Montana AD Hogan shines under bright lights

Steve Guiremand

Wednesday, July 30, 2003 | 8:57 a.m.

Following a whirlwind two days of meetings with UNLV faculty, coaches and boosters, Montana athletic director Wayne Hogan flew back home Tuesday night to Missoula.

If the all the smiles, compliments and thumbs-up signs he received from those involved in the interview process meant anything, Hogan may be returning to Las Vegas on a more permanent basis very soon.

The first of three finalists to be interviewed for UNLV's vacant athletic director job, Hogan's interview could probably be summed up in one word:

Wow.

"I was very impressed with him," UNLV football coach John Robinson said.

That comment was echoed by everybody from athletic department personnel who met with Hogan to boosters departing a social gathering with Hogan at the Foundation Building on campus Tuesday afternoon.

"They'd be crazy not to hire him," said Wyoming football coach Joe Glenn, who spent the past three years working for Hogan at Montana. "He'd do a super job here.

"I'm guessing that they'll hire him and I'm guessing he'll do a great job."

Hogan, who played a key role in building up the athletic programs at both Florida State and Montana, said he was impressed by what he saw during his visit.

"I've met a lot of great people," he said. "I have nothing but high praise for what is going on here. The leadership here obviously have the right thing in mind for the future. This has been a very rewarding experience for me."

Hogan said he was especially impressed with UNLV's athletic facilties.

"They're phenomenal," he said. "And I've been to a lot of college campuses.

"Most places you go to, the first thing they say is, 'Oh, by the way, we need to build this and we need to build that.' The next thing you know you're facing $100 million worth of needs in your facilities. Here you don't have that, so everything can be geared toward improving your programs. That's a huge advantage."

Hogan said he has a blueprint for moving UNLV's athletic program ahead much like he did at Florida State, as an associate AD, and Montana.

"I take a lot of things I've learned at Florida State," he said. "I was there when there was a tremendous amount of growth and a tremendous amount of success. There were a small number of people who were a part of that back in those early days. I took a lot of what I was able to gain there and I applied it, believe it or not, 3,000 miles away in Missoula. Tallahassee to Missoula is a big move, but the characteristics of what created the success are the same.

"You can also take that blueprint and put it here in Las Vegas. These are all characteristics that all great programs have. I think we can do that here."

Hogan met twice with UNLV president Dr. Carol Harter, who will make the final decision on who replaces Robinson as AD.

"(She has) a great understanding of the issues that are not only facing UNLV but also the Mountain West Conference," Hogan said. "She has been a part of the football oversight group, so she's very in tune with what's happening with the BCS and postseason football."

Hogan said he was also impressed with the closeness of the athletic department staff.

"There's a family atmosphere there," he said. "I know it sounds corny, but I felt a real warmth there, a real tight-knit group of people who are going to be receptive to whoever (the new athletic director) is going to be. You never know what you're going to walk into in that situation. That was pleasant."

The other finalists for the job, East Carolina athletic director Mike Hambrick and Idaho's Mike Bohn, still have not set up interviews according to screening committee chairman Andy Fry.

Hambrick, who initially told the Sun on July 1 "to scratch his name off the list" as a candidate for the job, figures to be Hogan's toughest competition for the job after earning high marks for his contributions in Conference USA and with the Pirates.

"I have been contacted by UNLV and also by the search firm," Hambrick told the Sun. "I've been made aware that I'm a finalist for the position. I would be comfortable if anything else about the job came from UNLV. I think that is appropriate."

Hambrick stood by his earlier statement that he did not apply for the job.

"I did not apply for the job," he said. "I was approached by the search firm. At the time I was not interested in the position but since that time I've had further discussions with the search firm and decided to explore the opportunity."

Hambrick, like Hogan, is a good friend of Mountain West Conference commissioner Craig Thompson.