UTEP Associate Athletic Director Says He’d Be ‘Great Fit’ At Illinois State

Brian Wickstrom, UTEP’s senior associate athletic director, figures he lost his voice somewhere between El Paso, Texas, and traveling to the Twin Cities for an interview as Illinois State’s athletic director.

Yet during Wickstrom’s open forum Thursday at the Bone Student Center, his message came across loud and clear despite a raspy tone, according to a report by the Pantagraph (Illinois) newspaper.

Wickstrom, who has been at UTEP for the last five years, said improving facilities and student attendance at athletic events would be two of his main priorities if he is named as the Redbirds’ athletic director. He outlined his plans in a power-point demonstration that highlighted some of his work at UTEP, Santa Clara, Missouri and Michigan while also detailing what he sees as ISU’s strengths and weaknesses.

“That’s why I think this opportunity is a great fit for me at Illinois State University,” he said. “I’ve faced a lot of the same issues and challenges Illinois State is facing at my previous institutions.”

Wickstrom was the second of three AD finalists to hold an open forum.

Jane Meyer, a senior associate athletic director at Iowa, was on campus earlier this week. Gary Friedman, senior associate AD at Louisville, will have an open forum at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday in the Bone Student Center. Then it will be up to ISU president Al Bowman to name a successor for Sheahon Zenger, who left in January for the same post at Kansas.

Wickstrom said renovating aging Hancock Stadium would be his first priority if named ISU’s athletic director. He said he couldn’t believe the spiral staircase that leads up to the press box at the stadium, calling it “crazy.”

Wickstrom said he has helped raise $60 million in gifts for facilities and $6.4 million in stadium sponsorships in his time as an administrator. Sometimes, that has meant jumping in his car and knocking on doors.

Read more on Wickstrom’s visit to Illinois State here.