While recently reading that Sacramento State President Alexander Gonzalez had hired former NCAA President Cedric Dempsey to evaluate the athletic program, all I could say was “Finally!”

Was it the 7-26 record in football over the last three seasons? Did someone finally realize that our gym is smaller than most high school gyms? What had finally motivated someone to start addressing Sac State’s athletic woes?

For many, it may look like low Academic Performance Rate scores sparked the investigation. The true motivation, however, lies in the lack of on-field athletic success by Sac State teams. Winning makes everyone happy, and winning is something that Sac State hasn’t done in major sports. The university can claim recent conference titles in sports like volleyball, gymnastics and women’s tennis, but there has been little championship noise in basketball or football.

Athletic Director Terry Wanless recognizes winning as a problem but maintains that the university is working in the right direction with its programs, citing that this season’s men’s basketball team had its most wins and highest RPI in Division I.

As for football, Wanless said: “Football is entirely different. It is operated at a higher level of athletic interest, and with our facilities and resources we can’t compete on the level of other schools.”

Wanless preaches patience in producing a major product at a university hampered by sub-par facilities and a history of underachievement.

“We can’t undo a history of neglect and set it for changes over night,” Wanless said.

For many, comparing Sac State to a school like Fresno State is simple and should be reason enough to criticize Sacramento’s lackluster performance. However, these comparisons should not be taken into great consideration.

“Fresno put more resources into its athletic programs from the beginning, and this has made for stronger performances,” Wanless said.

Sac State has struggled to produce winners and though it may seem like the issue of losing is going unaddressed, when you look at what is being done by Wanless you see that the root issues are being addressed.

In the sports world dominated by the “what have you done for me lately” ideal, the demands for success are at all-time highs. Dempsey’s evaluation will probably only reveal what Wanless is already addressing, but it is good to know that Sac State personnel are working toward change.

For without change Sac State would forever be viewed as “the major university that couldn’t,” a school characterized by under achievement both on and off the field.

Josh Oates can be reached at [email protected]