Wolf Pack treasures past, builds future
by Chad Hartley, Outpost Contributor
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Sure, there are celebrations. And speeches. And honors handed out. But the University of Nevada athletic department isn't content to spend its centennial anniversary looking back. Instead, Nevada Athletics Director Chris Ault and his staff have set their sights on the next century.
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"We are
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For the Wolf Pack, as with any university, that means attracting money to build the programs that will take its teams to the next level.
Money moves athletic programs
The process of building athletic programs and departments is circular in nature. A program needs money to begin competition. Eventually, the program will build support from the fans who will dump money back into the program. The money is poured into facilities, which attract top-notch athletes and the fans who follow them.
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Colorful
game programs are a link to Nevada football
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"The biggest thing is that we keep moving forward," Ault said.
"But it is hard to do so when football and basketball are the only sports that bring in revenue," he said. "We only get so much money from the state."
Legacy Hall will house Hall of Fame and sports administration
Legacy Hall is an example of using donations for facilities rather than program development. It's a $4 million project entirely financed by monies Ault and his staff raised.
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The newest building on campus is necessary, according to Ault, to bring the athletic staff together. Currently, the administration and the men's coaching staff are housed in the Lawlor Annex. The women's staff has its offices in the Old Gym, a few hundred yards away.
While it seems the scheduled opening of the Legacy Hall in January is perfectly timed to celebrate the athletic centennial, Ault said it is just a wonderful coincidence.
"Actually it is really ironic that it worked out that way," Ault said. "Everything kind of just came together at the right time. We are certainly excited to have Legacy Hall completed this year though because it celebrates the past and gives back to the community."
Nevada sports arenas please players and fans
Legacy Hall will be the latest in a group of athletic facilities that have been called first-rate by sports officials in the West. Lawlor Events Center, where the Wolf Pack men's and women's basketball teams play, holds more than 12,000 fans. The baseball team's home field, Peccole Park, plays host to one of the top-20 crowds among Division I teams based on average attendance per season.
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Athletics department staff raised $4 million for Legacy Hall, scheduled to open in January 1999. Photo by Jason Myers |
Pack football coach Jeff Tisdel, an all-American quarterback for Nevada in the 1970s, said Mackay is a great place for collegiate football.
"When you think of football from a fan's perspective, I would say Mackay is a very exciting place," Tisdel said. "It is a great field, too. Our staff really keeps the field in great shape."
The Pack players value the shape of the field so much that it sometimes inspires the players during the game.
"We look at Mackay like it is our house," Pack cornerback Don Morgan said. "We don't like people messing with our house."
Pack repays Aggies for ripping Mackay turf
The extremes to which the Pack will go to protect the field was evident after last year's heart-breaking loss to Utah State. After the game, the Aggies players took joy in tearing up the turf at Mackay during their post-game celebration, an act that act stirred strong emotions among Pack players.
"We were really mad at what they did to our field last year," Nevada running back Chris Lemon said. "We were looking for revenge."
As a motivational tool, Tisdel cut a small patch from the Mackay turf this year and took it with the team to Logan, Utah, in November.
"I wanted to remind the kids what they did to us last year," Tisdel said.
While nobody will admit what happened to the piece of turf after Nevada won this year's game, Tisdel said it was put in a good place.
"Let's just say that Utah State will remember next year where it was put," he said.
Mackay, Lawlor and the rest of the facilities play a large role in attracting student-athletes to the university.
"I think the biggest effect of our facilities is in recruiting," Ault said. "When you are trying to attract the top student-athletes, your facilities are what is really put under the microscope."
New athletic conference may be on horizon
But what Ault, Tisdel and the rest of the department want is to put the school on higher level athletically. Nevada became a Division I-A school in 1992 and a member of the Big West Conference the same year.
The Big West, while competitive within the conference, is not widely considered as one of the tougher leagues in the sports that matter: football and basketball. Those two sports are generally the revenue-generating programs at most universities.
With the upcoming departure of eight teams from the Western Athletic Conference, it has been speculated that Nevada may be asked to join a new conference for next season.
"I have said that we are committed to the Big West," Ault said. "We would certainly consider a move if there is an expansion and if there is an opportunity. There are a lot of factors involved, not the least of which is monetary considerations."
It seems likely that Nevada will receive an invitation to join the remaining schools of the WAC for competition next fall. But the university would prefer an offer from the eight schools that left the WAC: UNLV, Colorado State, Air Force, Utah, BYU, San Diego State, Wyoming and New Mexico. Those schools will form the Mountain West Conference effective July 1.
Nevada has the facilities, the staff and the commitment to take the school's athletics to the next level. Now all Ault, Tisdel and company can do is wait and see what happens in the future while celebrating the past.
"When you consider all of the tradition here and everything that has been accomplished, it really is an honor to be part of that history and to help build the next 100 years here," Tisdel said.
Posted Dec. 4,
1998
Copyright 1998 Nevada Outpost
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