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VANDALS: Director has losing record

| July 30, 2014 9:00 PM

I have been an avid University of Idaho fan my entire life. The last few years have been very difficult for all Idaho alums due to the complete and total failure of our athletic program, or at least the sports that matter to most fans.

Many reasons have been speculated for the failure, and most often they are directed at the coaches. I would like to suggest that the failures lie not with coaches, but as in any organization it rests with the CEO, and in this case it’s Rob Spear, our director of athletics.

I think most knowledgeable fans would agree that the key responsibilities of an athletic director are to hire competent coaches, to oversee hopefully a successful fundraising program, and to ensure that the program meets all NCAA guidelines.

Here is Mr. Spear’s record in these areas. Mr. Spear was hired during the academic year 2003-04. Since that time he has hired five football coaches. Their combined record is 30 wins and 91 losses. In the same time frame he has hired two basketball coaches. Their combined record is 99 wins and 134 losses, although Coach Verlin’s record is 87-86. The Vandal Boosters’ fundraising goal each year is to raise enough funds to pay the cost of the athletic scholarships offered by the school. As most universities do, the university consistently raises about 50 percent of the needed funds.

In addition, the University of Idaho was one of 50 schools the NCAA named for not meeting Title IX requirements, and this year’s football team is ineligible for any bowl game due to academic deficiencies and athletes leaving school before completing their education objectives.

I think it’s time for the University of Idaho administration and/or the State Board of Education to do a thorough evaluation of Mr. Spear. He is the CEO of the University of Idaho’s athletic program and these failures are his responsibility.

The state of Idaho, the University of Idaho, the University of Idaho alums, and specifically the fans, deserve better.

A frustrated Vandal,

J.C. CHUD

Corvallis, Ore.