LaFleur wants connection with Jaguar Nation

Greg LaFleur, Southern University’s new athletic director, wants to get to know his employees better. After serving as athletic director at three other colleges, LaFleur, who will be paid at least $110,000 annually, said, this time around, he is going to bond with the athletic staff.
“My main thing is to develop relationships,” says LaFleur. “In order to make things happen, you have to have a relationship with people.”
Developing a relationship with his department may arguably be a good idea.
When he was selected in June 2005 as the permanent replacement of ousted athletic director Floyd A. Kerr, many of Southern’s faithful questioned LaFleur’s past professional history.
LaFleur, himself, was ousted as the athletic director at Texas State University-San Marcos in 2004 for NCAA violations after serving nearly three years on the job. Head football coach Manny Matsakis — a 2003 LaFleur hire — was fired also.
“It’s just too bad I hired a football coach – and when you hire someone, you expect them to do what they’re suppose to do and he didn’t take compliance seriously,” LaFleur said.
Though LaFleur said he did not think the violations — particularly practicing and recruiting infractions — were intentional, he ultimately took responsibility for Matsakis’ actions. He said in retrospect, he could have had a better relationship with Matsakis. However, at Southern, he is familiar with many of the coaches.
“I don’t see my problem at Texas State being a problem here,” LaFleur said. “I’ve known a lot of the coaches before I came here. I have a pretty good relationship with them. But the buck stops with me and I am ultimately responsible for what goes on in the program.”
Nathaniel Denu, Southern head volleyball coach, said LaFleur should pay close attention to what goes on in the women’s athletic program and realize football is not the only sport at Southern.
“Hopefully he can come with the attitude that will give women’s sports, especially volleyball, a little boost,” Denu said. “We want an athletic director who will come in and respect all sports and we want one that will understand each sport championship equals to ten points.
“There’s cliche that says football pays the bills, but football does not pay our bills,” Denu said. “Student fees and the state of Louisiana pay our bills.”
LaFleur has a long to-do list for athletics. He wants better recruitment, new facilities, better facility landscaping to attract recruits and an increase in fundraising. He would consider continuing Jag-a-Thon, an annual fundraising event created by Kerr, but he would not rule out other options to bring money into the athletic program.
Such options include LaFleur’s plans to rekindle past relationships he had with local businesses when he worked in the marketing and promotions departments and as an associate athletic director at Louisiana State University in the 1990s.
LaFleur also wants to educate supporters on what it takes to run the SU athletic program. He said when fans want certain things for the athletic program, they need to know the fiscal issues involved.
LaFleur said despite the recent increase in football ticket prices, fans should still come to A.W. Mumford Stadium on game day. He said scheduling better opponents would alleviate some of the reluctance to pay for tickets.
The installation and repairing of athletic facilities is an immediate concern for LaFleur, but Denu said enough is not being done.
“This is 2005, you need to expect more,” Denu said. “You have high school gyms that look better than this place (Seymour Gym). It’s tough to bring a kid over here to play in this place when they came from a gym that is much better. So we’ll bring our concerns to him and hopefully he will listen and might help.”
On July 16 — his second day on the job — he faced alumni in San Antonio at Southern’s annual alumni conference to answer questions regarding proposed renovations and additions to the athletic department.
LaFleur said he is just as much in the dark about plans in the athletic department as everyone else. He said he had not acquired all the information about when construction on facilities would begin or when it would be completed.
“Hopefully, everything is in motion and I’m meeting with our (SU System Board of Supervisors) chairman (Johnny Anderson) to find out exactly where we are with those facilities,” LaFleur said. “I know it’ going to happen, but I need to know what the time lines are in order for us to get it completed.”
Despite the challenges ahead of him, LaFleur said coming to The Bluff from Chicago State University, where he was athletic director for not even a year, was an offer he could not refuse.
“I’ve always been a big fan of Southern University,” LaFleur said. “My whole family came to school here. My home has always been Jaguarland.”