The Lumberjack



Students Serving The Cal Poly Humboldt Campus and Community Since 1929

Tag: Athletic Director

  • Meet HSU’s New Athletic Director

    Meet HSU’s New Athletic Director

    Jane Teixeira begins new position as head of Humboldt State athletics

    Humboldt State has a new permanent athletic director for the first time since 2016 in Jane Teixeira, who officially started the job April 6. With COVID-19 ending all sports at HSU for the semester, Teixeira has been adjusting to the area and the position as much as she can.

    “I’ve enjoyed my time exploring as much as I can under the circumstances,” Teixeira said. “It was an interesting drive up here to try to make the change in location in these unprecedented times. Beautiful landscape coming up here, and I’m really happy to be here. Every morning it’s nice to hear the chickens that are across the street and be a part of this great community.”

    Even without the luxury of meeting people in person, Teixeira has hit the ground running and is doing her best to make connections with people and learn more about the athletics department and where it fits into the university.

    “I’m willing to listen, I may not have the answers, I may not be able to give them what they want right away or at all, but I’m willing to listen.”

    Jane Teixeira

    “A lot of my two weeks have been built upon building relationships,” Teixeira said. “Getting to know what the staff needs, what they want. Where our gaps are, where we stand financially—obviously in these times things are difficult—and how can athletics contribute to getting better under the circumstances with the university as a whole.”

    With the loss of football still recent in people’s memories and budget management on the horizon, Teixeira said interacting with the community around Humboldt State and listening to what they have to say will be important for her.

    “I’m willing to listen,” Teixeira said. “I may not have the answers, I may not be able to give them what they want right away or at all, but I’m willing to listen. And I’m willing to take their points and understand them and say, ‘Hey, have you thought about this?’ or, ‘That’s a great point. I’ve never thought about that, let me see what we can figure out with that.’ We’re looking forward to working hand in hand and side by side with the Humboldt County community and all of our alumni.”

    Teixeira also aims to focus on bringing in more quality student-athletes and using athletics as a way to bring more students to Humboldt State and give them opportunities.

    “It’s all about opportunity,” Teixeira said. “Because you never know when that one opportunity happens for a student that may change their life forever. It can happen just like that. And that’s why I’m in this business.”

    For Teixeira, the roster expansions would be a chance for student athletes who may get overlooked to have a chance to showcase themselves.

    “You never know when you get that one student who the lightbulb goes off for them and it changes their whole entire world. So giving them an opportunity if we expand our rosters a little bit, you never know. You may get that diamond in the rough.”

  • Third Athletic Director Candidate at HSU

    Third Athletic Director Candidate at HSU

    On Feb. 11 HSU welcomed its third potential candidate for its next athletic director

    Jane Teixeira intends on bringing her 25 years of experience working with higher education as an administrator, coach, student-athlete and leader to Humboldt State University. Upon her arrival, Teixeira personally greeted everyone in attendance and made them feel comfortable. In return, staff took it upon themselves to show her the view of the College Creek Field from the Great Hall balcony.

    Once everyone got to their seats, Teixeira introduced herself and began speaking on the importance of establishing a connection with student athletes.

    “Cultivation is important. I’m a relationship builder and I have constructed my career on that,” Teixeira said. “I want to know about people I interact with. I want to know what you bring to the table and how I can help.”

    Athleticism is not the only concern Teixeira spoke about. She also reached out to student athletes at HSU with concerns of life outside of their sports. Whether the concern is athletics or socializing, Teixeira has shown that she can incorporate her goal of unification between students and the community.

    “I also want to see us build championships, not only from wins and losses, but being a champion in the community. And by that I mean leadership.”

    Jane Teixeira

    “I spoke with student athletes yesterday about job interviews,” Teixeira said. “I told them, remember the skillset you bring. Time management and organization as athletes are beneficial in the workforce.”

    Her next talking point was about being competitive––whether it’s on the field or in the classroom. Student athletes at HSU experience obstacles such as going on the road for games, which hinders their focus on academic work. Teixeira also talked about championships, but not in the tone of filling trophy cabinets.

    “I also want to see us build championships, not only from wins and losses, but being a champion in the community,” Teixeira said. “And by that I mean leadership.”

