Bohn sees financial progress

CU athletics still facing challenges but 'strides' made

B.G. Brooks, Rocky Mountain News

Published July 20, 2007 at midnight

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WINDSOR - Last summer found athletic director Mike Bohn fretting over chopping men's tennis from the University of Colorado sports lineup, eliminating 12 staffers from his department and dealing with dwindling football season-ticket sales - his only proven moneymaker.

A year later, while Bohn is reluctant to report the Buffaloes have put their monetary woes behind them, he can point to a few financial corners being turned.

"When you consider where we were a year ago . . . we're making progress," Bohn said Thursday at the conclusion of a CU-sponsored golf outing.

"We're not there, (and) if we can't compete with our peers in (the Big 12 Conference) as far as all support and elements we need, we're going to continue to have challenges."

Still, Bohn believes the athletic department has made "huge strides, considering where we were a year ago."

The athletic department budget request submitted to regents last month was an all-time high of $41,642,825, surpassing $37,691,000 from last year.

Football's slice of the pie is $9.3 million, up almost $4 million from 2005.

But, Bohn said, "I don't think, if you ask our coaches, they feel like we're all good to go. I think that's why our season-ticket numbers and donations need to continue to grow, so we can provide what our coaches need."

Bohn said the athletic department finally was able "to generate a surplus this year" - the exact amount should be available soon - and will be able to add additional staffers for compliance and in the business office for the next fiscal year.

Plus, football season-ticket sales are on the upswing and should surpass last year's total of 20,450.

Bohn said about 20,000 have been sold and predicted another 3,000 will move before the Buffs open the season Sept. 1 against Colorado State at Invesco Field at Mile High.

CU hasn't seen an increase in the sale of football season tickets since it sold 800 more in 2003 than in 2002.

The last time the Buffs topped 21,000 season tickets sold was 2004 (23,646).

The high this decade was 27,664 in 2000.

"The momentum behind the football season tickets is exciting for us," Bohn said, noting only two of 41 luxury boxes remain unsold and the sale of about 1,900 club seats was up 9 percent from last season.

"And we feel our best sales season is ahead."

Florida State, which visits Folsom Field on Sept. 15, has requested 5,000 tickets, but Bohn said CU is "working to ensure" its fans and donors "play a huge role in that game."

Bohn said he was experiencing a "get-it-done" attitude at CU that he has not experienced anywhere else as an athletic director.

"I feel good about where we're going, but realize we have a lot of work to do," he said.

Other issues addressed included:

• The $100,000 fine CU must pay for past training-table infractions likely will come from conference distribution paid each Big 12 member.

Bohn said state law will prevent CU from making cash contributions directly to a charity, so the school will work with the NCAA staff "to figure out how we'll do that," Bohn said.

CU will pay $50,000 during the next two fiscal years.

• Football coach Dan Hawkins said he is "not expecting" junior-college running back P.T. Gates to be available this season; that junior-college defensive end Drew Hudgins should be recovered from an Achilles' tendon injury by the start of the season; and there will be "some repercussions" from a July 4 fighting incident involving defensive tackles Taj Kaynor and Chris Perri.

According to a Boulder police report, both players had been drinking, with Kaynor ticketed for brawling and Perri arrested on suspicion of third-degree assault.

The incident occurred outside a home in Boulder, the report said.

• Bohn said upgrades were on schedule for the football locker room and the Varsity Room in the Dal Ward Athletic Center, and the availability of a multipurpose practice field bubble still is set for October.

But he wasn't so sure of a new basketball operations center and weight-training room at the Coors Events Center being ready for the 2007-08 season.

"It may be a stretch, but we're going to go for it," he said, adding the school hoped to spend about $850,000, but an initial bid of $1 million-plus was returned.

That cost CU about 3 1/2 weeks of work on getting the project started, he said.

CU remains in the fundraising stage for a proposed basketball/volleyball practice facility, with athletic department officials "spending a lot of time trying to figure out exactly what the scope is" for the facility, Bohn said.

Big 12 football poll

Chosen by the media

NORTH DIVISION

No.Team (first place) Total

1.Missouri (16) 136

2.Nebraska (8) 128

3.Kansas State 88

4.Kansas 63

5.Colorado 58

6.Iowa State 31

SOUTH DIVISION

No.Team (first place) Total