Fresno State Drops Wrestling!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 15, 2006
Media Contact: Paul Ladwig
559.278.2608

Fresno State athletics takes steps to balance budget

Fresno State Athletics Director Thomas Boeh announced today that effective July 1, 2006, the university will discontinue the intercollegiate wrestling program and reinstate the men’s cross country program.

The action is taken as a cost-reduction measure and a significant component of a long-range strategic plan for Fresno State athletics, Boeh said.

“Fresno State is committed to success within the Western Athletic Conference, as well as to the provision of the very best student-athlete experience possible for all our sponsored programs, Boeh said.

“There is strong desire on the part of the university and its constituents to have Fresno State advance to a level of national prominence and compete consistently among the nation’s best. Unfortunately, the rapidly rising costs associated with an NCAA Division I-A athletics program have caused many institutions around the country with similar aspirations to re-evaluate their sports programming. Here at Fresno State, we found our department in the same position,” said Boeh.

In 2005-06, the average NCAA Division I-A athletics department budget was $32.3 million, compared to Fresno State’s $22 million.

“Given today’s industry standards, it is very clear that to remain a sustainable I-A program we need to find more efficiencies,” Boeh said. “This adjustment will enable us to direct an adequate amount of resources, in the form of money, facilities, support services and staff, toward the support and advancement of all of our student-athletes.”

Scholarship offers to returning student-athletes and incoming freshmen who have signed letters of intent will be honored until they have completed four years of school at Fresno State or transfer to other institutions. Affected student-athletes will continue to have full use of training and academic facilities and may compete individually if they choose.

The contract for head wrestling coach Shawn Charles will be honored until June 30, 2007. He will be reassigned within the Department of Athletics in the coming academic year.

The announced change means the restoration of men’s cross country after a three-year absence from Fresno State. This action is intended to help advance the men’s track and field program, which has been operating at a significant disadvantage since the discontinuance of men’s cross country in fall 2003. Boeh said the program will greatly help the men’s track and field program return to conference championship level. The men’s cross country program will require no additional scholarships and will carry a roster of 10-12 student-athletes.

Boeh said among the considerations that led to the decision to discontinue wrestling were:

• An anticipated net annual financial savings of $350,000-$400,000 (not likely to be fully realized until 2008), which will help the long-term financial stability of the athletics program.

• Wrestling is not a sponsored sport with the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) and is not a broad-based NCAA championship sport.

• The lack of a dedicated wrestling practice facility, locker room and cost-efficient and reasonable competitive venue.

• Wrestling carries a roster of approximately 34 student-athletes and does not have a comparative women’s program.

• The recent low level of academic achievement by the wrestling program’s student athletes.

Background Information:

WRESTLING DISCONTINUED, CROSS COUNTRY REINSTATED

Considerations that led to the decision

1. In the interest of achieving annual financial stability of the athletics program

There will be a net annual financial savings to the program of between $350,000 and $400,000. However, these savings will not likely be fully realized until the 2007-08 academic year.

2. Wrestling is not a sponsored sport within the Western Athletic Conference

The WAC does not sponsor wrestling and points toward the conference all-sports competition are not available.

Fresno State’s wrestling program, following its departure from the PAC 10, it has been competing as an independent. The team was scheduled to join the newly formed Western Wrestling Conference (WWC) in the fall of 2006. It is a conference where the membership is spread out over seven states and three time zones. This dynamic would likely to have significantly increased wrestling travel costs.

Western Wrestling Conference: Air Force Academy, North Dakota State, Northern Colorado, Northern Iowa, South Dakota State, Utah Valley State, Wyoming.

3. The absence of a dedicated wrestling practice facility and locker room

4. The absence of a cost-effective venue for competition

5. The recent history of academic achievement within the wrestling program

The program has most recently scored an NCAA APR rate of 871. This is well below the acceptable rating of 925 and ranks the team in the lowest 10% among Division I wrestling programs.

The team has an aggregate GPA of 2.44. This represents the lowest team GPA in the athletics department by a large margin and .45 below the average student-athlete average of 2.89.

