Charles Cavagnaro presses on after summer of discontent

It hasn't been much fun for Charles Cavagnaro these past few months.

The UNLV athletic director had to survive a lengthy inquiry by the chancellor's office over allegations he made sexist and racially insensitive remarks about some of the school's student-athletes.

He has had to defend himself over the hiring of a women's basketball coach with a losing record as well as revamp his senior administrative staff, while trying to balance a $10.4 million budget for the upcoming fiscal year.

At age 57, his health was a concern. He is battling diabetes, which caused him to lose more weight than was prescribed by his doctor. The stress wasn't helping matters.

But he also has enjoyed some bright moments. He is in charge as UNLV's basketball renaissance continues. He also witnessed the Rebel golf team's national championship run, only the second NCAA team title in school history.

He is part of UNLV's venture into a new conference beginning July 1, 1999, that includes seven other schools from the Western Athletic Conference, and he is taking an active role in shaping the yet-to-be-named league.

So is Cavagnaro's forecast partly cloudy? Or is it partly sunny? It depends on your point of view.

While Cavagnaro admits in this interview -- his first in-depth talk since the allegations of racist remarks came out in April -- that he has been through some stormy moments in his three-year tenure at UNLV, he believes he is headed down a smoother road.

Q: How tough have these past few months been?

A: It's been a trying time. It's unfortunate certain things have occurred. But we have to learn from it and move forward. I'm not any less excited about the future than when I came here three years ago.

Q: How's your health?

A: It's OK. Unfortunately, it was all happening at the same time and any time that happens, that's a strain. I had a problem getting medication for my diabetes. The last six weeks, everything's been A-OK.

Q: The incident involving the alleged racial remarks for which (UNLV president) Dr. (Carol) Harter reprimanded you for. If you had the chance to do it over, would you have handled things differently?

A: I don't know. I don't know. But that's a lot like Monday-morning quarterbacking. Once it's over, it's over. Obviously, you think about it quite a bit. But you move on. It was an issue that was unfortunate that it came up. But you have to live with it and move on.

Q: Is it a matter of learning from it or accepting it?

A: I don't know. I haven't thought about it in those terms. I don't know if I can sit here and give you an answer. But it was unfortunate. And as I've said all along, if I've done something to offend someone, I certainly apologize.

Q: Do you sense there is some closure to it?

A: I appreciate the way the university and the regents handled it. Everyone had their say and I accepted Dr. Harter's decision. I'm just trying to move on.

Q: You had some tough decisions to make regarding two of the school's best athletes, basketball center Keon Clark and football quarterback Jon Denton You obviously had to do what was in the best interests of UNLV. Just how tough were those calls you made to not bring either athlete back (due to violating athletic department policy)?

A: It's not the first time we've had to deal with these kinds of issues. We deal with them in intercollegiate athletics all the time. But you have to have a system in place. That's the most critical aspect of the situation. We have a system in place to deal with those issues. If not, you're just arbitrarily doing things. And when you're arbitrary, you stand a great chance, in my mind, of not being fair.

We had a system that I felt was fair, that the coaches felt was fair and I felt the young men thought was fair. What I think is fair, you may not. But if we've got a system in place, that's the most important thing.

Q: How did the decision affect UNLV?

A: There are a lot of public issues you play to. In intercollegiate athletic circles, the university gained a dramatic measure of respect. To the fans, it's a tough issue. They get behind these young guys and they want to see them succeed. It's hard to do because we're bound a lot of times by what we can say publicly about what happened. But we always try and keep ourselves in a position of supporting these young people in our program.

Who would have ever thought the caliber of players, the same time, the same everything? But that also added to the fact, I think, to make it crystal-clear that the university has a system, the university is moving forward and that it is committed to doing things right.

Q: You've taken considerable heat for hiring Regina Miller as your new women's basketball coach. Obviously, you believe she will be the right person. What makes you so sure?

A: She's recruited wonderfully already. She's been out in the community and I've gotten rave reviews about her. The positive feedback I've already gotten about her in the 3-4 months she has been here has been more than I have in the three years I've been here regarding women's basketball. She's hit the ground running and I think the controversy surrounding her hiring has helped spur Regina on to make dad-gum sure we get this thing rolling.

I think she deserves a fair chance to show what she can do on the court and I hope the community will give her that opportunity.

Q: Your football coach, Jeff Horton, has had three straight losing seasons. Must he win this year to keep his job?

A: There are times where progress is not defined in wins only. But there also has to come a time where there is success on the field. We were so close last year. It looked as though we were turning the corner. But you could see the progress.

The challenge is to continue that progress this fall. Does that mean 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 wins? I don't know. But clearly, progress has to be shown down on the field. The positive thing about this program is the football coach is hardest on himself. He understands and appreciates that. He has done a masterful job of keeping a program together the past three years.

Q: Then given what he has done, and given the circumstances of having to play the toughest schedule in school history this year without his top quarterback, has Horton earned the right to be UNLV's football coach when it begins play in the new league next fall?

A: I would certainly like to think so. He deserves the opportunity to continue running this football program. Any fair person who would look at where the program was in terms of seniors, juniors, the way it was going, the commitment to recruit high school kids and get away from the junior colleges. Jeff has had the time because he has made the time himself. He has gone out into the community. The kids have done right.

