Columnist Ron Kantowski: LV Bowl boss begins working on the ADs

Tuesday, April 13, 2004 | 9:43 a.m.

Ron Kantowski is a Las Vegas Sun sports writer. Reach him at ron@lasvegassun.com or (702) 259-4088.

Because snow shovels will easily outnumber 7-irons, there's a chance it will be business as not-so-usual at the Mountain West Conference meetings in Park City, Utah, this week.

In other words, some actually may be conducted.

Las Vegas Bowl director Tina Kunzer-Murphy, for one, will be taking her briefcase along with a name badge to the confab, which began today and runs through Thursday.

This will be the first spring session for four of the MWC's eight athletic directors, although at least Kunzer-Murphy won't have to introduce herself to UNLV's Mike Hamrick. But it's important she gets to know the other new guys -- Mark Driscoll at Colorado State, Gary Barta at Wyoming and Mike Bohn at San Diego State -- what with this being the last year of the LV Bowl's contract with the MWC.

"I think there will be some honest dialogue about the Las Vegas Bowl taking the Mountain West champion," she said.

With its contract with the Liberty Bowl also set to expire, the Mountain West wants to send its champion to Sam Boyd Stadium beginning in 2005. While Kunzer-Murphy said the inclusion of the MWC champion would help the game from a promotional standpoint, what if it's a team that doesn't travel well? Or one that played in Las Vegas earlier in the year in a regularly scheduled game against the Rebels?

That's a situation the Las Vegas Bowl has been able to avoid under its current agreement, which is second pick of the MWC's bowl eligibles.

While getting the right MWC team is always a crap shoot, the LV Bowl is a little more comfortable with choosing fifth among the bowl eligibles from the Pac-10, whose teams generally travel a little better. The Pac-10 and bowl game recently signed a two-year extension.

Kunzer-Murphy said if she is successful in getting the game moved off Christmas Day or Christmas Eve, when Oregon State dropped a lump of coal in New Mexico's stocking last year, perhaps she could put her rabbit's foot away.

She said she's still waiting from ESPN, the game's de facto title sponsor, about a proposal to move the game to Dec. 23.

"We haven't finalized it yet, but we're pressing to get the 23rd," she said, adding that the phone call from Bristol, Conn., could come any day.

At least it had better, or the Las Vegas Bowl may soon be pushing up Astro Bluebonnets from a shallow grave.

Azevado, a two-time Nevada state champion who went on to grapple at Arizona State and Iowa State, finished fourth in the 121kg (265 pounds) freestyle division, falling to third-seeded Teague Moore in the third-place match. Azevado, whose father Mark is head wrestling coach at Durango High, went 5-2 in the tournament and was the only wrestler with Las Vegas ties to qualify for the May 21-23 trials.

At least, that's the idea, said Tina Kunzer-Murphy, who as general manager of ESPN Regional is also responsible for finding replacements for Neverett and Korach.

"We've received 18 (audition tapes and/or CDs) which is pretty good for not advertising (the openings)," she said, adding that she would begin reviewing the resumes along with Andy Grossman and Mark Wallington of the UNLV sports information department, with a decision(s) expected in 4-6 weeks.

"Getting one guy to do both would be really great," Kunzer-Murphy said.

Part of the problem in getting somebody with experience is that the job is structured as a part-time position which pays on a per-game basis, rather than a salary.

Which, come to think of it, makes it sort of like playing Division I football or basketball.