Section B·Page 5
The University Daily Kansan Football
Monday, November 16, 1998
Matadors 'waiting for the storm to pass'
By Michael T. Rigg sports@kansan.com Kansan sportswriter
For the Cal State Northridge athletics department, the millennium can't end soon enough.
"What has happened to us in the past year has had major effects on how the university is perceived," said Northridge assistant athletics director Ryan Finney. "We're just waiting for the storm to pass."
The troubles for Northridge began last November, when then-women's basketball coach Michael Abraham resigned from his post after being arrested on charges of conspiracy to distribute and possession with the intent to distribute crack cocaine.
The arrest made former Northridge president Blenda Wilson lead an internal inquiry into whether athletic department staff members had any prior knowledge of the drug allegations, and Wilson's inquiry showed that former Northridge athletics director Paul Bubb and senior associate athletics director Judy Brame both had prior knowledge of Abraham's drug violations. Days later, both Bubb and Brame resigned.
"I wish to express my sincere wishes that this university be allowed to develop its athletic program to its fullest potential, and that everyone work toward that common goal." Bubb said upon his departure.
Unfortunately, that potential turned into more problems for Northridge as last May, an anonymous letter was sent to the school's athletics department outlining 20 major and secondary violations of NCAA compliance rules in the school's football program.
As a response to the letter, the Matadors athletics department released a 131-page report detailing the department's findings. Among these violations are inappropriate financial activities with the Quarterback Club, forged travel expense forms by former Matador football coach Ron Ponciano, and severe recruiting violations.
The recruiting violations uncovered by the school consisted of Ponciano, with the assistance of two
Northridge boosters, giving improper gifts to recruits, such as housing, meals, an airline ticket, the use of Ponciano's automobile, the use of an additional automobile for a recruit's personal use, and cash for a potential recruit's tuition at a community college.
The uncovering of these violations led to the firing of Ponciano last July. Ponciano, the 1998 Big Sky Conference Coach of the Year, had just hauled in a recruiting class that current Matadors head man Jeff Kearin said would experience success like no other Matador football class.
The deficit led to a Los Angeles Times article that suggested the school was considering dropping football altogether. Finney, however, said the report wasn't true.
While Ponciano's recruiting class was opening eyes around the nation last spring, university administrators were projecting a 1999-2000 athletic budget that would be operating at an annual deficit of $136,000, according to Finney.
"There is no truth whatsoever to the reports we're considering dropping any sports," Finney said. "I think people in the media and the community are hoping we do, but it's not going to happen."
The projected deficit also led to heightened fund-raising efforts and an influx of "guaranteed money," such as the $200,000 the school will receive by playing Kansas tomorrow.
"We decided that either we need to fund raise more or spend less," Finney said.
Finney said he was hoping the fund raising would lead to construction of a new stadium and a new practice field for the football team. Currently, construction has cut 30 yards off of the current Matador practice field, leaving Northridge to practice on a non-regulation 70-yard field.
While the budget crisis appears to have passed, university administrators are still awaiting word from the NCAA about Ponciano's violations. Finney said the hearings would start in about six or seven months.
Edited by Chris Hopkins
Kyle Ramsey/KANSAN
Thanks F.O.
Your stars came out at night for us
When our power went out Tuesday night, you came to our rescue and gave us four needed
hours to get the paper out. We couldn't have done it without you. You kept us juiced!
Kansan
At Stauffer-Flint from Facilities Operations:
Michael Davenport
Jimmy Hartzell
Dave McLaughlin
Randy Samuels
Bob Sample
Jim Scribner
John McWilliams
Phil Vannicola
Gary Weishaar
Mike Richardson