    After introducing herself and the ideas she has planned if she were to become athletic director, Teixeira began taking questions from the audience. The first question involved her unique experiences that she would bring to HSU.

    “Humboldt State Day would be great and you can have it at the plaza or the quad.”

    Jane Teixeira

    “I have worked with 14 institutes and their presidents, their athletics directors, SWAs, their coaches and student athletes on various levels,” Teixeira said. “My claim to fame was cleaning the Reggie Bush mess, not only by myself.”

    The Reggie Bush mess she mentioned involved University of Southern California football player and Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush and basketball player O.J. Mayo accepting gifts from agents. This act resulted in Bush relinquishing his trophy. Sanctions were also placed on USC athletics.

    The next question focused on the discontinuation of HSU’s football program and the effect it has had on homecoming. Other sports are capable of hosting the event, which would alleviate any concerns. Teixeira responded with alternatives to homecoming.

    “You can center it around any sport, or any big time of the year for the community,” she said. “Humboldt State Day would be great and you can have it at the plaza or the quad.”

    For the last question, Teixeira was asked if non-traditional sports like esports would have a place at HSU. She said she believes technological growth is important and she wouldn’t disregard esports.

    “Esports is a hot trend right now,” Teixeira said. “In fact the Peach Belt Conference is the first NCAA Division II conference as a whole to have esports. I believe there are six or seven institutions in that conference and we have to be on that innovative technology side. We don’t know if it’s good or bad unless we try it. I’m gonna have to learn it too so it’s exciting.”

  • Marcus Manning Continues Series of Athletic Director Forums

    Marcus Manning Continues Series of Athletic Director Forums

    Another prospective athletic director gives their pitch

    Marcus Manning is the second of three candidates for Humboldt State’s athletic director position. Manning, who began his athletics department work in recreation at Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville, said he saw the opportunity for HSU to excel in intercollegiate athletics and recreational sports.

    “The vision that I have for Humboldt State athletics and recreation is to be a premiere program both in intercollegiate athletics and recreation,” Manning said. “Providing opportunities for our students that involve personal development, academic success and competitive excellence.”

    Manning has also had experience at University of California, Irvine, Indiana University South Bend, and the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics in Kansas City, Missouri. Manning also has experience at Maryville University, the BASE Foundation in St. Louis, Missouri and Centenary College.

    Manning was confident that the future of sports has great potential at HSU. He said the department should look toward students for what direction to take. One example he gave was the possibility of backing esports on campus.

    “Young people have led us to competitive gaming,” Manning said. “They’ve shown us the way and so that’s an opportunity for us to look at that and say, ‘Okay, can competitive gaming—can esports—happen at Humboldt State University?’”

    Manning said it would be a collective effort to involve student athletes in the campus and make sure they are an active part of the community.

    “I was charged with adding programs to help increase enrollment and doing that with strategic speed. Also from a fundraising standpoint, taking our fundraising budget from a negative $11,800 to making sure we were in a surplus of $1.3 million.”

    Marcus Manning

    “That means everyone within the campus community all-in in terms of that type of experience,” Manning said. “Our alumni base and surrounding community also playing a part in that student experience.”

    When asked why he thought he would be the best candidate for the job, Manning pointed to his years of experience with athletics as a base for his merit.

    “Seventeen years of broad-based experience,” Manning said. “I got a chance to work at University of California, Irvine in recreation, but it was under athletics. So I was director of club sports and specialty events. When you look at this unique opportunity at Humboldt, it includes recreation. I cut my teeth on rec sports and I had a blast.”

    He also mentioned that he’s added programs for universities in the past and that he could do that for HSU too.

    “I was charged with adding programs to help increase enrollment and doing that with strategic speed,” Manning said. “Also from a fundraising standpoint, taking our fundraising budget from a negative $11,800 to making sure we were in a surplus of $1.3 million.”

    Manning said the signs he saw while researching the Humboldt area pointed to potential.

    “Just doing homework. I’ve seen some of the new things that occurred in terms of partnership with local schools and scholarship opportunities,” Manning said. “Seeing those opportunities that Dr. Jackson has talked about, so that really put me on notice to say, ‘Okay, these are some potential opportunities that we can really take advantage of.’”

