Pine - Fall 2012 - (Page 8)
COVER
LINKS
That same approach launched her career. As senior associate athletic director at the University of Texas at el Paso, a job Campos took at age 26, she earned the respect of her peers, and her participation in the NCAA Fellows Leadership Program broadened her reputation as smart, determined and driven to succeed. Campos was ideally positioned to lead a resurgence — even if she wasn’t actively looking to do so.
But there was another connection to be made. All those brand-new seats on both sides of the football field delivered a clear message: This venue needs to be filled, and it will take community support to do it. What soon followed was another public event: Creating Lumberjack Pride.
Murphy swept into NAU from the University of Memphis, then scooted off to find the next NAU star in the high schools of Las vegas.
“I knew everything I was doing was to prepare me to be an athletic director, but I wasn’t looking for my next job,” she says. “But I knew that job would need to be a good fit for me — something in line with what was important for me — and that’s what I see here.” her first order of business was no less urgent than hiring a new men’s basketball coach. It needed to happen quickly. And be well received. Nothing like being asked to hit a home run in your first at-bat. She connected. At a whirlwind public reception, Campos pulled Murphy off the recruiting road just long enough to introduce him to the campus and the community. During his lively remarks, Murphy was definitely “on.” he hadn’t had a chance to be off. he swept into NAU from the University of Memphis, then scooted off to find the next NAU star in the high schools of Las Vegas.
share
PhOTOS BY: JAMIe hINeS (TOP); MATT BeATY, NAU MeDIA ReLATIONS (BOTTOM)
CRE ATING PRIDE
SPOTLIGHT
Top: Senior Gabe Rogers hopes to lead the : men’s basketball team to a bounce-back season under new coach Jack Murphy. Bottom: Women’s basketball standout Amy : Patton is poised to become the all-time scoring leader in school history this season.
“We really need to engage this community and get the people of Flagstaff on board,” Campos says. “We heard from the community that it was just too expensive to attend games, so our strategy was to make sure everyone in Flagstaff could afford to come out.” The result was reduced ticket prices intended to make it easier for fans, especially as families, to experience NAU sports. Football and men’s basketball ticket prices were cut, while a new NAU Sports Pass entices fans to attend soccer, volleyball, women’s basketball, and track and field home events. “We want our fans to be able to come to the Skydome and bring their families,” says head football coach Jerome Souers. “establishing “ the home field advantage will only add to the reputation of the building and the difficulty of playing at elevation for visiting teams. It makes the games more fun, too.” For all that had happened in only a matter of weeks, more was yet to come. On June 18, NAU announced that Darling would be the women’s basketball coach. Darling, like Campos, arrived with her own compelling story, and she didn’t have far to travel. As an assistant at the University of Arizona, she had re-established herself in the world of college basketball, and taking the head position at NAU was a natural next step.
nau.edu/alumni
PINE � FALL 2012 � PG 8
CONNECTIONS
Q&A
FEATURED
http://www.nauathletics.com/sports/fball/2012-13/releases/201206066ouz2p
http://www.azstarnet.com/sports/basketball/greg-hansen-nau-gets-a-darling-to-rebuild-program/article_5e73d111-a291-5a5c-8dad-5f737743b9d9.html
http://www.azstarnet.com/sports/basketball/greg-hansen-nau-gets-a-darling-to-rebuild-program/article_5e73d111-a291-5a5c-8dad-5f737743b9d9.html
http://www.nau.edu/alumni
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Pine - Fall 2012
Pine - Fall 2012
Pine - Fall 2012
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/mcmurry/pine_2015fall
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/mcmurry/pine_2015spring
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/mcmurry/pine_2014fall
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/mcmurry/pine_2014spring
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/mcmurry/pine_2013fall
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/mcmurry/pine_2013spring
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/mcmurry/pine_2012fall
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/mcmurry/pine_2009spring
https://www.nxtbookmedia.com