UNLV athletic director Hamrick might land at Marshall

A former linebacker at Marshall, UNLV athletic director Mike Hamrick might have a chance to return home.

Hamrick is in Huntington, W.Va., and will interview today for the vacant athletic director's job at Marshall.

"I'm just flattered that my alma mater would want to visit with me about this position," Hamrick said. He offered no further comment.

A source close to the situation said Hamrick, 51, is "being heavily pursued" by Marshall, and this is his first face-to-face meeting with the school. The source said Hamrick did not meet with Marshall's search firm, which previously conducted interviews in Dallas.

West Virginia papers reported the school will hold a news conference today at 10:30 a.m. PDT, possibly to introduce the new AD. One source told the Review-Journal no such news conference had been scheduled yet, but one could occur depending on developments. Hamrick will interview with the hiring committee and other groups today.

Mutual interest by Hamrick and Marshall makes sense.

Hamrick knows the area, where he has plenty of family members. He started for the Thundering Herd in 1978 and 1979, and graduated in 1980.

Even if there wasn't such a personal connection, Hamrick could be interested because of uncertainty at UNLV.

He has only a year left on his contract, and one of his top supporters, David Ashley, recently was ousted as president. The new president, whoever that turns out to be, might prefer his or her own AD.

If Hamrick doesn't go to Marshall, he could make a case to UNLV's new president. The school hasn't had a major scandal in its athletic department under his watch, has streamlined its donor process, signed a shoe and apparel deal with Nike and was not forced to lay off any employees despite a deep recession.

Hamrick also can point to the hiring of successful coaches, most notably men's basketball coach Lon Kruger. If the football team builds on last season's three-victory improvement, the hiring of Mike Sanford also will be a benefit, though pressure remains on a program that hasn't produced a winning season since 2000.

Money could be a stumbling block, since Marshall probably won't match Hamrick's current $285,000 salary. But if the school comes close, especially given West Virginia's lower cost of living, an agreement could occur soon.

Contact reporter Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com 702-387-2914.