Hauck seeks long-term fix for UNLV

The athletic department is hoping to increase the number of Rebel Athletic Fund members from 1,603 to 2,012 when the fiscal year ends June 30.

Athletic director Jim Livengood found a way to run about a $200,000 surplus last fiscal year, even after receiving a $1.7 million cut in state funds.

But finances are a constant source of concern for UNLV athletics.

Football is where most athletic departments look to help fill the coffers, and even a basketball school such as UNLV needs the football program to succeed — and soon.

But second-year coach Bobby Hauck isn’t building the football program in a way likely to produce a quick turnaround. He is trying to establish sustained success that will last for many seasons.

And that’s just fine with Livengood.

When he interviewed Hauck for the job in December 2009, Livengood asked, "Bobby, are you more interested in building a team or a program?"

Hauck pleased his soon-to-be boss by saying he wanted to build a program.

"That’s what we were looking for," Livengood said. "That’s probably not going to satisfy the appetite of our public immediately, but in the long run, it will win out. What we have to do right now in the short term … is better manage our expectations."

UNLV’s athletic budget for this fiscal year is $27.5 million, and the football program is expected to cost $5.8 million to operate.

The program could bring in up to $1.6 million in ticket sales, but in reality, football accounts for far more money. Livengood said the exact figure is difficult to quantify because it’s a mix of television and sponsorship money that is difficult to separate out, but many of those funds wouldn’t be available without football.

All 17 UNLV sports benefit if the football program begins to win and bring in extra money. Those same sports also suffer when the football program struggles, as it has for many years.

The Rebels’ last winning season was in 2000. The last one before that was in 1994.

Livengood called the importance of football winning "more than critical. It’s absolutely essential, in time, that our football program becomes healthy."

That means frequent trips to bowls. Eight-, nine- and even 10-win seasons.

Such a future might be difficult for many fans to envision, considering UNLV has produced two-win seasons in five of the past seven years, including the 2-11 record in Hauck’s inaugural season.

But Hauck, who is expected to receive a two-year contract extension through 2014 when the Nevada Board of Regents meets next week, knows what it’s like to win. He went 80-17 in seven seasons at Montana, appearing in three Football Championship Subdivision title games.

He could be tempted to try to win quickly at UNLV, but Hauck said he believes relying mostly on high school recruits will result in sustained success.

The Rebels, despite signing eight junior college transfers and adding several more JC walk-ons to make up for the lack of upperclassmen, will field one of the nation’s youngest teams for the second year in a row.

"There’s no permanence in college football, but to create stability, the quick fix is not the way to go, in my mind," Hauck said. "I think we’re trying to do it the right way. We’re trying to build depth throughout both sides of the football and create a sound foundation we can rely on. Doing it another way, I think you can get radical swings both up and down. Probably more down than up."

Hauck, though, isn’t the patient sort. Though he has an eye on the big picture, Hauck wants to start seeing tangible results sooner rather than later.

He also has the pressure of not only making his program successful, but helping sustain the entire athletic department. The pressure is even more intense to win given an economy that is standing still and might even be worsening.

Hauck said instead of complaining about the situation, it’s better to focus on figuring out how to work within the constraints of a tight budget.

"It’s one of those things that’s not just UNLV and it’s not just Nevada," Hauck said. "It’s nationwide. Nevada’s in bad shape. California’s in worse. So there are a lot of schools that are fighting that battle. We want to do more with less than anybody in the country. I’m sure there are a lot of people who have that (view).

"Now long term, you always aren’t going to be able to hold water doing that. You can put your fingers in the holes to make it work, and hopefully nobody will notice the difference."

Livengood must hope to get those 2,012 donors by the middle of 2012, and for the football program to begin to show signs of promise.

Or Livengood might be forced to do what he was able to avoid this fiscal year — institute layoffs and perhaps even cut a sport or two.

Livengood said he believes his football coach will start to show progress this season and eventually produce the kind of wins that will get the fans’ attention.

"You can’t always tell people, ‘Wait till next year,’ " Livengood said. "People get tired of ‘next year.’ Do I think we’re going to get there in the end? Absolutely, because what Bobby is doing is building it the right way."

Contact reporter Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2914. Follow him on Twitter: @markanderson65.