Bohn Introduced As CU Athletic Director

BOULDER - Mike Bohn was introduced as just the sixth athletic director in University of Colorado history Wednesday morning, as he has returned to the place where he starred as a prep athlete before embarking on a journey that would take him all over the western half of the United States.

He will begin his appointment immediately after the CU Board of Regents approves his hiring at its next meeting (April 28). Once officially approved, Bohn will sign a five-year contract with the university with his base compensation $250,000 for the first year. The contract including incentives totaling up to $100,000 annually, which will be tied to specific performance goals.

Bohn, 44, comes to Colorado from San Diego State University, where he left an indelible imprint in just 18 months as the Aztecs' director of athletics.

Interim chancellor Phil DiStefano introduced Bohn to a gathering of about 150 that included the media, coaches and staff, administration, faculty and students. The announcement took place at Bohn's request on the south lawn of the CU Recreation Center, adjacent to Sewall Hall, not too far from the heart of the Boulder campus.

"I am very pleased that we were able to attract someone of Mike's great character, integrity, experience and dedication to athletic and academic success," DiStefano said. "It is sufficient to say that I firmly believe this program will be in very good hands with Mike Bohn.

"As an athletic director, I am giving Mike full responsibility for leading this department out of a difficult period into bright days ahead. We both agree on the need to continue implementing the action plan begun last year, and Mike is fully committed to executing the reforms as well as any other initiatives he may wish to develop."

"I think it (location of the announcement) really embodies the sense of spirit I feel right now on campus and I hope in the community because it is very important for us to engage every constituent group that makes our program great," Bohn said. "Donors, fans, students, coaches, staff, the media and people who help represent the great things that are happening here on campus. It is really exciting to learn so much in such a short time about the great things the staff and coaches are doing. The University of Colorado is a diamond. Right now it needs some polishing in some certain areas, but there are some great things in place.

"At many programs across the country there are challenges," he said. "That is not unique to the University of Colorado, and I believe that many of those are behind us. I am looking forward to rallying with the people we have and the staff and the supporters. It is important for fans, donors and sponsors to understand their roles, too. With their support and their engagement and the student body engaged, things will turn around a lot faster than if we begin by continuing to worry about what maybe happened in the past or what wasn't particularly positive. You have to learn from those, move on and begin to expose that diamond I was talking about that I think is so important.

"It is time for all of us to unite together and build this into something very special that we all know it can be."

Bohn replaces Jack Lengyel, who served as interim athletic director since last December 1; Lengyel took over the position when Dick Tharp stepped down on November 22. Tharp held the role from 1996 through 2004, as he followed three legendary men in CU athletic history, Harry Carlson (1927-65), Eddie Crowder (1965-84) and Bill Marolt (1984-96).

Aside from Lengyel, who came out of retirement to serve in an interim capacity, Bohn is the first person to be named CU athletic director without having previously worked within the CU system. Carlson and Crowder were coaches upon being named, Marolt returned to CU where he coached for 10 years before leaving for the U.S. Olympic ski team, and Tharp was a university attorney with strong CU-Boulder campus ties.

"The most important thing I can do is come in here, support the 17 sports and all those head coaches and student-athletes with a level of enthusiasm and energy," Bohn said. "I have to support them and create every opportunity I can for them to be successful. I know they have gone through some significant budget cuts, so I have got to find a way to restore that, to inspire people to be involved with this program, have some fun with it and help them be successful.

"One important thing is long-term vision," he added. "There is no question that I believe that that has to be a priority for me and the decisions that we make are to do things for the long term. People need to understand that things are not going to happen over night. We are going to have to work hard to do everything we can to make it go. We are going to make decisions that are sound fiscally, sound based on every aspect of the importance of long-term relationships with virtually everyone we deal with. Whether it is a great corporate sponsor, whether it's a longtime donor or whether it's a coaching staff, we have to keep continuity to do everything we can for the long term."

Bohn's brief tenure at San Diego State featured many remarkable accomplishments, including the instilling of energy, enthusiasm, accountability and determination into the Aztec staff. Officially named SDSU athletic director on October 6, 2003, his immediate task was to unify the athletic department, the campus and the community of San Diego.

