Message from Dan Hicks

Update on Cal State Fullerton Wrestling.

Adin Duenas- Academically ineligible. He has only wrestled in open tournaments.

10-11 Budget fund raising is ongoing. We are receiving pledge fulfillment's from the Five Year Lasting Impact pledge drive, $70,000. We have added additional pledges of $8,000. We are on track to raise our entire budget if the pledges come in.

Obstacle: The Vice President, Dr. Palmer and Brian Quinn, the AD are requiring $450,000 in cash by March 1st to continue beyond this season to cover the 11/12 & 12/13 seasons.

No defensible reason was given for that goal to be set. We had shown that our Five year plan was working. Our fund raising person and business director confirmed our pledges were solid and projected a successful fund raising year 10/11.

All those efforts were disregarded.

So we are in a pinch. The pledge drive won't count. The camps won't count. Special events won't count. Only cash ahead will make a difference.


Team Report:

We had a great recruiting class come in the fall.

Some guys are in red shirt status to protect their future.

Injuries and eligibility issues removed a several potential starters from the line-up. Many of the guys feel the pressure of the situation. We have worked hard and continue to field a team but we have had some adversity.
I am proud of our guys for hanging in there and we will continue to prepare for a good showing at Pac-10's.

University issues:
Cal State Fullerton turned away 50,000 freshman applications. The school does not need nor care about athletics. The entire athletic department is struggling and will fall below the Big West mandated
requirements for scholarships in several sports. President Gordon has not in 10 years added to the Athletic Budget to compensate for the increase in tuition. That is approx a 1.8 million shortfall the Athletic department has had to absorb.

The plan so far has been to reduce to only the minimum # of required Big West Sports. Thus the cutting of Gymnastics and Wrestling (non-Big West mandated sports). There have been no other reason for considering cutting these two sports.

With more state budget cuts coming, Division II seems to be the next stop for Cal State Fullerton.


On a personal note, I have been very thankful for the many people who have stepped up with money and pledges to help us get this far. There really are a lot of great people in wrestling. It is sad that the West has lost so many programs and that
state university presidents fail to see the value of athletics for developing leaders and a sense of community on the state school campus.

CONTACTS

Athletic Director Brian Quinn: bquinn@fullerton.edu; 657-278-2777 P.O. Box 6810, Fullerton, Ca. 92834

Associate Athletic Director of Marketing Steve DiTolla; sditolla@fullerton.edu, 657-278-7791 P.O. Box 6810, Fullerton, Ca. 92834

Interim Vice President Si Abrego: Son Wrestled at Fullerton. Son is a big donor to the program. Si took over responsibility for supervising Athletics as VP of Student Affairs when current VP retired in Dec 2010.
sabrego@fullerton.edu; 657-278-3221 800 North State College Blvd.,Fullerton, Ca 92831


President Milton Gordon: 657-278-3456 800 North State College Blvd.,Fullerton, Ca 92831 mgordan@fullerton.edu

He is on committee with NCAA for enhancement of Hispanic opportunities in college sports as a player, coach and administrator. Has done zero to help the athletic department or Hispanic athletes for past 10 years.No action to show he values athletics. No action to go with the rhetoric. Ten years of tuition raises with no adjustment to athletic department budget.He made a commitment to match the increases but has not once over ten years.



Associate Director of Finance for athletic department: Rob Scialdone A friend of wrestling. Rscialdone@fullerton.edu; 657-278-3554 P.O. Box 6810, Fullerton, Ca. 92834
________________________________________


Dan Hicks

 

Dan Hicks

Head Wrestling Coach

Cal State Fullerton

dhicks@fullerton.edu

657-278-2138

www.savefullertonwrestling.com