  • Allan Jones Opens Forums for HSU Athletic Director

    Allan Jones Opens Forums for HSU Athletic Director

    First candidate for HSU’s next athletic director makes his case for the job

    Allan Jones is one of three candidates in the running for Humboldt State University’s next athletic director. While speaking to open forum attendees, Jones said investing in the community and working with the community members are some of the keys to making a successful athletics program.

    “We’re going to be heavily involved in this community asking for support,” Jones said. “But in order to do that we need to be invested as well. Not just our student athletes, but our coaches, our administrators, our staff.”

    Jones, originally from a small community in Conyers, Georgia, pointed to his additional work in the Waco, Texas area as an example of what he would hope to bring to HSU.

    “There’s a reason why I’m on the Rotary Club of Waco,” Jones said. “Why I’m on the little league board for baseball and softball in Waco and why I’m on the Museum Association Board of Waco, and it’s because I need people to know that when I’m out in the community asking for their support, that there’s a return on that investment.”

    “I want to bring those best-in-class practices and successes we’ve seen and measure those to scale here with Lumberjack athletics.”

    Allan Jones

    Jones comes to the table with 20 years of experience in college athletics, most recently working with the Texas Sports Hall of Fame in Waco as the president and CEO. Jones has also held positions at Arizona State University, University of North Texas, University of Louisville, University of Maryland and Georgia Institute of Technology.

    Coming to HSU having held positions at several major universities, Jones was confident that his experience there and at smaller schools would help him improve the programs at HSU.

    “I want to bring those best-in-class practices and successes we’ve seen and measure those to scale here with Lumberjack athletics,” Jones said. “So I think those experiences at the bigger schools and bigger institutions mesh with having been at places that were smaller, that were rural as well my background having grown up in the second smallest county in the state of Georgia.”

    “Let’s figure out, is there a Band-Aid approach that gets us through this next three to four months? And then let’s have the best softball complex between San Francisco and Portland.”

    Allan Jones

    On the subject of HSU football, which was cut under the previous administration, Jones was open to having the conversation of a return in the future, but he stressed being able to support athletes as a whole.

    “I’m comfortable having a conversation down the road about football,” Jones said. “But what it needs to be is a very open, honest, transparent discussion as someone who’s actually brought a sport to a full time NCAA status, understanding not just the scholarship cost, but recruiting, travel budget—all the other things that go in.”

    In regard to existing programs on campus, one big facilities issue that Jones sees at HSU is the condition of the softball field, which often becomes unusable when it rains. He said the softball field would be at the top of his list of things to address if he is hired.

    “As I understand, left field has got an issue four feet down that it won’t drain,” Jones said. “Well, why would we put $1 million into that when we’re going to have to go back four years later and build a brand new stadium? Let’s be strategic. Let’s figure out, is there a Band-Aid approach that gets us through this next three to four months? And then let’s have the best softball complex between San Francisco and Portland.”

    Open forums for athletic director candidates continue on Monday at 4:15 p.m. and on Tuesday at 3:15 p.m. in the Great Hall above College Creek Marketplace.

  • Leading the Transition for Athletics

    Leading the Transition for Athletics

    A Q&A with HSU interim Athletic Director Jill Willson

    The athletic department at Humboldt State is in a transition phase under the new administration of President Tom Jackson Jr. Previous interim Athletic Director Duncan Robins left his position in June.

    While searching for a permanent Athletic Director, President Jackson recruited Jill Willson and her company Double L Consulting for the position. Willson received her degree in biology from West Texas A&M University, then went on to coach the women’s basketball team and later run the athletic department for the university. Willson specializes in Division II athletics, more specifically in community outreach and recruiting and she serves on an NCAA committee for Division II athletics. Willson created Double L consulting to help Division II schools run their athletic department during times of transition.

    Could you tell me about your personal background and the company you are with?

    I’m a longtime women’s basketball coach and former athletic director at Texas A&M- Kingsville, which is where I spent the majority of my career. In 2007 I started my own company, which is called Double L consulting, two L’s in Jill and two L’s in Willson is how I came up with the name. I really founded the company to help Division II schools across the country. I help schools with the membership process and the transition from NAIA or Division III to Division II programs. I arrange all of the community engagement events for the Division II National Championship events. Three years ago I diversified Double-L consulting to help schools hire athletic directors, and what we do is help fill the seat while the athletic department is doing the search, so they are not down a staff member.