Bohn strategically and steadily restructured the SDSU athletic department with emphasis on fund raising, fiscal responsibility, compliance and academics.

Under his watch, San Diego State set a new single-game attendance record in football when more than 57,000 fans watched the Aztecs' win over Idaho State in the 2004 season opener. The average football attendance of 35,995 in 2004 was the best at the school since 1993, with the increase of 14,369 fans per game marking the third largest attendance jump in the country.

The enthusiasm spread to other sports. SDSU blanked Houston, 4-0, and set a college baseball record with a crowd of 40,106 on hand in the opener of San Diego's PETCO Park. When the Aztecs hosted Colorado State in a 2005 Big Monday basketball battle, SDSU set a school record with nearly 4,000 students crammed into Cox Arena for the event.

He landed the San Diego State position after serving five years as athletic director at the University of Idaho (1999-2003), where he first made his mark as a lead administrator in the area of transformation.

At Idaho, he developed projects for new facilities, increased community and corporate support, and produced balanced budgets for the department after inheriting an operation that had accumulated a deficit of over $1 million.

During his five years in Moscow, he oversaw the transition of the Vandals to the Division I-A ranks from the Big Sky Conference. Under Bohn, Idaho began construction on the Vandal Athletics Center, the first facilities improvement for UI athletics in two decades. He was also the driving force behind a 20-percent increase in the Vandal Scholarship Fund and a $350,000 surge in annual corporate support.

Between Idaho and San Diego State, Bohn hired 12 head coaches in all as well as several administrators.

Bohn prepared for his career goal of becoming a Division I athletic director entirely in the state of Colorado, his adopted "native" state despite being born in Illinois; he moved to Colorado with his family when he was 1-year old.

His first job in athletic administration came at the Air Force Academy, where he worked for the better part of nine years (1984-92). During his tenure in Colorado Springs, Bohn advanced from an intern to assistant athletic director. He served as executive director of the Blue and Silver Club, as well as other external operations throughout his stay at the academy. He played a major role in the increase of football season ticket sales from 6,000 to 20,000 and implemented a fundraising campaign that generated $16 million for stadium improvements.

From 1992 to 1995, Bohn served as Director of Marketing for the College Football Association, where he worked for one of the most respected people in the history of college athletics, Chuck Neinas (the one-time Big Eight Conference commissioner). The CFA, the precursor to the current Bowl Championship Series, consisted of six major football conferences encompassing 67 universities. He created and developed the CFA "Good Works Team" which recognized significant off-the-field accomplishments in the area of community relations of 11 football student-athletes nationally (a team that is still selected today by the American Football Coaches Association).

Bohn was involved in many facets of the organization's operations, including the administration of a $67 million television package involving ABC, ESPN and ESPN2. He also formulated a blueprint for the promotion and development of the image of college football as a whole.

He then moved on to Colorado State University, where he spent the next three years (1996-98) as an associate athletic director for the Rams. At CSU, he was responsible for all external revenue-producing operations, including ticket sales, fund raising through the Greater Ram Club, licensing, corporate sales, signage, capital campaigns and broadcasting rights fees, as well as special events.

Along with increasing revenue on several fronts, Bohn helped escalate student interest in CSU athletics while working with Associated Students of Colorado State University.

He earned his bachelor's of arts degree from the University of Kansas in 1983, where he was recruited as a quarterback and also played baseball. He then graduated with a master's degree in sports administration from Ohio University in 1984. While earning his master's, he worked as a graduate assistant football coach for the Bobcats.

Bohn is a former member of the NCAA Championships Cabinet and the Division I-A Athletics Directors Association Executive Council. During his stay at Idaho, he was a member of the Big West Conference executive committee and served on the University of Idaho executive council.

Born November 16, 1960 in Hinsdale, Ill., he graduated from Boulder High School where he lettered in football, basketball and baseball. He is married to the former Kim Zeren, and the couple has two children, Michaelyn (21) and Brandon (19).

