Fort Collins – Whether blasting a golf ball off a tee, talking to fans at a golf tournament and booster dinner or addressing a staff meeting, new Colorado State athletic director Paul Kowalczyk shoots straight.
His message is what he believes people need to hear, not necessarily what they want to hear.
“It’s nice to know you cheat with the best of them in golf,” Kowalczyk told fans at a recent Denver Ram Club function at Vista Ridge Golf Club in Erie, after recounting similar stops at Kansas State, Northwestern and Southern Illinois.
That line works at golf scrambles. However, if there’s a recurring theme Kowalczyk has established for his administration at Colorado State, it is: “Mediocrity is not acceptable.”
Said Marc Shkolnick, executive director of CSU’s alumni association, “He brings optimism and passion to CSU.”
A member of Kowalczyk’s foursome that day was Fort Collins businessman Rex Stahla, the new AD’s first “recruit” to join the Rams’ Legacy Club, for donors who pledge $50,000 over a five-year period. Stahla never has been a season-ticket holder, much less a Ram Club member.
“I met with Paul several times,” Stahla said. “I feel he has a great vision for CSU athletics, and I want to be part of that vision. I know he’s big into fundraising to increase the budget. I felt this would help.”
Kowalczyk, hired April 11 from Southern Illinois, also is hearing from disgruntled boosters such as Bill Evenson and James Young. They attended the golf outing and voiced their disappointment with the slide of the Rams’ football program, as well as the lack of recent success in basketball.
“He asked for patience. He said there may be some steps back before there are steps forward,” Young said.
Kowalczyk has gotten used to disgruntled fans, whether he hears from them in person or via e-mail.
“People are frustrated,” Kowalcyzk said. “They want to verbalize it. I’m the guy in charge, and they should let me know.”
As for fans who want coaching changes, Kowalczyk said personnel issues would remain strictly confidential.
“I’m not telling people what they want to hear on an individual basis,” he said. “I’m telling them there’s a vision for the program and they can feel good about it. We want to win; we want to do it with integrity and bring a lot of pride to this institution and our alums.
“You make a decision based on what’s best for the organization, best for the program and our student-athletes. We need that to achieve success, and the rest begins to flow. People are more willing to spend money. They want to be associated with a first-class program, a winning program.”
Kowalczyk said every program in his department will get a close look.
“Every coach, every program, every year will be analyzed because we expect to win,” he said. “We also expect to graduate our kids. We expect to run a first-class program where people aren’t in trouble and kids are going to class.”
Kowalczyk is putting in work days of 12 hours or more meeting people on campus, in the community and across the state.
CSU associate athletic director Gary Ozzello said he gets to work shortly after 7 a.m. and has yet to arrive before Kowalczyk.
Kowalczyk inherited a department that has been fiscally responsible as run by predecessor Mark Driscoll. CSU wrapped up the fiscal year last month slightly in the black.
“We’re in pretty good shape, but I’m looking at the longer term, out several years,” Kowal- czyk said. “I’m trying to determine our needs. We’re pretty even, but not putting anything into reserves.”
Stahla said Kowalczyk has emphasized the need for creating an endowment within the athletic department.
If there was a repeated theme among CSU fans attending the recent golf outing, it was: “I hope this guy sticks around,” in reference to the two- to three- year tenures of the school’s past two athletic directors.
Staff writer Natalie Meisler can be reached at 303-820-1295 or nmeisler@denverpost.com.
