Livengood fine with being perceived as a "nice guy"
Editor's Note: This is part two of an interview conducted by the Arizona Daily Wildcat with UA athletic director Jim Livengood. In the interview, Livengood - a former high school teacher and coach - talked about his reputation and the future of some UA sports.
Wildcat: You've been branded by some in the press as someone unwilling to pull the trigger on firing coaches. Why do you think that is?
Livengood: I don't think it's unfair at all. My style is to probably give people more lenience. I think - and I've always felt this way - that I would rather err on the side of not doing things too quickly, because when you react too quickly and make those decisions, you better be right.
Years ago when I started as a Division I athletic director (at Southern Illinois University), one of the first coaches I had went through three horrible years.
But I made the decision (not to fire him) because I thought the recruiting was going good and I thought we had a chance to turn things around. I got all kinds of flack from the media, but I rolled the dice, and the next year turned out to be a good year, and the next year got even better than that. He's probably now one of the top 10 coaches in the country.
I don't mind that (characterization), and I don't necessarily deny that.
I'm not going to pull the trigger unless I'm sure that somebody's not going to make it. Now, if someone's violating rules or treating kids bad, that's a different story. But if it's just based on winning and losing, I'm probably going to roll the dice if I think someone's got a chance of making it.
Wildcat: Is it difficult being a "nice guy" in this business?
Livengood: Probably. I think the perception of people in these jobs is that you need to be a little more ruthless. And quite honestly, that's not me. I have my moments when I get frustrated with things and get upset at people, but I think that works to my advantage.
I think it's the same thing as the coach that's yelling at the referee or the umpire all the time. Then, when something really bad does happen, it's like water off a duck's back.
When I'm upset, people know it.
I'd rather be a nice guy, I like having people enjoy me and each other. I think that's important. That's one of the reasons that I like this profession.
Wildcat: Now that the Dick Tomey era has passed and John Mackovic has taken the reigns of the football program, what are some of your reflections on Tomey's tenure?
Livengood: I think that Dick did a great job for us. I think he was very successful for us, and I think he coached some great teams. I think Dick's legacy will be those good teams and his treatment of players. He deeply cared about the players and his compassion for them.
I think the John Mackovic era will reflect other kinds of things. We don't know yet because we haven't played a game.
Dick needs to be remembered as someone that took us to another level. Now we want to go to a higher level.
Wildcat: The Arizona baseball program has won three national championships and has been a part of this school since its inception. We're now in a position where the team is not as successful as it has been in the past. How do you propose to turn it around?
Livengood: I think the thing with our baseball end - and Jerry and I are going to talk about this - is pitching. If you look at the top 10 programs every year, it's about pitching. The teams that have great pitching year in and year out win. We have struggled in that department. Right now we've got a ton of freshmen pitchers. And freshmen are exactly that - in their first year, and they're new and young. So we need to get that back.
We live in an environment where baseball is very strong, where we've got great facilities and great tradition. There's no reason that Arizona baseball can't be outstanding. And I think we're starting to show flashes of getting better.
Once the season's over, I'll sit down with coaches and evaluate the season. It's not based strictly on wins and losses, it's based on seeing some improvement from our program.
Wildcat: What's your favorite UA sport to watch?
Livengood: There's not a UA sport that I don't like to watch, so I wouldn't want to pick one out. My background tends to be in the football and basketball arenas because I coached those sports, but I enjoy watching everything we do.
I think if I could easily say "that's my favorite sport," then I shouldn't be doing this. I'm really sensitive to the fact that I don't want to be perceived as someone who likes all the sports, but really likes one or two. So there's no favorite.
Wildcat: Are there any club teams that have a chance of becoming varsity any time soon?
Livengood: No. If I had my druthers, and if Title IX and finances weren't issues, I would love for this to be a 30-35 sport program. But we're not. So we have to be very careful about adding a sport. Adding another sport has a tremendous impact on our department services because we are really running on maximum capacity right now in terms of handling each student-athlete in the best possible way we can.
Wildcat: How much longer do you see yourself working at the collegiate level?
Livengood: I signed a contract last year that will run through 2005. I'm not sure that I see myself working much beyond that. I think there's a chance that I would look at some other things. I love the UA, and I love what I'm doing here. The intrigue of another college job isn't there. I've always said no to that, for no other reason than I love who I'm working for here and I do care about this university. My son got a degree here - the university has been very good to my family and I.
The pros have always been in the back of my mind, it's kind of an intriguing thing. But when I visit with people who are in the pros, they always tell me it's driving them nuts.
I know I'm not ready to retire. (UA President) Pete Likins is going to be the president for the next four or five years, and I think that what he does will have a huge effect on any decision of mine. I love working for and with him.
