CLU Panel to Study Proposal to Upgrade Athletics Program

Cal Lutheran administrators will consider recommendations to build a new athletic complex and significantly increase football and basketball scholarships, according to a school official.

The recommendations of Bill Redell, assistant to the school president, also call for the school to relax academic standards for scholarship athletes and increase funds for recruiting.

After four months of research, Redell recently submitted his findings to university President Jerry H. Miller. Redell said that Miller has not reviewed the recommendations but that the university would expand its athletic advisory committee and map out a five-year plan by Dec. 1.

“Cal Lutheran has to decide what it wants to do with athletics,” Redell said. “If they are going to operate successfully with these other schools that are expanding their programs, they have to have more money. I think they need to address this immediately. The longer it’s put off, the further behind they’ll be.”

Miller was unavailable for comment and James Halseth, executive vice president at CLU, did not return calls.

The report calls for an increase in football scholarships from the present number of 20-25 to 35, with the additional scholarships coming from outside donations. The NCAA Division II maximum is 45.

“We need another $100,000 for scholarships,” Redell said. “The school could freeze at about 22 scholarships, the rest of the money would be raised from outside the school by the CLU Athletic Assn. over the next five years.”

Redell also suggested an increase in basketball scholarships from three to seven. But his emphasis regarding basketball is on a “badly needed” new gymnasium.

“I don’t have a timetable on that, though,” he said. “I have a complete set of plans from 1983 when they had an architect come in and draw them up. The plans include an arena for basketball, ice hockey, swimming and a new football field.”

Redell said funds for the project would come from donations by alumni and corporations. One of his recommendations to Miller is that the school hire a full-time director of athletic development. Redell was the director of athletic development for five months until Miller hired him as his assistant in June.

The report also recommends that CLU remain a member of the Golden State Athletic Conference in basketball and a member of the Western Football Conference. The Kingsmen have struggled through two-plus seasons in the WFC (1-11 record) against bigger schools that offer more scholarships and have adopted more lenient admission policies.

Other conference members, including Cal State Northridge, have increased scholarships. Last year’s WFC champion, Cal State Sacramento, has approximately 35 and made significant strides with fund-raising in its booster club.

CLU Athletic Director Robert Doering said that the athletic department would follow Redell’s suggestion to rely heavily on the newly founded CLU Athletic Assn. for additional scholarship funding, but he predicted that the administration would not even temporarily compromise the school’s academic standards for the sake of landing promising athletes, as recommended by Redell.

“He recommended that we lower our standards,” Doering said, “then gradually build up to where we are now. But we’ve been operating the way we are for three or four years.”

And over that same period, CLU has struggled in the WFC. Said football Coach Bob Shoup: “There’s no way you can compete in any conference with the lowest financial support and the highest academic standards.”

To be granted scholarship money at CLU, an athlete must have a minimum 2.75 grade-point average and a score of 1,000 on the Scholastic Aptitude Test. A junior college transfer must have a 2.5 GPA. By comparison, the NCAA Division II has a 2.0 GPA standard and no SAT requirement. Those minimum standards will change next year when Division II adopts the Division I requirements of a 2.0 GPA and 700 on the SAT.

“Our athletic scholarships are really academic/athletic scholarships,” Doering said. “I’d be surprised if it changed.”

But some changes--primarily a new emphasis on fund-raising--are necessary, according to Redell, for Cal Lutheran to become competitive in Division II.

Shoup, in his 26th year and the only football coach CLU has had, is taking a believe-it-when-I-see-it approach to the recommendations.

“There’s no question we need financial support and facilities,” he said. “But it gets complicated. We also have a need for dorms. We are operating without a chapel on campus. That seems to be a top priority.”

Part of Shoup’s skepticism regarding talk about new athletics facilities stems from CLU’s track record over its 27-year existence. The school has spent $12 million in recent years for a library and a science building while plans for an athletic complex have been shelved.

“Ten years ago, the No. 1 priority was building a library,” he said. “Building new athletics facilities was No. 2.

“Five years ago, the priority was a science building, then physical education facilities.

“Now, building a chapel on campus is No. 1, then physical education facilities. Plus, the students want new dormitories.

“I guess I’m hopeful that we’ll move forward. But I don’t know. I hope they’ll listen to Bill Redell. He has some concepts worth listening to.”

Basketball Coach Larry Lopez, who has heard of the report but has not yet seen it, echoed the sentiments of other coaches when he said, “All of this would be good news. But I try not to get too hung up on what might happen in the future when I’m just trying to survive this year.”

KEY POINTS

Construction of a multisport athletic complex.

Relaxing of admission standards for scholarship athletes.

Increase number of football scholarships from 20 to 35.

Increase number of basketball scholarships from 3 to 7.

Addition of full-time director of athletic development.