Chichester Setting Big Goals for Irvine

Bob Chichester, all 6 feet 5 inches of him, appears to be a gentle giant. He speaks softly and carefully chooses his words.

What isn’t readily seen behind the mellow exterior is a competitive fire. His wife, Phyllis, is often witness to it.

“I compete with her when we mow the lawn,” he said. “Of course, I think I do a better job at it. I think I do a better job at the dishes. But it burns me up sometimes because she gives me more opportunities to get better at it.”

As he was introduced as UC Irvine’s athletic director Tuesday, Chichester said several things supporters and athletic personnel wanted to hear. He wants more community support for Irvine athletics. He wants athletes to excel in the classroom and represent their school in a positive manner.

And perhaps most important, he wants Irvine’s growing program to earn a prominent place in major college athletics. Chichester knows what that atmosphere is like, having spent six years at Colorado--the last three as associate athletic director in charge of 14 nonrevenue sports.

“Winning, to me, is not a bad word,” he said. “I think great things can come from winning.”

Irvine Chancellor Ralph Cicerone beamed in the background.

“This is a good man,” Cicerone said. “He looks like a quiet guy, but people say he’s fiery inside.”

Chichester, 45, is coming home. He was born in Inglewood and went to Pasadena Poly High and Occidental College, playing basketball but soon realizing his future wasn’t on the hardwood.

The law became his career choice. He was a contract legal advisor in the Air Force and worked as an attorney for Northrop Corp. and the United States Environmental Protection Agency. But those jobs didn’t fulfill him personally.

“The influence and impression you can leave on young people is very, very rewarding,” he said. “If I did things over again, being a teacher or being a coach would have been my choice.”

Dan Guerrero had Irvine thinking bigger and better before he left to take over as athletic director at his alma mater, UCLA. Cicerone wants to continue on that track.

“That was one of the things I was looking for in the interviewing process,” said Cicerone, addressing Irvine’s national profile. “We want to make it so that it’s not enough to get into the NCAA tournament [in basketball]. We want to get to the Sweet 16.”

Chichester, knowing full well that men’s basketball and baseball are the sports that will define the program, shares that view. Two of his biggest tasks in his tenure will be finding ways to keep coaches Pat Douglass and John Savage at the school.

Douglass has led the Anteater basketball team to consecutive 20-win seasons. Savage, one of the bright young baseball coaches in the nation, led Irvine to a 33-26 record in its first season back after a 10-year hiatus.

“I want people to say that this is the hottest ticket in Orange County,” Chichester said. “Clearly, that is our next goal.”

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Chichester got the biggest round of applause when he mentioned Irvine’s 10-7 victory over UCLA on Sunday in men’s water polo. The win boosted Irvine, which last won the NCAA title in 1989, to a No. 3 national ranking.

This could be a special year for the Anteaters. Jeff Powers is back after redshirting last season and the senior two-meter man will be in the running for college player of the year.

Powers had 73 goals in 2000 and earned first-team All-America honors. A member of the U.S. national team, he scored six goals in four FINA World Cup matches in August as the Americans finished seventh.

“Jeff adds a ton to our team,” Irvine Coach Ted Newland said. “He’s not a one-dimensional player. He’s really, really fast in the water. He can get to both sides of the pool very quickly. He’s got a really good shot and he’s an excellent passer.”

Irvine also has a future star in 6-foot-9 sophomore Dreason Barry. Barry had four goals against UCLA, including two in the third period to help the Anteaters overcome a 5-4 deficit.

“He’s just got too many tools,” Newland said. “He’s going to be a big-time player.”

Both teams will be part of the Southern California Water Polo Tournament this weekend at the USC Swim Stadium. The top 12 teams in the U.S. Water Polo Assn. collegiate poll are in the tournament.

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