Athletics Director Paul Kowalczyk
11/03/2004 | 12:00:00 | General
Jan. 10, 2006
Under the direction of Paul Kowalczyk, Saluki athletics is enjoying unprecedented success on and off the field. Winning teams, facility improvements and financial stability are hallmarks of the Kowalczyk era, which began in the summer of 2000.
The 47-year-old Ohio native has changed the culture of Saluki athletics, emphasizing customer service, teamwork and sound business practices.
The end result -- Saluki Pride has never been stronger.
Faced with a host of challenges -- such as underperforming revenue sports and deteriorating facilities, Kowalczyk (pronounced KUH-wall-check) quickly developed a plan when he took charge five years ago.
The results are amazing.
Winning is now commonplace. The department is on solid financial footing, and major facility improvements have taken place and more are planned.
A remarkable turnaround has taken place in the men's basketball program under Kowalczyk, who has proven adept at hiring the right coach at the right time.
Now led by its third head coach in four years, the Salukis have nonetheless maintained consistency on the court, winning four-straight Missouri Valley Conference championships and earning four-straight at-large bids to the NCAA Tournament in 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005. The 2002 club advanced to the "Sweet 16," gaining unprecedented national media exposure. The 2004 squad rose to #15 in the national polls, the highest in school history.
An energized fan base is one of the outgrowths of the basketball program's success. Six sell-outs have taken place at SIU Arena in the last four years, including three in a row to end the 2004 season.
Facility improvements for men's basketball include a spacious 7,500-square foot weightroom that opened in September, and planning is underway for a major renovation to SIU Arena.
The football team is coming off three-straight Gateway Conference championships and spent 10-straight weeks ranked #1 in the nation in 2004.
The success on the gridiron is no accident.
Kowalczyk's first hire was the relatively unknown Jerry Kill, who has rebuilt the football program into a national powerhouse and won national coach-of-the-year honors along the way.
Olympic sports have also flourished under Kowalczyk. For example, the softball team has advanced to the NCAA Tournament three years in a row. In the 2004-05 MVC all-sports trophy race, the Salukis finished second, their best showing 10 years.
While many state universities are struggling to make ends meet in the wake of budget cuts, the Salukis are prospering, thanks to increased ticket sales and marketing opportunities, plus fiscal responsibility.
Kowalczyk recognized the need for a fund-raising mechanism to defray scholarship costs, as well as reward the department's valued supporters. Thus, the new Saluki Athletic Scholarship Fund was born in 2003. The SASF has been a huge success, already topping $500,000 annually in scholarship money.
Facility improvements are yet another major focus of Kowalczyk's administration, and new structures have been erected or are on the way.
Thanks to a generous gift from alumnus Pete Wittmann, a new $3.4 million academic and training opened on Oct. 1, 2005.
Softball's Charlotte West Stadium, a state-of-the-art facility, opened in the spring of 2003 and has already hosted one Missouri Valley Conference championship.
Success off the field is equally important to Kowalczyk, who is committed to supporting academic and community service programs for student-athletes. During his tenure, student-athletes have outperformed the general student body in the classroom. Last year, 51 athletes earned academic all-conference honors, and four were named Academic All-Americans.
Kowalczyk came to SIU from Northwestern University, where he was an integral part of the school's rise to success in the early `90s. He began in 1991 as the business manager in charge of finance and personnel, and was promoted four years later to associate athletic director for external affairs. Prior to Northwestern, Kowalczyk spent three years at Kansas State as assistant athletic director for business operations.
He began his career in athletics in 1986, working at his alma mater, Kent State, while earning a master's degree. He then accepted a position as business manager for athletics at Portland State.
Kowalczyk holds a bachelor's of business administration in accounting and a master's in sports administration from Kent State.
He and his wife, Peg, reside in Carbondale.
