It had to be in early 1994 when I first met Jim Livengood. He was in his first few months of his job as athletic director at the University of Arizona.  It was Livengood and the Tucson Citizen Sports staff at Micha’s Restaurant. Micha’s is always good for a meeting.

Back then, we spoke about his dealing with two then-Washington State football players involved in a pipe bomb incident that killed one former Cougars player and injured another. He was surprised I knew about it.

A friendship began. So did the communication. He was good at taking calls – late into the night and/or early in the morning – about what was going on with the University of Arizona programs. Could he confirm or deny this? Could he speak on the record about that? More times than not, he couldn’t. He wished he could’ve – and did before 1997 – at times and when it was appropriate. Then a lawsuit by former UA player Miles Simon (UA officials had leaked Simon’s grades to the Kansas City Star) after Simon had been declared ineligible. It was old news (him being ineligible) to the locals but the story was more about the great lengths UA went to try to keep Simon eligible. (Wouldn’t it have been easier just to do well in school?). Great lengths? They didn’t work.

Simon eventually lost his lawsuit; Arizona, however, and Livengood clamped down on information, always couching his words to make sure not to say too much or say anything at all. He didn’t when Simon was eventually not rehired two years ago in a move that was likely his decision. “You know Steve,’’ he said, in a non-typical admonishing voice back then on the cell phone, “I don’t talk about personnel matters.’’

And that was that. Simon was gone.

Much has happened through the years under Livengood – good and bad. The good? NCAA titles in men’s basketball, numerous times in softball; men’s and women’s swimming; and success in football behind Dick Tomey and Mike Stoops.

Unfortunate things happened, too. Things well beyond his control.

It was under his watch Shawtinice Polk, a standout women’s UA basketball player, died as a result of a blood clot in 2005. Sad day. He handled it as well as could be expected. He was the AD when Damon Terrell passed away a month after collapsing at a UA football practice in August of 1995. He was the AD when Jason Terry eventually admitted taking money(s) from a pair of agents in 1999 thus creating an NCAA violation for the program.

Back then, Livengood said, “Jason Terry is a great person. I know he feels terrible about this and the effect the news will have on his teammates, and on the basketball program. Even though Jason knew the rules, he fell prey to agents’ promises and easy handouts. Now we all pay the price. It’s a no-win situation.”

As part of the penalty phase, Terry is not eligible for UA’s Sports Hall of Fame, although Livengood said earlier this decade “never say never’’ in Terry making it at some point. Now, it won’t be his call. As it turns out now, Livengood is still in the middle of another investigation – Lute Olson, too – involving the men’s basketball program and its involvement with the Cactus Classic. We’ll see what happens there when it comes out? Shouldn’t it have already?

In time. For now, let’s move on.

Livengood was the AD who had to call St. Joseph’s officials in 1996 to tell them UA wasn’t going to make the game in Philadelphia after a major snowstorm hit the area. It was about the same time – give a day or so – news broke that senior center Joseph Blair was academically ineligible. There were rumors (at the time) UA didn’t make the trip because Blair’s situation would have been found out because he wouldn’t have been able to play.

But in my book, “Tales from the Arizona Wildcats Hardwood’’ Livengood insisted it was his call not to put the players on a plane because of the weather, airline schedules and the player’s safety.

“I had heard the Joseph (rumors) and this and that,’’ Livengood said for the book. “But in my heart of hearts, I have kids and I was really concerned about the weather. It was my call. I told the president (then UA president, Manuel Pacheco) what I wanted to do and he said, ‘if that’s what you want to do, then that’s what you do.’’’

Arizona ended up paying St. Joes $80,000 for the missed game. It was that and a whole lot of bad publicity.

But Livengood knew those were the situations of being an athletic director at one of the nation’s best sports-specific schools. The bad happened more often than thought possible.

The whole Dick Tomey firing/dismissal was a bit awkward. It’s still not clear what happened there. All we know is former good-guy, Father Flannigan-type Tomey was relieved of his duties in 2000 and replaced with the anti-Tomey, John Mackovic, a strict my-way-or-the-highway coach. Soon we learned he wasn’t the answer, particularly when it comes to coaching today’s me-first student-athletes. He lasted 2 ½ seasons after going 10-18. At UA and Tucson, Livengood will forever be remembered as the guy who hired Mackovic. He’ll also be the guy who will be remembered for not being able to fire Lute Olson. I’ll say right now, no one could. Not even the president of the University, Robert Shelton. The one making that call could only be Lute Olson, who eventually did after realizing he didn’t have anything left (energy and otherwise) to coach anymore that October day in 2008. And not that I know exactly what happened, I’d venture to guess, Livengood tried to figure out what the best possible exit Olson could take to go out gracefully. It didn’t work out that way – and all parties suffered.

Livengood will be remembered for naming former UA interim coach Kevin O’Neill as Lute’s successor. Hell, I endorsed the deal in a move that had to be done. At the time, UA needed stability, something it didn’t have in Lute’s absence. Maybe Lute would return; maybe he wouldn’t. UA needed some sort of plan. Livengood decided it was O’Neill to shore up recruits that had already committed. But, the players never took to O’Neill’s style, a tough-love, verbally demanding (read what you want into that) coach. Lute got wind of the problems and the relationship was severed.

Arizona moved on. Lute was back, of course, until he decided he couldn’t handle the game anymore – no matter how much he tried or wanted to. Livengood was back searching for a coach.  The oddest moment I thought, though, in Livengood’s tenure came the day Olson retired. At the end of the press conference, Livengood said, “I do not have a decision at this point in time in terms of who’s going to head our men’s basketball program.”

He was then whisked away by UA’s PR people, refusing to ask a follow-up question about who was taking over the program. What? No leader?

As it turned out, he was being honest. He didn’t know. Negotiations with then associate head coach Mike Dunlap broke down in the next few hours and Russ Pennell was named the interim head coach. Wow!

What it all showed was how much power Livengood had or didn’t have. I’m not sure he could have prevented any of it. No decision he could have made would have appeased the masses.

He made things right – eventually – by hiring the young and smart Sean Miller. It came after possibly hiring former USC coach Tim Floyd. He was flown in for a taste-test wasn’t he? It was a disaster Livengood eventually avoided to everyone’s relief.

Now, just 14 months after Lute’s retirement, Livengood is gone, sort of. He’ll be back and forth between his new school and his old one until next month. “Have a great Wildcat day’’ will be changed to “Have a great Rebel day’’ or “Isn’t it a great day to be a Rebel?”

No question Livengood has the energy and connections to do well in Vegas. He can smooze with the best of them. And he’s a go-getter. And, who retires at age 64 anymore? Not when 401ks have become 200.5Ks even for those who have made close to $300,000 for a few years now.

Hell, in a text on Thursday, I offered congratulations and my services (jokingly because heck being underemployed sucks) with a request of a chance to communicate. I never got a response. Seems like old times already. We will both live and likely run into one another a time or two before he’s officially gone.

That said, Livengood will do well, baring a snow storm in the east (UNLV doesn’t travel anywhere near the east this season) and any controversy with the men’s basketball coach. Then again, he has experience with each and should know how to deal with the dilemmas.

This entry was posted on Thursday, December 17th, 2009 at 10:19 pm and is filed under Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.