6. Wrestling is not a broad-based NCAA championship sport

As of September 1, 2005, there were 87 NCAA Division I wrestling programs. This represents roughly 27 percentof the NCAA Division I membership. On the same date there were 303 NCAA Division I men’s cross country programs.

Fresno State, conference and national sports programming

Sport-WAC-NCAA

Baseball-7*-286

Basketball-9-326

Cross Country-8-303

Football-9-235

Golf-9-289

Tennis-7-264

Track and Field (0)-5-263

Wrestling-2-87

* One affiliate member (Sacramento State) competing in baseball)

With the programming adjustment, the average numbers of NCAA participating institutions reflected in the seven sports that Fresno State will continue to sponsor in the fall of 2006 is 281.

Fresno State will continue to sponsor seven men’s sports in the 2006-07.

7. Wrestling carries a significant roster and scholarship level. It also does not have a like women’s program

Wrestling carries 9.9 equivalency full scholarships and a roster of 35 student-athletes. Continued sponsorship of the sport would impede compliance with Title IX and CALNOW student-athlete participation levels and distribution of athletics aid. These challenges have become considerably greater in recent years. Currently the student body ratio at Fresno State is 60/40 in favor of women, and the trend is expected to continue into the foreseeable future.

Further, because wrestling does not have a like women’s program it is less efficient regarding the use of resources and facilities. Finally, the sponsorship of a uniquely men’s sport also makes it more difficult to make the appropriate comparisons among men’s and women’s sport programs OCR’s "13-point laundry list."

Fresno State 2005-06 men’s sports scholarship levels and like sport status

Sport-NCAA Maximum-Like Sport

Baseball-11.7-Yes

Basketball-13*-Yes

Cross Country-None-Yes

Football-85*-No

Golf-4.5-Yes

Tennis-4.5-Yes

Track and Field-12.6-Yes

Wrestling-9.9-No

* Offer only full ride scholarships.

The reinstated men’s cross country program will carry a roster of 10-12 individuals and, per NCAA rule; the scholarship distribution will be absorbed into the men’s track and field allotment. The net result is an improvement in the participation and scholarship ratio between men and women student-athletes at Fresno State.

It is important to note that although the department’s mission to achieve compliance with Title IX standards was not a primary driving force behind the decision to discontinue the wrestling program and reinstate men’s cross country; this adjustment will indeed result in a positive effect on the department’s gender equity.

8. Reinstatement of men’s cross country

The reinstatement of men’s cross country is expected to cost less than $25,000 annually, which will be recovered via the NCAA sport sponsorship distribution, Subsequently, any additional cost for the program will be negligible.

Major bummer both to Fresno State and the newly formed Western Wrestling Conference:

-Fresno State
-Air Force
-Wyoming
-Northern Iowa
-Northern Colorado (In transition to DI - eligible 06-07)
-South Dakota State (In transition to DI - eligible 06-07)
-North Dakota State (In transition to DI - eligible 06-07)
-Utah Valley State (In transition to DI - eligible 09-10)

Sat next to the Fresno State Wrestling Club at the Senior Nationals and they had some tough wrestlers. Schawn Charles that has run several camps in Kansas, and just finishing his first year as head coach, could have brought Fresno up a notch over the years.

Think Cody Hacker (Lyons High) was planning on wrestling for the Bulldogs.

Also of note is that the athletic director's sited the wrestling team’s poor academic performance as one of the reasons for cancelling the program. Got to hit the books guys!

Mike

It's not like this university is known for academics. That is one of the major raps against FSU is their ability to take partial qualifiers.

Bulldogs cut wrestling program
Title IX cited in move that also reinstates men's cross country.
By Andy Boogaard / The Fresno Bee

(Updated Friday, June 16, 2006, 9:13 AM)

Fresno State wrestling, spared for 10 years while the school has struggled to balance gender-equity mandates and budget demands, is finished.

The elimination of the program, announced Thursday by Bulldogs athletic director Thomas Boeh, marked the seventh time since 1992 Fresno State has cut a sport, six of which were men's teams. But one of those sports — men's cross country, which operates with minimal expense — will be reinstated this fall after a three-year absence.

