Fresno State Athletics
Bulldog Business Report with Thomas Boeh 8-26
8/31/2005 12:00:00 AM | General
Aug. 31, 2005
DOG ZONE: How have the first couple months treated you so far?Thomas Boeh: "As you would imagine, it has been a rather hectic pace. Just trying to meet a lot of people and there are hundreds of thousands that I still have not had a chance to spend some time with. We have been trying to balance our time dealing with external issues in addition to focusing in-house. There is some restructuring to do and there are issues to resolve so it's probably been a little more internal than anything else and it will be for the next couple months. You have to get your own shop in order before you go outside and start spreading the word."
DZ: What are your early thoughts on Fresno, the city?
TB: "It has been great although the areas I've seen most are where I sleep and my office. I still have not really been around too much. I did take one day and went up to the mountains for a few hours and really enjoyed that. I really believe everything that you would possibly want is here. The people have been very hospitable and very welcoming. I think we are going to have fun."
DZ: Is there a possibility that Fresno State will eventually bring back sports that have been eliminated (such as men's soccer) or pick up additional sports?
TB: "That's certainly a reasonable request. The reality is this: at Fresno State, and at other programs around the country, the trend has pointed to fewer programs partly because of the vast amount of monies needed to create the programs we have today. I would not want to rule out anything or promise anything at his point but we will not be able to discuss it seriously until we get our ship in shape. Not only from our financial model, but also being completely gender equitable and compliant with Title IX. As we grow, then we will only progress in an equitable way so we are not constantly trying to catch up one side or the other."
DZ: At times, the headlines have not been as favorable for Fresno State athletics, especially in the past year. What are your thoughts in regards to this topic?
TB: "Things happen pretty much everywhere at some point in time. I think what has given Fresno State a little more publicity than we are comfortable with, is we have had a lot of things happen in a short period of time. Whether these things have any credence or an investigation is required, the reality is that when you have this many things happen at one time you are going to draw attention to yourself."
DZ: On the flip side, would you say the opportunities here at Fresno State are very exciting and possibly even greater than what you experienced at Ohio?
TB: "There are so many programs that have done well. Not only the football program, walking into a top-20 ranking, but having a softball program like Margie Wright's that has enjoyed national success over the years. Those things are tremendously important for us to build upon. You look across campus and see the Save Mart Center, which is a state-of-the-art facility and one of the finest in the country. Add to that the tremendous passion of our fan base. The interest from around the Valley in Fresno State athletics is something we can take and use as a foundation to build a program that grows, competes with others around the nation and one we can be proud of on and off the field."
