Fort Collins – Paul Kowalczyk’s first impression, how- ever brief, was a good one on Colorado State’s coaches.
During a whirlwind tour Tuesday before returning to Carbondale, Ill., Kowalczyk had his first look at the facilities, and met Rams football coach Sonny Lubick and the entire coaching staff. After a news conference, Kowalczyk was whisked back to the airport.
“He’s a very solid, energetic young man,” Lubick said of the 48-year-old Kowalczyk. “I told him any support he needs, he can count on us.”
Although Lubick has a lengthy wish list for his program, starting with assistant coaching salaries, he deferred to another day.
It was the first time Lubick did not meet a candidate before the new AD accepted the job. CSU president Larry Penley said he talked to Lubick during the search about his needs for his program.
Women’s basketball coach Jen Warden and other staff members were stunned by the security surrounding the hire.
“I’m as impressed with the hire as much as the confidentiality of the hire. It was nothing short of amazing,” Warden said.
Only volleyball coach Tom Hilbert, who served on the search committee and kept the secret from his colleagues, knew in advance.
“He’s a straight shooter. He has all the qualities that Dr. Penley was looking for,” Hilbert said of Kowalczyk.
During Kowalczyk’s tenure at Southern Illinois, the Salukis played in five consecutive men’s NCAA basketball tournaments, reaching the 2002 Sweet 16. CSU beat Southern Illinois in Fort Collins that season.
Kowalczyk solved an $800,000 deficit at Southern Illinois and started a scholarship fund, which raises $500,000 annually. CSU’s spring fundraising goal is $1.85 million.
In a Southern Illinois release, the Salukis’ coaches spoke well of Kowalczyk’s impact on the department. He reportedly was given a standing ovation by Southern Illinois coaches and staff members at a meeting to announce his decision to take the CSU job.
With the exception of losing a partial scholarship in track and field, Southern Illinois athletes scored well on the recent NCAA academic progress report. Men’s basketball and football ranked in the top 30 percent nationally and women’s basketball in the top 40 percent.
Kowalczyk and his wife, Peg, have no ties to Colorado but as avid outdoor enthusiasts, they have visited on skiing trips.