Boeh said the elimination of wrestling will reduce the budget by $350,000 to $400,000 — a savings not realized until 2008 — while also bringing the department nearer to compliance with Title IX, a federal mandate that requires colleges balance men's and women's sports.

Boeh, hired last summer, said the department will miss balancing the $22.4 million budget for the 2005-06 fiscal year that will close June 30 by about $400,000.

This marks the 10th consecutive year the department has failed to meet its budget.

"This is going to take two or three years to really get this thing solidified," Boeh said.

The wrestling program has produced 33 All-Americans, including four-time All-American and 2004 Olympic silver medalist Stephen Abas.

Boeh said he hadn't warned wrestling coach Shawn Charles before informing him of the decision Thursday morning.

"It was the worst experience I've ever had as an AD," said Boeh, who carried the same title at Ohio University for 10 years before coming to Fresno. "It's the hardest thing I've had to do, but that only goes so far because this is much more traumatic for Shawn, his staff and student-athletes."

Charles' contract will be honored through next year. Scholarship offers to returning wrestlers and incoming freshmen who have signed letters of intent will be satisfied until they have completed four years at Fresno State or transfer to other institutions.

"I never saw it coming," Charles said.

Hired in July to replace 24-year coach Dennis DeLiddo, Charles spent Thursday afternoon taking phone calls and answering e-mails from inside his locked office.

When he was asked to meet with Boeh on Thursday in the North Gym annex, Charles thought they would discuss the 2006-07 team budget.

"Not for a million years did I think I was going to be told the program got dropped," Charles said. "I'm still shocked."

So were most in the wrestling community.

"It blindsided everybody," said Nick Zinkin, a former Fresno State wrestler and, along with older brothers Harold and Dewayne, prominent boosters of the program. "Just the manner in how this has taken place is disturbing."

Wrestling has walked the tightrope at Fresno State since a two-year federal investigation launched in 1992 found the school out of Title IX compliance in 11 of 13 areas.

In response to the federal findings, Fresno State has attempted to level the playing field by adding sports — women's equestrian, soccer and golf — and eliminating both women's and men's swimming and diving, and men's water polo, indoor track and field, cross country and soccer.

Wrestling escaped, but not without discussion. And Boeh said that was why he didn't feel a need to confer with Charles and his boosters before Thursday's announcement.

"I pretty much know the answer I would have gotten," Boeh said. "Considering it's been discussed for many years, it's not a shock."

Boeh said he had examined the possibility of cutting a sport for months, but it wasn't until the past few weeks that he gave it serious consideration: "We had to get far enough along with the [2006-07] budget process to see where we were going to be."

And he said wrestling was the logical choice to drop for three primary reasons: the sport's relatively weak presence nationally (87 programs) and in the West (14); at Fresno State, it didn't compete with the school's other sports in the Western Athletic Conference; and it doesn't have a comparative women's program, such as track and tennis, which share Bulldogs home venues.

Conference affiliation, Boeh said, was the "biggest issue." Only Fresno State and Boise State sponsor wrestling in the nine-member WAC. And the Broncos compete in the Pac-10 Conference.

In April, Fresno State announced its wrestling program would join the new Western Wrestling Conference with Northern Iowa, Air Force, Wyoming, Northern Colorado, North Dakota State and South Dakota State.

"The discussion [of the WWC] was going on in the fall, and there was no downside of joining the conference," Boeh said. "We didn't make this decision [to cut] until very recently. So up until the time you choose to discontinue the program, you wouldn't do anything to put it at a disadvantage in the future."

He said he doesn't anticipate further team cuts for a program that in 2006-07 will sponsor 17 sports — one above the NCAA minimum for Division I membership.

The restoration of men's cross country will add 10 to 12 athletes, but little cost because the team's scholarship distribution will be absorbed into the track and field allotment and the runners will be coached by the same staff.

Bulldogs track and field coach Bob Fraley was torn about Thursday's announcement.

He said he was "sick" for wrestling, but excited for men's track and field, which has competed in recent years without long-distance runners. And that's been directly tied to the absence of cross country: "Now we can say [to recruits], 'Hey, look at the progress we're making, we've brought this back.'"

The loss of wrestling removes 35 athletes and the equivalent of 9.9 full scholarships from the men's side of the athletic department.

