Contact: John Chandler ,
(818) 677-5674 or (818) 677-2130
jchandler@exec.csun.edu

Ponciano Departs as Head Football Coach

Although the independent inquiry remains under way, University Interim President Louanne Kennedy said the results thus far show "serious and substantial" violations of both NCAA and campus rules that compelled the university to take action.

"While we are continuing to sort through some of the allegations, the picture of non-compliance that has already emerged is clear, serious and substantial," Kennedy said. "Thus it was necessary to make a change now for the coming season."

After consulting with CSUN Athletic Director Dick Dull, Kennedy also announced that current football assistant coach Terrance Johnson, a two-year veteran who has worked with the defensive line, will serve as the teamıs administrator-in-charge pending the hiring of a new coach.

Dull said he concurred in the decision regarding Ponciano and expects the university to announce a new head football coach in the near future. "As an institution, Cal State Northridge is committed to a strong athletic program that plays by the rules and wins," Dull said. "Weıll be looking for a football coach who can do both."

The university on Friday sent Ponciano a non-retention letter, ending his tenure as head coach that began in February 1998. As a departing CSUN management employee, Ponciano will receive the standard 90 days severance pay.

The inquiry was spurred by an anonymous letter received May 19 that made 20 allegations. The inquiry began May 24, is being headed by CSUNıs internal auditor and its faculty athletic representative, and has been conducted in consultation with the National Collegiate Athletic Association.

The details of the inquiry will remain confidential until the conclusion of the universityıs work. But the inquiry already has identified violations of campus policies and probable violations, both major and secondary, of NCAA rules.

"We are determined to resolve all of the allegations raised in the letter," the president said. "The universityıs inquiry will take whatever time is necessary to accomplish that task before we submit our final conclusions to NCAA enforcement officials."

Dull, meanwhile, stressed that Poncianoıs departure is a personnel matter involving compliance with NCAA and campus rules, not a statement about the future of CSUN football. "I expect we will field a strong and competitive football team this coming season, and that we will play football in the future," Dull said.

University officials today scheduled meetings with members of the football coaching staff and players who were on campus to brief them on the decisions and the universityıs plans. "We want our staff and our student-athletes to understand the seriousness of the issue, and why we had to act," Kennedy said.

During his first season as head coach at CSUN, Ponciano in 1998 led the Matadors to a 7-4 overall record and a 5-3 mark in the Big Sky Conference, tying for second in the league and earning a final national NCAA I-AA ranking of 24th. Previously, Ponciano was CSUNıs defensive coordinator during the 1995 and 1996 seasons.

Football, with a more than $1 million annual budget and nearly 90 student-athletes, is the largest of CSUNıs 20 menıs and womenıs intercollegiate athletic programs. CSUN begins its 1999 football season on Saturday, Sept. 4, with an afternoon game at home against Western Oregon University.