Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

UNLV ATHLETICS:

Former chancellor backs Arizona athletic director Jim Livengood

As UNLV nears AD hire, Rogers says he never tried to force his hand

Click to enlarge photo

Neal Smatresk

Beyond the Sun

Despite erroneous reports that University of Arizona Athletic Director Jim Livengood had been offered and accepted the same position at UNLV on Friday, he’s still thought to be a strong candidate for the job.

A search committee is combing through candidates to find one to recommend to UNLV President Neal Smatresk, and former university system Chancellor Jim Rogers is lining up Livengood.

But, Rogers emphasized Monday, “I have never jammed anybody down anyone’s throat. I would never call up Neal Smatresk and say, ‘You better hire this guy, or else.’ ”

Smatresk said Monday that no decisions had been made, following his statement on Friday that the “world will know” when he makes an offer.

That offer, he said, could be made in the next few days.

Rogers said he had a brief conversation with Smatresk, a longtime friend, at a recent holiday party and inquired as to how the search was going. Smatresk asked what Rogers thought of Livengood, and Rogers said he praised his aggressiveness, experience and creativity.

“Neal didn’t say if he had five people he was looking at, or 50,” Rogers added. “And I didn’t ask.”

Rogers said Livengood had called him late last week to ask whether he thought he would be a good fit in Las Vegas. “And I told him that he would be a good fit in the town — that he’s very open, aggressive, friendly, and I said, ‘I think you would fit very well with the people here.’ ”

Rogers said he does not support interim athletic director Jerry Koloskie or Steve Stallworth, general manager of the South Point Arena, for the UNLV job.

“We need somebody from the outside with a real fire in his belly and experience in the national athletic field,” Rogers said. “Do I have a horse in this race? Only to the extent that if they’ve got somebody better than Jim Livengood, they should hire that individual. If they don’t, they should hire Jim Livengood.”

Gerry Bomotti, who is heading the search committee for UNLV’s new athletic director, said Monday that they are “on the clock for a whole bunch of reasons.” The top reason, obviously, is UNLV’s need to hire a new football coach. It will be the first order of business for the new athletic director, who should be known sooner rather than later.

He said that, by his projection, he could see Smatresk potentially naming a finalist or finalists “sometime this week.”

“I think there’s a lot of progress,” Bomotti said. “We have talked to some people.

“I do think that he certainly wants to get this hire made as soon as possible.”

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