This will improve the school's Title IX compliance, which can be determined by satisfying one of three areas: proportionality (meaning, the percentage of female athletes must mirror the school's percentage of female undergraduate students); demonstrating a history and continuing practice of program expansion for women; and fully and effectively accommodating the interests and abilities of women.

Five years ago, Fresno State received a federal seal of approval regarding gender-equity progress.

The Bulldogs have concentrated on proportionality. This year, 57.3% of the program's 655 athletic participants were women. The school's undergraduate enrollment was 59% women.

The reporter can be reached at aboogaard@fresnobee.com or (559) 441-6336.

I don't know who has written letters to this program, but I can tell you for a fact that the AD at the school isn't taking phone calls, or returning letters for anyone regarding wrestling right now. Danielle Hobekia the web designer for the web site is hoping that they spur a large protest at the Fresno State University Presidents home. I hope that individuals will respond with letters and more. The sad thing is that they could have raised the shortfall to save the program, but didn't even want to try.

This is very disappointing. Losing a college program anywhere is a tremendous loss for all of wrestling across the country. Opportunity for young wrestlers suffers greatly when a program like Fresno State University is dropped.

I went on the Save Fresno Wrestling site that Richard provided above. It is a good site that will serve as a good springboard to get the program saved or reinstated at Fresno State. I sent e-mails to the suggested contacts.

Fresno State drafts rules to save wrestling team
By Lamar Lopez / The Fresno Bee

(Updated Thursday, July 13, 2006, 4:20 AM)

Fresno State has outlined a way for Bulldogs wrestling supporters to revive the recently cut program.

In a Tuesday morning meeting with a wrestling supporter, Fresno State spokeswoman Shirley Armbruster said, university President John Welty listed what was needed to reinstate the wrestling program and balance the Title IX impact.

"Dr. Welty said that to add wrestling we would need to add one or two women's sports to achieve equity," Armbruster said Wednesday. "That would cost approximately $1 million per year, plus significant facilities costs."

As recently as Monday, Welty told the wrestling supporters that his decision to eliminate the program would stand.

"He still says the decision stands," Armbruster said Wednesday. "He's not changed his mind on that. He's basically said that if the money comes in he'd review the feasibility of reinstating the program. It's not a given. I think the key is that it needs to fit into the long-range strategic plan for athletics."

Armbruster said she did not know which women's sports would be added.

Tim Cornish, president of the Fresno State Takedown Club boosters, said booster Steve Poindexter met with Welty. Poindexter was unavailable for comment Wednesday.

Cornish said the university's checklist included $1 million to $2 million annually in operating costs, plus the construction of locker rooms, coaching offices and facilities for the additional women's sports.

"It's clearly not a money issue," Cornish said. "It's about Fresno State's inability to comply with Title IX and using the wrestling team as a scapegoat to the problem.

"What they're trying to do is make sure we don't come back. It's more of a number saying, 'Please give up.' "

Title IX is a federal mandate requiring colleges to balance men's and women's sports.

"I just wish that President Welty took a look at the community and how wrestling is such a part of the culture here," said former Fresno State wrestling coach Shawn Charles, who in June 2005 left an assistant coaching position at Nebraska to join the Bulldogs.

"I still consider myself to be an outsider. Coming into the culture of wrestling in the Central Valley, it's priceless. There is no price tag they can put on wrestling. That's why I think it's sad."

School officials announced June 15 that wrestling was being cut because of the school's continuing budget shortages and lack of Title IX compliance.

Wrestling supporters immediately cried foul, staging letter-writing campaigns and rallies, including a June 21 gathering outside Welty's state-owned home in Old Fig Garden.

The reporter can be reached at llopez@fresnobee.com or (559) 441-6412.

Does it really cost 1 - 2 mil a year to support a wrestling team? He also said if the money comes in he would reconsider the decision. Something sounds fishy with that proposal to me. Should be if the money comes in he will reinstate it.

About six years ago, I sent numerous letters to Kansas State University urging them to add wrestling back into their program. I finally received a response from the athletic department that they thought they could do it if they received contributions of $500k to sustain the program. The caveat was that they would need identical funding for a womens program bringing the total to $1M.

