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Dr. William Husak
Dr. William S. Husak begins his sixth year as the Athletic Director at Loyola Marymount University. Since taking over the program in 1998, LMU has reached a new level of success. With the implementation of the 10-year strategic plan, the future is bright for LMU athletics. Husak’s first appointment as a collegiate athletic director has focused on developing a team of coaches, support staff and administrators who believe that LMU’s athletics program can be among the elite in the nation. His first five years have been marked by enhancing the support of the athletic teams through the creation of the Student-Athlete Academic Center and the Lions Strength and Conditioning Center, increased scholarship and operational support and enhancing the coaching and support staff. “The last four years have been a high energy environment in the Athletics Department,” Husak said. “Because of the support of so many people at LMU, the program has been producing a winning record on the field and in the classroom. Our Athletics Department team has created a sound foundation and culture for future success.” The past three years have been three of the most successful seasons in school history as the Lions won over 55 percent of its dual competitions. Since 1998, LMU has claimed eight conference championships and 14 NCAA postseason appearances. Off the field, the Lions have had a 50 percent increase in national scholar-athletes as 128 claimed the honor in the 2002-03 academic year, the most in school history. Last year 91 student-athletes were named to the West Coast Conference honor roll. Husak attributes the current success and the future growth of the program on the staff that is place. Since he took over the program, the coaching and administrative staffs that lend support to the more than 330 student-athletes has more than doubled in size. At the conclusion of the 2002-03 athletic year, a full-time head coach will lead each of the 17 varsity sports sponsored at LMU. When Husak took over, only nine of the programs were led by full-time coaches. In addition, support for the student-athletes was enhanced with the addition of six brand new staff positions, which included an athletic academic coordinator, marketing/promotions manager, corporate relations manager, assistant athletic trainer, and an assistant media relations director. “We have begun to establish a winning tradition at LMU and we have done that through the people that we now have in place,” said Husak. “It was my goal to assemble a staff that would bring success to this program.” That success has led to improved facilities, enhanced fan support both by students and the general public and increased fund raising. “Although much has been accomplished, there is still a great deal to achieve,” Husak said. “If our athletics program is truly to become consistently great, we must achieve the objectives of our campaigns for facilities and endowments. We can not do this without the support of all those who believe that athletics is an integral part of the LMU experience for not just the student-athletes but all who are associated with this great University.” Husak comes from a long and accomplished background as an administrator, fundraiser and professor. As the former senior associate athletic director at California State University Long Beach, he enjoyed a successful career in both the academic and athletic arena over a span of 19 years. From 1993-1998, he served as the director of the 49er Athletic Association, and helped raise $6 million towards a $22 million capital campaign for construction of CSULB's athletic complex, The Pyramid. While at CSULB between 1983 and 1997, Husak served as an assistant commissioner for the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA). There, one of Husak's main responsibilities included supervising officials for the conference. Between 1986 and 1993 he served as chairman of CSULB's physical education department. As an associate professor of physical education at CSULB between 1979 and 1986, he established the university's Motor Behavior Laboratory. A 1972 graduate of State University of New York (SUNY) at Cortland, Husak holds a master's degree and Ph.D. in physical education from Texas A&M University. He and his wife of 31 years, Tish, live in Long Beach and have three sons, Greg, 29, Todd, 25 and Jon, 23. - GO LIONS - Updated: Aug. 9, 2003 |
