UNLV assistant AD Koloskie keeps things running

When you decide to become a trainer, mending and fixing things comes with the territory.

It may be a sprained ankle, a torn ligament or a broken heart. Whatever the problem, you are entrusted with making a bad situation better.

So when UNLV desperately needed a bridge to be built between its coaches, staff and the athletic director's office -- and have some fences mended in the process -- it called upon the trainer with the Pete Rose hairdo and the Charlie Hustle work ethic.

For Jerry Koloskie, it was no more of a problem than taping an ankle or pushing a joint back in place. Sixteen years at UNLV has provided him plenty of knowledge about the lay of the land. He knows the anatomy of the school like he knows former Rebel Larry Johnson's lower back.

The longtime trainer is now the No. 2 man in the athletic department, acting as athletic director Charlie Cavagnaro's right-hand man.

Koloskie could have stayed on as the Rebel basketball team's trainer. But he thought he could be more productive in administration as the associate athletic director.

"This is a business of helping people," Koloskie said. "As much as I've enjoyed being a trainer, I thought I could do more good in administration."

So did Cavagnaro, who brought him on board a year ago as an assistant AD for sports medicine and operations before promoting him to associate AD in mid-May.

History buff

"He knows the history here (at UNLV) and he brings that perspective to the job, something I think is very important," Cavagnaro said. "He has no hidden agendas and his trustworthiness speaks for itself. I know that he is very fair."

And fairness is something that has been lacking within the athletic department. There has been consternation among the coaches over budgets, paperwork and trying to administer their own programs.

As money grew tighter, solutions became scarce. It got to the point where the lines of communication between some of the coaches and the senior athletic administration virtually were nil.

Koloskie saw this. He also heard it as coaches would talk to him, hoping he could get Cavagnaro to listen.

"At times, it was very frustrating," soccer coach Barry Barto said. "You didn't think anyone would be listening.

"But Jerry's been here a long time and he knows how this place works. In the short time since Charlie promoted him you can see the difference. Things are getting done. You can go in and talk to him and know he's going to listen. You may not always get what you want, but at last you can move forward."

Answer man

Football coach Jeff Horton had a dilemma one day. The wind screen that covers the fence at the Rebel Park practice field was in disrepair. But when you're trying to run a football program, you don't have time to be hanging nylon.

Horton went to see Koloskie. When the football team returns from Mesquite Tuesday, it will be looking at a new covering.

"Jerry's been on the other side," Horton said. "He understands how coaches think and what their particular needs are. People feel a lot closer with him and they're more comfortable having him there.

"There's no question he has made my job easier. I think hiring Jerry was one of the best moves Charlie has made. He's the magic edge to bring things together."

Koloskie said his primary goal is to make things within the athletic department move smoother so the coaches' jobs will be easier. Hopefully, he said, that will lead to improved performances by the athletes on the playing field.

"My role is to make their programs as successful as I can," Koloskie said. "Our coaches are our biggest asset. We have to know what their needs are and make sure we can provide them the resources to help them do their job easier."

It can be as simple as accepting a phone call to answer a question on budgets or to sign a travel requisition form, so an assistant can go on a recruiting trip. To the coaches, those little things are big.

"I can't tell you how much easier he has made my job," basketball coach Bill Bayno said. "The same energy and enthusiasm he had as a trainer, he brings that to his job (as associate AD).

"You know he's going to bust his butt for the university. He's loyal. He's hard-working. He cares."

Ups and downs

Koloskie has seen it all in his 16-year run at UNLV. He was there for the highs, such as the 1990 national championship by the Rebel basketball team. And he was there for the lows, such as when he spent a week as the coach when Rollie Massimino resigned just before the start of practice for the 1994-95 season.

"That whole week was unbelievable," Koloskie said of the national championship. "I don't know if you can top that. It was so special being part of it.

"I'll always remember my family being there to share the moment and John Spiker, my mentor from West Virginia, was there as well. But just being there in a packed house, going back to the hotel, people yelling and screaming. It was an unforgettable experience."

As for his experience as "Coach K" in '94, Koloskie said, "That was the oddest thing. But I give all the credit to the athletes. Those were difficult times. But for them to respond the way they did was really special."

Koloskie was back as trainer when former assistant Tim Grgurich returned. But in what was part of a tumultuous season, Grgurich left the team in early January after taking ill. For Koloskie, seeing one of his close friends go through a terrible ordeal was difficult.

"Gerg and I are very close and that was tough to see him go through that," Koloskie said. "But he's fine and things worked out. We still talk."

Bridging the gap

Dave Rice, an assistant on Bayno's staff and a member of the 1990 national championship team as well as the 1991 Final Four squad, said having someone like Koloskie who knows the terrain of UNLV and respects the history of the school is vital.

"He understands perspective of the athletes and the coaches and he leads by example," Rice said. "He's the perfect person to help us bridge the gap from past success to future championships."

The future is very much on Koloskie's mind. He has several pet projects to help guide UNLV into its new league next year as well as the millennium.

One is to provide a comprehensive financial and marketing plan for all sports, so there's no need to make cuts to present a balanced budget every spring for the following year.

Another is to boost exposure of the school's Olympic, or traditional non-revenue sports.

Finally, he wants the coaches to feel like they are part of the solution instead of being made to feel like they're part of the problem.

"I think we need to develop some priorities for each of the next three years," he said. "We need to see what needs to be done now and what can be done down the road.

"The coaches are looking to see what we're doing and how we're going to get there. They have input, absolutely."

Fresh ideas

Koloskie said the department has a season ticket campaign under way for Olympic sports. For $75, a person can purchase a pass that provides admission to all women's basketball, volleyball, men's and women's soccer games as well as swimming and tennis.

Such a plan was in effect last year, but it was the best-kept secret in town. Just two tickets were purchased.

The plan has been revived and is being implemented with a fancy ticket brochure. Last week, before it even was announced, the department had sold as many season passes (two) as it did a year ago.

"I really want to push this," Koloskie said of the Olympic sports pass. "The coaches of those sports have a mechanism to raise money for their programs. Plus, it's good for our teams and our student-athletes."

Koloskie also convinced Cavagnaro to permit coaches to once again go out and raise money for their programs with the knowledge that anything they bring in is theirs to keep.

"We should have been doing that all along," Koloskie said. "You're giving incentive to the coaches to go out and help themselves. Those who want to do it will benefit the most. But we'll still support those who won't or can't."

Koloskie said as long as the lines of communication remain open and the coaches feel like they're getting a fair shake, things will continue to improve.

"I see us moving forward," he said. "The climate around campus is better. I'd like to think the fear factor has been removed.

"To me, this is an exciting time for UNLV. We're moving into a new conference next year. Basketball is moving in the right direction. The golf team won the national championship. We're starting a new sport (women's soccer). It seems like everyone's on the same page.

"The biggest issue right now is there's so much to do and not enough time to do it. It's not going to happen overnight. It's going to take a little time. But we're going to get there."

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