The Fresno State response seems fairly standard to me and the message is clear - "put up or shut up". I didn't like it then and I certainly don't like any better today.

Fresno State president rejects latest bid to save team.

From the last paragraph in the article:

A Big 12 Athletic Director told me that their program cost was around $600,000 but that is from a pretty active program.

Richard and Vince, part of my point in fact, the school is wanting the program to raise more money than it actually costs, and then isn't willing to commit to saving the program.

Mike,

It appears that they are coming up with the $1- to $2 million annual cost figure by including the annual expenses for the additional women sports needed for them to meet Title IX requirements. That appears to be the same stance that Mr. Johnston said that KSU was taking with him six years ago. That to add wrestling that the supporters had to come up with enough money to support both wrestling and an additional women sport or two for Title IX. So evidently even if you could come up with enough money to annually support a wrestling team, it is not enough. You need to come up with money to support an additional women sport for Title IX too. That is a pretty big mountain to climb.

Almost every Big XII team I know makes at least one or two big flights each year to big tournaments or something. Add in rooms, food, entry fees, transportation, equipment, upkeep, scholarships and stuff like that I could only imagine.

The link posted below is a rebuttal letter drafted by the Central Valley Wrestling Association. The first half of the letter is a copy of the announcement to drop wrestling and the second half is the rebuttal.

Rebuttal Letter to Fresno President and Athletic Director

Richard,

Thank you for keeping us updated on this situation. It is symbolic of the fight for college wrestling to survive that wrestling faces across the nation.

I am impressed with the fight that the Fresno State wrestling boosters are making. Great site, rebuttal letter and planned activities to save the program. The site says there is going to be an organizational meeting today. There is also going to be a rally later in the week in Fresno.

When you look at some of the basic facts that the Central Valley Wrestling Association brought up in their rebuttal letter, you can't help but be struck by position we are currently in. The Fresno State annual wrestling budget was a paltry $291,270 in 2005-2006, only 1.4% of the annual $22 million budget. The TV interview on the Save Fresno wrestling site indicated that boosters were getting a 10 year $500,000 annual commitment for the wrestling program. Unfortunately, the Fresno State president is wanting an annual $1 to $2 million commitment to also handle the annual costs of 1 or 2 new women programs and their new facilities. Is that being asked of baseball, track & field, cross country and the other non net income producing sports? I doubt it very much.

The whole situation in college athletics is becoming ridiculous. I think the NCAA needs to step in. It was mentioned somewhere that the NCAA requires a minimum of 16 teams. Perhaps wrestling needs to try to convince the NCAA for a requirement that to be an NCAA school you must have a wrestling program. It was stated that the 2004-2005 Survey showed wrestling to be ranked sixth in high school participation nationally. This type of participation certainly warrants the NCAA to make a wrestling program a required program.

I guess another possible avenue might be legislation either on the national or state level. Look how Title IX legislation changed the college athletic environment. Maybe wrestling and the other non net income sports could get some similar type of law to change the current situation to require universities to start including these sports in their programs again.

Wrestling faces a very tough uphill battle carrying the fight to the individual schools and their athletic departments. This situation at Fresno State shows how difficult it is. That being said they seem like a pretty tough and determined bunch in Fresno and the Central Valley. If any group can do it, I would say they can. Good luck to them.

CBS 47 News

Wrestling Cut not Necessitated by Bulldog Budget
Posted: 9/21/2006 8:24:28 PM

When Fresno State eliminated its wrestling program on June 15th, the school's news release said the move was made to balance the budget. In a Wednesday meeting of the school's Athletic Corporation Board, a new story emerged. School administrators told wrestling supporters Wednesday that the dropping of wrestling was not a budgetary decision, and that the Athletic Corporation Board had no knowledge of the cuts until after the cuts were made. The board actually approved a budget that included wrestling, and that budget was signed by school president Dr. John Welty, after Fresno State announced it was dropping wrestling.

Fresno State's athletic budget is actually operating with a surplus of $361,000 for the current fiscal year, the meeting also revealed. The school stated in its initial June announcement that it expected to save between $350,000 and $400,000 per year by eliminating the wrestling program.