UTEP, under that name or others has been competing in sports for over a hundred years. But, we have to keep in mind that a hundred years ago El Paso was the big city west of the Mississippi. There were street cars and lighted streets. The tallest building west of the Mississippi was in El Paso. The thing is, the cities east of the Mississippi weren’t in the middle of nowhere. The college would play other teams from other small schools located nearby and the YMCA teams and the high school teams of El Paso High. We even played teams such as Arizona and Texas Tech in the early days. Over the years, the wild west was tamed and cities grew in size in the west, and the entire population shifted dramatically on the left coast. History. I have no desire to get into history any more than to look at the AD’s to get an idea of their impact. Keep in mind that Bob Stull has had the position for a considerable portion of the entire history of the school at this point. I am going to start with the general idea that the tremendous changes that have taken place in the last fifty years will make it hard enough to get an idea of the impact of the AD. Maybe that is a point needed to be kept in mind going forward. Perhaps the most important thing an AD can do is prepare for the unknown and understand trends.
Since Bob Stull held the position for so many years, the general questions I would ask about a line of succession in AD’s at most schools perhaps, will end up being an evaluation of Stull’s tenure. It will also give us an idea of where we might go.
Let’s start with some main areas involved with the AD. Physical properties, hiring and firing coaches, and the student athletes themselves seems to be a good place to start. Oh, and the public. Stull brought about the Durham Center and the Sun Bowl makeover. That was huge, when it happened. The Foster Stevens basketball facility is very impressive, and Stull can take credit for that. The Hellen of Troy softball complex is a jewel, and his too. Many would also say that there is still so much left to be done. The Sun Bowl is old and some very basic things such as plumbing are showing their age. Kidd Field is no jewel, anymore. So, Stull has done...
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http://www.kyyotesden.com/will-a-new-athletic-director-change-anything-at-utep-part-1/
