Saluki Director of Athletics Mario Moccia signs extension
07/17/2007 | 12:00:00 | General
July 17, 2007
By Tom Weber
www.SIUSalukis.com
CARBONDALE, Ill. - Southern Illinois University Director of Athletics Mario Moccia received a one-year contract extension, the school announced Tuesday. In his first year at SIU, the 39-year-old Moccia oversaw one of the most successful seasons in school history, both on and off the field.
Four teams won conference championships, including the men's basketball program, which advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament and finished the season at an all-time best ranking of #11 in the nation. Other championship teams included women's basketball, women's golf and women's swiming and diving. The softball team played in its fifth-straight NCAA Tournament. Also, the Saluki football team qualified for the FCS Playoffs for the fourth-straight season and advanced to the Elite Eight.
"This university is blessed to have an athletic director who is such a strong advocate for university intercollegiate sports and who inspires our coaches and scholar-athletes to achieve academically as well as athletically," said Dr. Glenn Poshard, president of the university system.
"I am grateful for the confidence placed in me by the leadership of our University," said Moccia. "I have thoroughly enjoyed my first year in Carbondale and look forward to improved performance in all areas as we move forward together."
Academically, the grade point averages of Saluki student-athletes continued to improve. Ten of SIU's 18 sports had a team GPA of 3.0 or better, led by the softball team, which recorded a team GPA of 3.54. The average GPA for all student-athletes at SIU in the spring of 2007 was a school-record 3.01. That raised the cumulative GPA for all student-athletes to a record-high 3.00. Fifty-seven percent of Saluki student-athletes recorded a 3.0 or better GPA in the spring. The majority of Salukis -- 54 percent to be exact -- have a cumulative GPA above 3.0.
Last spring, Moccia signed both basketball head coaches -- Chris Lowery and Dana Eikenberg -- to contract extensions. Both coaches won Missouri Valley Conference Coach-of-the-Year honors last season.
Under Moccia, the department is preparing for a major building project, known as "Saluki Way," that should break ground in 2008 and features a new football stadium and a renovated SIU Arena. The target date for completion of the project is the fall of 2010.
"Mario has a big job in front of him, but he has his priorities in order and that's what counts," Poshard said.
"I am eager to work with Chancellor (Fernando) Treviño and President Poshard to meet and exceed not only the goals for the athletic program but the entire University," added Moccia. "A focus on engaging our massive alumni base to make Saluki Way a reality will be one of our top priorities for the program."
The extension keeps Moccia under contract through the end of the 2009-10 season.