Mike Bohn is believed to be the first athletic administrator to work at three of the state's Division I-A colleges (CU, Air Force, Colorado State and Denver). Only one coach is thought to have spent time at three schools: Terry Dunn served as assistant basketball coach at Air Force (1991-94), Colorado State (1994-96) and then CU (1996-2004). Several high profile people have logged time in at two of the schools; those who spent time at CU and one other include assistant football coaches Kay Dalton (CU/CSU), Chuck Heater (CU/CSU), Tom McMahon (CU/CSU) and Dan Stavely (CU/DU); track coaches Don Meyers (CU/CSU) and Jerry Quiller (CU/CSU); sports information directors Steve Hatchell (CU/CSU) and Tim Simmons (CU/CSU); gymnastics coach Dan Garcia (CU/DU), golf coaches Sammie Chergo and Eric Hoos (both assistants at CU and then head coaches at DU); assistant trainer Ed Lochrie (CU/DU); and development employee Chris Kiser (CU/CSU).

QUOTES:

Interim Chancellor Phil DiStefano

On Mike Bohn: "It is my pleasure to announce the selection ? pending approval by the Board of Regents ? of Mike Bohn to lead our athletic department. Mike requested the location of this news conference on this campus because it indicates his commitment of integrating athletics to the campus life.

"Mike has risen through the ranks. From a high school player right here in Boulder, Colo., to a student-athlete at the University of Kansas, to mid-level management in athletic administration, to directing marketing efforts for the College Football Association, Air Force Academy and Colorado State University, to athletic director positions at both the University of Idaho and San Diego State ? Mike has solid experience in fundraising and community outreach."

CU Athletic Director Mike Bohn

General: "Before I get too much into the University of Colorado, I think it is very important for me to say how appreciative and how fortunate I've felt to have had the opportunity to work with Stephen Weber at San Diego State University. I learned more from him probably in the shortest amount of time than anybody I've ever worked for. Steve Weber is a great president and a president who understands and appreciated athletics. I think that when (schools like CU) begin to look at other opportunities, they look for those similar traits (Weber has) and new leadership. And, I think I saw that from day one with Phil DiStefano, (vice chancellor) Ric Porreca, the coaches here and the staff here. That's why it's exciting to be a part of this team. I talked earlier about the fact that we need to work together and unite and do everything we can to present this program as something we can all take pride in. I think that is why it's exciting as a Boulder native to come back and see that we can pull all this together and work as a team.

"Right away it was evident that the leadership here was outstanding. (CU's leaders) understand these issues and they want this program to succeed in every way. They want our student-athletes to graduate, and that was never in doubt. I can't speak for the chancellor, but I think the times that we've talked about different things and visited with Ric, was a very, very comfortable discussion. And, that is awesome. That doesn't come easily and I don't take that for granted. I think people need to understand that the leadership at the University of Colorado wants to build this program the right way, and that is an exciting feeling for me as the new athletic director.

"We have serious issues to work on, but we also have some things as a foundation to work with. This is an honor and a pleasure to work with you, to work with students walking by wondering, ?Who's that guy over there talking saying "Go Buffs?"' But you know what, I think it is about them. It is about their heartbeat and their passion and their spirit. I just couldn't be prouder to be here. My family is excited to be here and we are looking forward to going to work right away. Again, I am very excited to be here. I think this is a great day for our athletic program, for this university for the city of Boulder and for all of Colorado. It is time for all of us to unite together and build this into something very special that we all know it can be."

On Future Goals for CU: "When you begin to look at college athletics, it takes everybody to be involved and help making support of it. At the University of Idaho we were fortunate to have great support ? also at San Diego State University ? from the administration, from the chancellor's office and from virtually every area that affects the campus."

On His First Order of Business: "The first thing I wanted to do was join the booster club. If I think it is important that the athletic director and the members of this staff are committed to the importance of donations, then I have to lead the way there. I had a great day yesterday with all the CU Foundation employees talking about our fundraising efforts and marketing efforts."

