PROVO — There was a time, several years ago, when Tom Holmoe was considered one of the leading candidates to replace BYU football coaching legend LaVell Edwards.
As it turned out, he didn't replace Edwards. Instead, he is taking on another high-profile, pressure-packed position at BYU. Calling him "the right man at the right time," school administrators introduced Holmoe Tuesday as BYU's new athletic director, ending a three-month national search.
"This is quite an honor," said Holmoe, who found out about his hiring on Monday. "It's my dream today that I do all that I can to make sure that those coaches have every opportunity to succeed."
Though he wasn't hired until this week, Holmoe already has a firm grasp of what the job entails. He has been a member of a transition team that was charged to oversee the athletic department last September when the school fired Val Hale as the men's athletic director and Elaine Michaelis as the women's AD. At the time, the school also consolidated the two athletic programs.
"It's been a little turbulent at times," Holmoe said of the past six months.
Holmoe played a major role in the recent changes with the struggling football program, which has suffered through three straight losing seasons. Holmoe recommended that the school make a coaching change, which resulted in Gary Crowton's stepping down under pressure and the subsequent hiring of Bronco Mendenhall last December.
Watching the way Holmoe handled that situation impressed BYU President Cecil O. Samuelson and advancement vice-president Fred Skousen.
"It was a great benefit because we need a leader who can make hard decisions and move the program forward and provide the leadership that is absolutely needed," Skousen said. "Our whole emphasis is on the student-athlete. They're the reason why we have a university and an athletic program. The key people to help them are the coaches. The key people to help the coaches is the athletic director."
"Tom bleeds Cougar blue, through and through," Samuelson said. "He inspires confidence in those he works with. I'm impressed with Tom as a leader."
The hiring of Holmoe, along with other important changes, signal a new direction in BYU's athletic department, according to Skousen. "I think we're at a point where you're going to see a dramatic rise in the performance of the athletic program," Skousen said. "You're seeing all of the stars align and come together to help us do that. I think we put the final cog into that process in naming Tom as our athletic director."
Mendenhall likes the idea of continuing to work with Holmoe, who is a former football coach. "It's vital to establish points of reference with someone who's been there, someone who understands, and someone who's had success, not only elsewhere, but at the current place where I'm employed," he said. "I think Tom under- stands the issues both relevant to BYU and also relevant to the profession in general. We went through this transition with me as well. He had, as he put it, the most key role in selecting me as the football coach. I think all of those things give me tremendous confidence in knowing the process and in the future of the football program."
At most schools, the athletic director reports directly to the university president. But at BYU, he reports to Skousen, the advancement vice president. But Samuelson downplayed that administrative setup and emphasized that the athletic department is Holmoe's show.
"Tom will be responsible for everything in the athletic department," he said. "Everyone at BYU wants to report directly to the president. That doesn't happen and it won't happen. Fred Skousen is our advancement vice president and the athletic director will report through Fred and through me to our Board of Trustees. Tom Holmoe is the chief executive officer of the athletic department."
During his comments at Tuesday's news conference, Holmoe reached out to BYU supporters who have witnessed plenty of losing, especially in football and basketball. "The last three seasons are the only three in the last 36 that I haven't been on the field as a player or a coach. So I know what it's like to be a fan," Holmoe said. "A fan at BYU is part of the excellent tradition at BYU. I know the last couple of years haven't been a great fan experience for many. It's my dream right now to earn the respect of those fans and to bring them back and get them feeling great about BYU."
There were 45 applicants for the AD job, Skousen said. Two other members of the four-person transition team — Peter Pilling and Brian Santiago — also applied for the position. While Santiago attended Tuesday's news conference, Pilling did not.
"I've talked to Peter," Holmoe said. "That was one of the hard things for me because we are very good friends. We've been tied at the hip the last six months. He's been a huge support for me. I'm eager to carry on. I know he's disappointed but we're going to be fine. He has goals and dreams and I will not hinder them. I'll help him in any way I can. In the meantime, we're going to work together still. We have a lot of unfinished business."
Samuelson and Skousen are confident that Holmoe is the right man to lead BYU athletics into a new era. "It's a compliment to Tom to know that he has been measured up against a number of strong individuals," Skousen said. "He has not been appointed just because he was here and just because he's been a part of the transition team. He's been appointed because we believe he's the right person at the right time."
E-mail: jeffc@desnews.com