Columnist Dean Juipe: UNLV should take coach up on offer

Dean Juipe

Friday, July 27, 2001 | 9:46 a.m.

Dean Juipe's column appears Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. His boxing notebook appears Thursday. Reach him at juipe@lasvegassun.com or 259-4084.

When it was initially suggested that John Robinson add to his football coaching duties and take on the role of UNLV athletic director when the job officially comes open, my first reaction was that it wasn't a bad idea if he was so inclined.

Now that he's clearly the No. 1 candidate to replace the soon-to-be-departed Charlie Cavagnaro, everyone involved is taking a closer look at the pluses and minuses of the situation.

It has also given us reason to consider -- from a distance, mind you -- just how Cavagnaro occupies his time. With an array of administrative assistants flanking him in the office and with those assistants handling the day-to-day operations of the university's various sports, finances and NCAA requirements, he may have more free time than is commonly imagined.

If so, perhaps Robinson wouldn't be so pressed for time that he couldn't both coach the football team and serve as A.D.

It's apparent he wants to do it, even after turning 66 this week. High-level discussions have been held and the paperwork process is already in motion, although there are potential roadblocks with the likes of mandatory selection committees, et al.

As for why Robinson would willingly agree to increase his workload and responsibilities at his age, perhaps this old saying may help to explain it: "A rising tide raises all boats."

In other words, if Robinson's impact as A.D. was so positive that it led to UNLV fielding strong teams in every sport, it would make his primary job of recruiting football players easier. If UNLV were a sports powerhouse across the board -- which it was on the verge of becoming in the late 1980s and early 1990s -- then the all-important issue of football attendance would cease to be a concern, and, in turn, Robinson would be able to recruit a higher caliber of player.

And Robinson, by his very nature as easygoing pal who has the school's best interests at heart, would be a person who could patch up the problems of the recent past and mend the bridges that years of questionable practices within the athletic department have broken.

Be it ticket policies and prices that seem to have irritated and alienated hundreds of one-time fans, or parking inadequacies, or scheduling oversights, UNLV athletics have lost public support in recent years in spite of the school adding to its facilities. From the standpoint of its rapport with the community, the athletic department has relinquished ground under Cavagnaro (just as it had in the previous regime with Jim Weaver as A.D.).

It may take a man of Robinson's stature and affability to breathe some life into the athletic department, at least from the public's perception.

He's entertaining, he's talkative and he has been a success. He can relate to people in a natural manner that Cavagnaro and Weaver never approached or, seemingly, tried to convey.

With so much of the A.D.'s duties tied to his or her ability to raise money, it takes a likable person to get the job done. Robinson can handle that.

He can also coach his football team, perhaps while delegating additional work to his assistants.

The potential is there for everyone to be happy, which makes it a move worth trying.