You have to win some games. But you can't say the Rebels haven't put everything on the field. But now, we've got to start winning some football games. And it's reasonable to think that given what happened a year ago, that's fixin' to happen.

We're a year away from making any hard decisions.

Q: You mentioned the new league. Was there any fear on UNLV's part that it would not be invited to leave the WAC?

A: My sense was UNLV brings a lot to the table for a conference. The city with the LVCVA (Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority). The university with the Thomas & Mack and with Sam Boyd Stadium. One of the first things I noticed in the WAC was how much people love to come to Las Vegas. We're not the No. 1 destination city in the world for nothing.

It's clear UNLV is a responsible educational academic institution and Dr. Harter has clearly bridged the gap between academics and athletics. The university took an aggressive leadership role in the WAC and those are the things that come back in return.

But I never had a thought UNLV wouldn't be included in whatever the new mix would be.

Q: Why did you feel UNLV had to leave the WAC?

A: I felt very strongly and it was more a concern. In my own mind, I was absolutely, 100 percent convinced that the WAC as we knew it with 16 schools, was doomed. I could see no way that 16 schools divided into four leagues or quadrants or whatever you want to call it, it just was not making it.

I kept saying for a while that it was my lack of knowledge and experience with this part of the country. I've always known, as has anyone from anywhere in the United States, of the WAC. You knew of New Mexico. You knew of Utah. You knew of BYU. I kept thinking in my own mind, 'I'm missing something here. It can't be this confusing. It can't be this frustrating because you can't get anything done.'

This last year, it became as clear as the nose on your face that it had no chance. If we had been able to break it into two divisions, and that's a big if, it might have had a better chance. It didn't have the threads running through it. It didn't have the camaraderie. It wasn't anyone's fault. It's just that 16 wasn't the right number.

Q: So what does UNLV need to do in the coming months to be competitive in the new league?

A: You want to be the best you can be. I don't know how strong the other schools are in all the sports. But for football, men's and women's basketball and volleyball, those sports compete at the top level. So we better be ready.

Q: How will you see to it that UNLV is ready?

A: I think we need to step up our efforts for football. To be competitive, we need to increase our resources. We're working on a plan to do that.

Q: Some of your critics have said you aren't visible enough in the community, that you aren't willing to be a fund-raiser. Are they right?

A: A critical part of fund raising in the community is the perception the public has of the athletic program and that's where I think the responsibilities for the administrators in all of athletics comes into play. Because we're all, every day, responsible for what people think of what we do.

In the beginning, I was dealing with some behind-the-scenes issues and I didn't get out as much into the community as I probably should have. Maybe I waited too long. It's a fair criticism.

What I wish was that I had three more hours a day that I would be forced to walk off this campus. But I've been getting out more and I'm enjoying it. This is a great community and I'm definitely comfortable with living here.

Q: When you came here, your immediate goals were to boost the department's graduation rate while bolstering the grade-point averages of the student-athletes. Have you succeeded?

A: Honestly, not as much as I had hoped. We've made considerable strides and our coaches deserve the credit for being diligent about going to class, competing in the classroom and graduating.

The numbers have increased in each of the three years. But we're not at 50 percent yet, though we're ahead of the overall university's average.

Q: What about the moves you made not to let coaches get away, namely golf coach Dwaine Knight?

A: Sometimes the best moves you make are the ones you don't make. We knew Coach Knight had our golf program where we wanted it to be and we were extremely glad he decided to stay. But I never dreamed he'd win the national championship so quickly.

Obviously, we're thrilled he's with us. And we're thrilled (men's basketball assistant) Glynn Cyprien stayed. He's a fine young coach with a bright future and I think continuity is important to a program's success.

Q: We haven't talked about Rebel basketball. Going to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in seven years was a big boost for the school. How happy are you with what Bill Bayno's doing and what are you doing to make sure things continue to move forward?

A: You're right. I am pleased. Coach Bayno and his staff have done a terrific job and part of my job is to see to it that they have what they need. We're working on the practice facility at the Thomas & Mack and that would be a big plus. We're always trying to win the battle to get Billy more practice time in the Thomas & Mack, but that practice facility may be the answer.

Q: Your contract runs through 2000. You're 57 years old. What do you foresee for yourself?

A: There's certainly enough challenges to keep you occupied and keep you interested. The things that I have enjoyed and appreciated so much about intercollegiate athletics is the quality of the competition. Not necessarily that it's hard. But that it's fair and that it's clean, that people are even and equal. That we're all playing by the same rules. As long as that keeps that kind of sense and feel, I think I'll still be as interested because there's nothing like winning when you have a level playing field.

Things like the golf team. The tennis guys. What the basketball team has done. Some of the things the football team has come close to doing. That's enjoyable to me because I can sit there and watch those young people and I know more about them than other people do. I know some of their struggles, some of their problems. I enjoy seeing young people move forward. I had three myself.

To go through school and come out the other end where they have an appreciation, where they have some dignity and class and style. As long as those opportunities are still there, I know I'll be excited about working in college athletics.

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