SDSU Sets Three Steps to Aid Sports

Thomas Day, president of San Diego State University, announced in a news conference Monday a three-pronged program designed to aid SDSU athletics.

One part of Day’s program includes erasing the athletic department budget deficit, and a plan was detailed with a goal of raising $1 million from the community.

The two other steps:

--Using the help of a group of marketing and public relations professionals to develop and implement a marketing plan to better promote games and sell more season tickets. Ballard Smith, former Padre president, will lead a marketing committee.

--Investigating options other than the Western Athletic Conference for the football program and other sports. These options include becoming an independent in football; joining the Big West Conference but remaining an independent in football; or joining the Pac 10.

“We have gotten a strong impression from this town that they want us to explore our options,” Day said. “This is the first time you’ve seen me in this position. That is in response to this town.”

Day said he will formally ask the Pac 10 to consider the Aztecs for membership at its presidents’ and chancellors’ meeting in June. He said any change in conference affiliation would probably take up to three years.

Said Miller: “In the scenario we present (joining the Pac 10), San Diego brings more to the dance than it takes out, in terms of money, exposure, media and bowls.”

Pac 10 Commissioner Thomas Hansen said last week that the Pac 10 is not interested in expanding now or any time soon.

Several representatives of the Greater San Diego Sports Assn. joined Day and SDSU athletic director Fred Miller, announcing that they have adopted a resolution urging community support for SDSU.

The overall deficit for the SDSU athletic department is $510,000. That does not include the current fiscal year, which ends June 30.

“We look to these other options as any good managers would look to the future for our enterprise,” Day said. “We all seek to create for San Diego and for Aztec athletics the best environment for success. I believe exploring these other options is the wise thing to do, both for the University and for the community.”

Walter Turner, a member of the Greater San Diego Sports Assn., and Robert Payne, a former association president, will lead the fund-raising effort. Payne said the deficit will be wiped out by June 30.

The plan is to induce approximately 40 people to donate about $25,000 apiece. Turner said he has commitments from “better than 30% so far.”

About $600,000 will go toward the budget deficit, and the remaining $400,000 will go toward an SDSU athletics promotional campaign.

“The Aztec athletic program will come out in the fiscal year on a very strong basis,” Turner said.