Athletic Directors

Former Compton Dominguez High basketball coach Russell Otis paid thousands of dollars in cash to cover his team's expenses to travel and play in tournaments, witnesses testified during a hearing Thursday. The testimony came during the third day of a preliminary hearing for the highly successful former coach, who is accused of stealing $15,000 intended for his team and of the attempted molestation of a player, now 17.

With the state -- and their university -- struggling through difficult economic times, UCLA football Coach Rick Neuheisel and basketball Coach Ben Howland have agreed to take pay cuts, a school official said. Athletic Director Dan Guerrero, who has also agreed to a cut, said the details are still being negotiated but expects that he and the coaches will forgo as much as 10% of their salaries this year.

His cardinal-and-gold tie gleaming in the sun, Mike Garrett stepped in front of the shiny red car with a huge grin. USC had just been awarded this year's Lexus Gauntlet Championship for winning its overall sports competition against UCLA, and a group of Trojans coaches gathered outside Heritage Hall on Tuesday afternoon to celebrate. The prize was a 150-pound replica of a medieval gauntlet. But Garrett had his eye on something else.

Mike Garrett is telling a story. He tells stories the way he once carried a football, the way he now carries an athletic department. Hard. "The NCAA said that while they were investigating this Reggie Bush thing, it would be appropriate if we kept our distance from him, because they didn't want the appearance that we were condoning anything," Garrett says. "I thought that was a reasonable request. So I agreed." There it is.

The last time we saw the UCLA football team last season, it was losing to Florida State after giving up a fourth-down touchdown pass. The first time we see the Bruins this year, they are beating themselves with what seemed to be a botched reverse. Last winter, the villain was Bobby Bowden. This summer, it was recklessness. As Karl Dorrell knows now, both can leave you plenty embarrassed.

Athletic Director Dan Guerrero directly addressed UCLA's inconsistent football performances for the first time Monday, mostly stating the obvious: that a Pacific 10 Conference championship and Rose Bowl berth are still within the Bruins' grasp. But there was no ringing endorsement for Coach Karl Dorrell. Instead, Guerrero said, "I will be very interested to see how we finish the season. And you can use that." His message seemed clear.

A little over two years ago, she was part of Mike Garrett's senior management team, helping guide the fate of USC athletics. Now, Lisa Love is in the big office here, the one with the sixth-floor view of Sun Devil Stadium and north to suburban Phoenix, with its buttes and camelbacks and thousands of newcomers every month. She is the queen of an empire that, until now, has always been run by kings.

Two days. That's how long it took Mississippi to find a new head football coach. Fifteen days. That's how long it took Washington State. Sixteen days. That's how long it took Northern Illinois. Nineteen days. That's how long it took Duke. Twenty-five days and counting. That is how long it is taking UCLA, the self-styled heavyweight dropping in class by the day. If this goes on any longer, the Bruins will be reduced to dueling Temple for the services of a coach with a 5-19 career record.

Fresh off a 10-victory season, the UCLA Bruins football program is still fighting an uphill battle on many fronts, Athletic Director Dan Guerrero said. "The success that we had last year is not translating into maybe the kind of respect that you may want to see in a program," Guerrero said. "If you go across the country and you come off a 10-2 year, people are dancing in the streets and talking up the program quite a bit.

Ohio State Athletic Director Andy Geiger is retiring after a decade featuring some of the Buckeyes' greatest victories and biggest embarrassments. From the time Maurice Clarett led the Buckeyes to a football national championship in 2002, the athletic department has been beset by NCAA investigations of its football and basketball programs. "I find my work is no longer fun and I no longer look forward with enthusiasm to each day," Geiger, 65, said Wednesday. "I'm just tired. Just bone-weary.