Hiegert Says Kopita Wouldn’t Let Him Do Job : CSUN: He claims school administrator meddled where he had no expertise.

The day after he was officially replaced after 17 years as Cal State Northridge’s athletic director, Bob Hiegert ended his silence on the matter Thursday.

Sitting under a tree behind the bleachers his baseball teams used to fill at Matador Field, the former Northridge athlete, baseball coach and administrator attempted to summarize, oftentimes tearfully, a career that has spanned five decades.

He also attempted to explain his relationship with Vice President of Student Affairs Ronald R. Kopita, the man who fired him.

Hiegert denied the athletic program’s $700,000 debt prompted his forced resignation, saying, “This problem between my administration and Dr. Kopita’s office is not a budget-issue problem. It’s wider spread than that.”

Moreover, Hiegert confirmed what his former boss claimed in a press conference announcing the move a day earlier: That their management styles clashed significantly.

Neither Kopita nor the university president he serves under, Blenda J. Wilson, have significant experience presiding over a Division I athletic program, Hiegert noted, yet, he said, the vice president attempted to “micro-manage” the athletic program.

“When I have someone making suggestions to the program that really may not have the clear insight and the full insight of what an individual does and how they do those jobs, yeah, I’m going to have some problems with that person,” Hiegert said. “If I didn’t do that, I wouldn’t be doing my job. I’m sorry for him that those looked like they were conflicts. Basically I was trying to do what was good for this program.”

Hiegert rebuffed implications by Kopita that he lacked the business acumen and fund-raising skills to lead a major-college athletic program.

At the same time university administrators were demanding improved conditions for student-athletes, they were calling for cuts deep at the heart of the athletic staff.

“We were told we couldn’t drop programs,” Hiegert said. “They suggested we eliminate staff. Those things don’t fit. How can you do that? You go through the offices and take a look at who we’ve got, we’re at the minimum level in terms of coaches now.

“If we eliminate staff people and heads of programs, we don’t have the programs. We were between a rock and a hard place.”

Despite those conditions, Hiegert said Northridge has managed to weave its way through a maze of budget cuts, declining enrollment and earthquake damage and has emerged poised to make significant strides.

“We have a unique situation in this country,” Hiegert said. “I don’t think anyone would like to follow our steps, what we’ve been through.

“The most regrettable thing . . . is that the present administration has never seen this program operate in a normal situation. And that’s unfortunate. Because in a normal situation we’ve been doing a great job.”

Northridge won 25 national championships and 49 conference titles during Hiegert’s tenure as athletic director. He has been reassigned to teach in the university’s kinesiology and physical education department, although he said he might explore job opportunities elsewhere.

In a letter to coaches and athletic program staffers Hiegert said he would keep “a very low profile” as he attempted to refocus his life in the best interest of his family.

“It’s been hard to separate out priorities, my own personal priorities and the program’s priorities,” Hiegert said.

“That’s probably what hurts the worst.

“The positive spin on this thing is I don’t have to worry about this thing seven days a week, 365 days a year. Nor does my family. But I’ve enjoyed doing that.

“I guess that’s the downside.”