For the first time in more than two decades, Wyoming reached out to one of its own for the athletic director’s job.
Tom Burman starts work Thursday when he moves across campus from his post as associate vice president for institutional advancement to the ever-growing athletic complex. A former associate athletic director and executive director of the Cowboy Joe Club who helped raise funds for the department’s athletic center, Burman spent almost six years as athletic director at Portland State before returning to Wyoming last March.
The Laramie native, 40, and 1988 Wyoming graduate was named Monday to the position, vacant since Gary Barta left for Iowa in June after barely more than 2 1/2 years in the department. The previous in-house athletic director was Paul Roach, who was hired in 1985 from the Cowboy Joe club office. Roach’s 11-year tenure saw the school’s best combined run in football and men’s basketball.
Burman said during a teleconference Monday that his Wyoming roots can help.
“If you have experience and ability and have a good staff, being a Wyoming guy can be an asset,” he said. “There’s some inherent equity for a Wyoming guy to go around the state and talk to boosters.”
Burman plans to meet with every coach within 30 days, saying: “We’ll review where we are and where we’d like to be. I want to know their challenges and what we can do to help.”
Burman said a top priority of the athletic department is raising $3.5 million for continued facility expansion and improvements to qualify for the remaining portion of a state matching grant. The school is starting construction on an indoor football/soccer practice facility and has made numerous improvements to War Memorial Stadium in the past few years.
The new athletic director agrees that the Mountain West Conference’s biggest issue this fall is its new TV package with CSTV. Although Wyoming is one of four states with cable access to the league’s own TV network, Burman said, “What I hear from fans is the television situation isn’t where we would like it to be.”
Wyoming president Tom Buchanan announced a four-year package with a base salary of $160,000.
