Al Bohl is gone.
Those jumping in hysterical happiness can stop now.
The same people and the rest of the Red Wave should thank the outgoing Fresno State athletics director and wish him well at Kansas University. He will need it.
Whether or not you liked Bohl, he was the man in charge when the Bulldogs softball team won the school’s only national championship. He was in charge when the football team returned to the postseason and when the basketball team got back to the NCAA Tournament. He was in charge as graduation rates improved, too.
It was Bohl, much to the chagrin of men’s basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian and fans, who kept Tito Maddox off the court eight games early last season. Had Maddox played, the Bulldogs would have forfeited those games, possibly eliminating them from the postseason.
It was Bohl’s handling of events such as that, and the success of the Bulldogs football program that brought Kansas to Bohl.
Still, his administrative tenure, at least at Fresno State, had plenty of drama. Star players leaving teams for peculiar reasons. Players getting charged with domestic violence. Angry public disputes over coaching contracts. Obliviousness to a conference coup.
Kansas, obviously, thought higher of the successes.
And for Bohl, the decision was an easy one, a choice nobody should dispute. The Western Athletic Conference doesn’t compare to the Big 12. Kansas has a better profile, better competition and most importantly a better payroll.
Why wouldn’t Bohl want that?
With Bohl gone, it’s time to replace him. That person needs all the qualifications Bohl has and several he didn’t.
This candidate needs to be proactive, have great foresight and be “in the know.”
Nothing that happens in the WAC or the rest of the NCAA should be a surprise.
The Bulldogs don’t need another embarrassing defection debacle.
This person’s contacts and political relationships should be loyal, authoritative and unending. A Div. I playoff in football is coming, and not every school will make the cut. The new athletics director needs to make sure Fresno State is in position to be part of the group that does.
Pat Hill, the Bulldogs football coach, thanks Bohl for giving him a chance. Hill says Bohl was a great athletics director, too. Those were the right things to say.
Truth is, Bohl did best by staying out of the way. He let Hill coach and build a program. He didn’t meddle where he shouldn’t have. But Bohl didn’t meddle where he should have, either.
Hopefully, the next athletics director has a doctorate in Meddling With Fragile Egos. Because the fuel of Title IX is more volatile at Fresno State than anywhere.