On CU's Reporting Structure: "I think there is so much made out of a reporting structure that it doesn't make a hill of beans to be honest with you. When I took the job at San Diego State, I didn't report to the president and everyone thought that was the craziest thing. I reported to the vice president of finance, and that was the smartest decision they ever made. It is a team game and there is no question the chancellor and the president and everybody else has a role, but (reporting structures) are way overrated. It's about people working together on the team. When you talk about the leadership of the chancellor, and Ric and outside people, they all have a role to play. We have to bring all those constituent groups together and let everybody know that their role is significant and we need that.

"We want to try to get everybody on the same page from the get-go so we can unite everyone and let people know, ?Hey, we're headed in the right direction! Let's get this diamond shined up a bit and go to work.'"

On Status of Gary Barnett: "I'm not sure if there is any need for a strong statement. Gary is our football coach and I am looking forward to working with him and all of our coaches. We are going to do everything we can for them to be successful on and off the field. We are going to go to work. I had a great opportunity to spend some one-on-one time with Gary immediately when I arrived. He and I had some dialogue and went to dinner last night. This is a very comfortable situation. People understand the issues that are in place and people recognize we want to build the program the right way and put everything together so we can make everyone proud about our program. I think if you are trying to polarize it or bring it down to one specific quote or soundbite, then I don't think that'd be accurate. I expect him to be the great leader that head football coaches at this level are.

"Right now we're focused on trying to build our teamwork and our unity in the department and on campus. All of our coaches are a part of that. Head coaches are the stars of any viable athletic program. So, I expect our coaches to be exactly that. That is the same for all of them."

On People Questioning His Decision to Come to CU: "I think the ones that talked to me about (staying at SDSU) were people that are close enough to me that they recognized the outstanding environment we had at San Diego State. I think that they were simply just trying to protect me. But then when they began to recognize that this opportunity maybe comes along once in a lifetime, and the opportunity to not only be the athletic director in your hometown, but also be at an athletic program with a great history, a great tradition, a great stature in a great conference and the ability to continue to do that in the long term, is what makes it great. And, the hometown is a bonus; it is the icing on top of the cake. But the foundation of the program here, the institution and the leadership and the energy behind it is what makes it viable. That's why I really had to explain to them, ?Darn it, if all those things are in place, then this is a great place.' I think I have the energy, the experience, the youth and the appropriate fit to be a leader to help make a difference in this program. I feel like I want to go in there and join all those forces and try and make a difference to make it go."

On CU's Current Staff/Administration: "We've got great people and hard working people. They are people that need to be pulled together as a team to let them do some great stuff. We are going to do everything we can to make sure they are supported. There is no question that I believe that this staff is a little beaten down. But from day one when I met with them at 8 a.m., I said, ?Let's go to work. Let's have a great attitude.' I think that goes back into the theme of being user-friendly. If you have a great attitude it will be contagious and will infect others with great attitudes.

"I expect our coaches and staff to have a great attitude. If that happens then things will take care of themselves. We want people to know they're important and we want them involved in our program. To people that have considered over the years that maybe they don't want to be a part of this program, or maybe have had some doubts, this is the first invitation to come out and engage with us and allow us to show that we are going to build this program in the right way with a great deal of integrity and transparency. We'll have a lot of fun and we want them to be a part of it."

On the Possibility of a Permanent 12th Football Game: "I think we need to look and be really smart (about the possibility). I have been fortunate to sit and have some time with Gary already and talk about scheduling. So, we need to be smart, but we do want to bring in great games that make sense for us regionally and teams we will look forward to competing with."

Head FB Coach Gary Barnett

On Mike Bohn: "We have sat down, but we're just getting to know each other. We didn't talk about expectations. We just found that we're both on the same page with a lot of things. We all want this to go in the right direction with the same degree of energy and enthusiasm that he displayed out here today.

"I guess what was going through my mind while (Bohn spoke) was his display of energy and enthusiasm and excitement about being here. I think in many ways he represents the first big step forward, instead of the shuffling and backward steps that we've had to take. That's why everybody is here. They came to see the energy and enthusiasm we're moving forward with."

Colorado University Athletics

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