Livengood’s plate still plenty full
The man who extended the contract of UNLV football coach Bobby Hauck this year soon must decide whether he wants to extend his own.
Rebels athletic director Jim Livengood has one year left on his three-year deal, and though he said he hasn't given much thought to his contract, he soon won't have a choice.
He'll decide in early 2012 whether to request an extension, and there are plenty of reasons for Livengood, who turns 67 in March, to want to stay.
There's the new football stadium he would like to see become a reality. There's seeing through the Mountain West Conference's impending merger with Conference USA, as well as the ever-changing landscape with conference realignment. And there are the seven head coaches he hired, including in both of the school's marquee sports.
"I enjoy what I'm doing," Livengood said. "I enjoy where I'm doing it. But there are still things I want to do.
"I believe we're moving in the right direction."
There are many who believe Livengood has properly guided UNLV athletics, though no AD ever will get a full consensus.
Livengood didn't make any friends at the Thomas & Mack Center when he tried to gain more control of the venue for his department. It was a battle he lost, and the T&M now is under university command.
But those who matter the most regarding Livengood's future -- university president Neal Smatresk and the board of regents -- appear solidly behind him and probably will grant an extension if he asks.
In the meantime, the merger with Conference USA must be finalized. School presidents from both conferences will meet in mid-January, so the future for not only Livengood, but for UNLV and the Mountain West, soon will become clear.
■ SOME REWARD -- Football coaches like to talk about how bowl games are a reward, and in most cases, that's true. Players get to spend a few days in a destination city, receive gifts up to the NCAA limit of $550 and are entertained by the bowl committee.
Arizona State's idea of a reward for its players? A practice Monday morning in Tempe, Ariz., before flying here later that day for the MAACO Bowl Las Vegas, to be played Thursday. Boise State arrives Sunday night.
OK, so the Sun Devils still will participate in the festivities, but you get the feeling it's only because their appearance is mandatory.
■ MORE DEVILS DETAILS -- After the Las Vegas bowl, coach Dennis Erickson will move on from Arizona State, having been fired 2½ weeks ago.
Whether the program's future will be any better under newly hired coach Todd Graham is uncertain. His tenure isn't beginning well.
Graham was not given permission by his then-boss, Pittsburgh athletic director Steve Pederson, to speak to Arizona State. Then after accepting the job, Graham asked the Panthers' director of football operations to send a text message to the players.
"I am at a loss for words," wide receiver Cam Saddler told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "Here is a guy that talked about commitment, loyalty, faith and character, and yet he doesn't seem to live by those things.''
COMPILED BY MARK ANDERSON
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
