Cajun AD search still in limbo

MeanGreen61 · January 15, 2006

Dan McDonald

dmcdonald@theadvertiser.com

Athletic directors across the Sun Belt Conference agree that the University of Louisiana's next athletic director will face budgetary challenges, just like virtually every other AD at virtually every other school.

The league athletic directors interviewed were well aware of details surrounding UL's search for a person to fill the school's top athletic post. They knew what hurricanes Katrina and Rita did to the university's plans for that slot.

Some of them privately admitted that if the Ragin' Cajun AD job isn't the best in the Sun Belt Conference, it's on the short list.

And at least one sitting Sun Belt athletic director, speaking on terms of anonymity, has a serious interest in the position.

ARTICLE

http://www.theadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll.../601150331/1006

Edited January 15, 2006 by MeanGreen61

Michael Scott · January 15, 2006

Does it rhyme with Dick Schmillareal?

Rumor alert! Rumor alert!

MeanGreen61 · January 16, 2006

Article published Jan 15, 2006

Committee remains on hold for now

Dan McDonald

theadvertiser.com

It's unknown when UL's search for an athletic director will come back to life.

UL President Ray Authement put the search on hold in November and said recently the selection committee would resume duties when enrollment figures became available for the spring semester. No date has been established for the 12-member search committee to rekindle the process.

"The enrollment figures will give us an idea on the budget," Authement said. "I'm not going to bring somebody in here and then cripple him with the budget on his first day."

The UL athletic department is facing a fiscal-year budget shortage of approximately $140,000 due to statewide budget cuts. That figure represents the department's segment of the university's five percent cut in state-provided revenue.

"Everybody knows the situation we're in here in Louisiana," Authement said. "I've talked to some of the candidates and they know we're going to have a couple of years of very difficult times."

Authement said the committee, headed by Hunter Trahan, will continue to accept applications.

"We're so much better prepared than anybody else in the state to meet with a financial crisis like this," Authement said. "We have the best chance other than LSU to come out of this in a positive and productive mode."