    What are your goals, within the athletic department, for the upcoming academic year?

    Our job is to help build a quality pool of candidates for the search committee to help find the next Humboldt State Athletic Director. It’s my goal to do a bit of a program review and evaluate what kinds of things we are going well and what things we need to work on so that when the permanent athletic director is hired in January, they can take off and run.

    What is your current evaluation of the athletic department and where do you want it to be when you turn the reigns to the next athletic director?

    Honestly, what makes Humboldt such an amazing institution is the people, and the athletic department staff is no different. They do a tremendous job at recruiting student-athletes and getting them to be great athletes, helping them do well academically and getting them to graduate. I think this is a great opportunity to help the athletic department to do an even better job at what they already do well.

    What qualities are you looking for in the next athletic director for Humboldt State?

    You need to have someone come in that is committed to making a difference in Humboldt County and on-campus at HSU. We need to have someone who can help fundraise, and the responsibility of the next athletic director will be to find new revenue streams and open up the athletic department to new boosters and new donors. Being a great leader and leading by example on campus for the student-athletes is crucial, and we need to be able to hold coaches accountable for academic success as well.

  • Hall of fame speech stirs up emotion

    Hall of fame speech stirs up emotion

    By | Diego Linares

    Todd Eagle stands before a podium, drawing back tears during parts of his speech, he receives his hall of fame plaque and walks into a crowd standing for his ovation.

    As a former defensive lineman for the Humboldt State University football team, he said that the program changed his life. During his speech, Eagle talked about his troubled past, the current condition of the football program; as well as, the impact it has had on students.

    “I wanted to touch some people based on what’s going on with athletics now at HSU,” Eagle said. “So, what better way to talk about all the things that I’ve been through, and how HSU was a part of that net to keep me from falling down.”

    HSU honored six former athletes and one administrator by welcoming them into the Athletic Department’s Hall of Fame on Friday in the Kate Buchanon Room within the University Center.

    Former Athletic Director Chuck Lindemenn, two-sport athlete Tom DiMercurio, defensive lineman Eagle, softball shortstop Terry Marroquin, track and field runners Megan Rolland and Jasper Peach, as well as softball catcher Marissa Slattery all spent time with the microphone sharing stories and jokes.

    Marroquin was another athlete who spoke about having a tough past before leaving home to be a student at HSU. Coming from Los Angeles, Marroquin said that she was raised by the streets and found a welcoming environment when making the trip to Northern California.

    “You’re not sure where you fit in,” Marroquin said . “It’s totally the opposite. You come here, you see cows and redwood trees.”

    Marroquin went from being named to the Los Angeles Times Softball All-Star selection in 1995, to receiving a hall of fame induction from her alma mater on Friday. She now works with foster youth as a social worker in Humboldt County.

    Lindemenn took time during his speech to comment on the condition of the football team. The former athletic director, and first ever Axe Major for the HSU marching band, even made light of the situation.

    “If you drop football, what the hell are the Marching Lumberjacks going to do?” Lindemenn said.

    As soon as Lindemenn was done with his speech, the doors swung open and in came the Marching Lumberjacks to make a cameo appearance to honor the hall of famer.

    Current interim athletic director Duncan Robins said that the inductees were spectacular in their time and that it was of importance to be able to enjoy and reflect on their storytelling.

    “In any institution, it’s really important to have history and to celebrate that history. That’s how you start to build culture and understand who you are,” Robins said. “So, to have them come back here and tell what it was like in the past – and the values they had when they playing – and reflect on that is really important.”

    Among the athletes’ accomplishments were national titles, countless personal awards, records and achievements, as well as one being the smartest male athlete to graduate from HSU.

    Eagle graduated Humboldt State having the highest grade point average of any male athlete at 3.902. He said that student athlete just have to embrace the grind.

    “I knocked on doors during office hours, even if that door was shut. Then I sat there and made sure they saw me. If they didn’t want to see me, I gave them my number. If they didn’t want to call me, I emailed them. So, I just kept going,” Eagle said.

    The inductees were also honored at midfield during halftime of the homecoming football game between Humboldt State and Azusa Pacific University.