director candidates.
The new Athletic Director at SDSU will take over an Aztec Athletics program that, since Bohn's arrival in October 2003, has engaged with the community, set several attendance records, and become more stable operationally and financially. Recent accomplishments for SDSU's Athletics Department include the following:
· Improving football attendance by 59 percent in 2004 - the third-largest increase in attendance nationwide among Division I schools.
· Increasing corporate sponsorship 14 percent in 2004-05 to an all-time high of more than $1.3 million.
· Helping to secure the passage of an Instructionally Related Activities student fee increase that provides an additional $2.4 million annually to help stabilize the Athletics budget, redirects state funding to pay for more academic classes, and allows all students to attend SDSU athletic events for free.
· Creating and hosting innovative, high-profile events such as the KGB Sky Show at Aztec football games (the inaugural Aztec-related KGB Sky Show, after the SDSU-Idaho State game during the 2004 season, set an all-time Aztec football attendance record of 57,216); the Aztec Invitational at Petco Park baseball tournament in March 2004 (which set an all-time single-game college baseball attendance record of 40,106); and the inaugural San Diego Slam basketball tournament, which drew 9,000 fans to Cox Arena in December 2004.
· Improved department operations, supervisory reporting lines and accountability systems, including a reorganized Athletic Equipment Services (AES) operation that features computerized inventory and tracking software and upgraded operating and security systems.
Bohn also is credited in large part for restoring confidence and support for the program following two major Athletics-related investigations in 2003.
"Mike's accomplishments have been simply outstanding, and he's put us in a great position to accomplish more in the future," said Sally Roush, vice president of Business Affairs. "Steve Becvar also has played a significant part in many of these achievements, so I'm confident he and the rest of the Athletics staff are set to uphold the high standards of the department as we go through this transition process."
Becvar joined SDSU in late 2003. Previously he worked for the NBA's Memphis Grizzlies, the XFL's Memphis Maniax and the Air Force Academy.
"My immediate focus is to guide the Athletics Department through this transition period and work with our outstanding staff and coaches to build on the momentum we've created," said Becvar.
San Diego State University is the oldest and largest higher education institution in the San Diego region. Since it was founded in 1897, the university has grown to offer bachelor's degrees in 81 areas, master's degrees in 72 areas and doctorates in 16 areas. SDSU's nearly 33,000 students participate in an academic curriculum distinguished by direct contact with faculty and an increasing international emphasis that prepares them for a global future. For more information, visit www.sdsu.edu.