UNLV football expectations

If you don’t tell your employees what’s expected of them, you aren’t likely to get what you expect.

In three years, UNLV football coach Bobby Hauck has compiled a 6-32 record – 2-11 this season. At times, the team’s play has been terrible, notably last week in a season-ending loss to a hapless Hawaii squad. Mr. Hauck took on an enormous challenge in building a program lacking in tradition and community support. It hasn’t gone as well as some backers had hoped.

But Mr. Hauck will be back in 2013. This week, UNLV athletic director Jim Livengood spelled out the improvement he expects next season: at least six victories, which would make the Rebels eligible to play in their first bowl game since 2000. And Mr. Hauck is on board.

It’s not an unreasonable goal. UNLV had the opportunity to win – and perhaps should have won – four more games this season. Without question, the Rebels were better this year than they were in 2011.

Firing Mr. Hauck would have made it that much harder for UNLV to hire a capable replacement. Who would want to reboot the Rebel program yet again knowing he might get as few as three seasons to get the job done? Probably not someone of high caliber.

Retaining Mr. Hauck was the right call – as was giving him and his coaching staff detailed expectations for next season. Such a clear vision seldom is put forward by a collegiate athletic program. That’s a credit to Mr. Livengood and Mr. Hauck. And six wins is not an ultimatum: “I don’t believe in going with a hard line,” Mr. Livengood said.

To measure anyone’s performance, benchmarks are required. Mr. Hauck has his. Now it’s up to him, his staff and his players to make it happen. The UNLV athletic department needs a football program that will generate community excitement and ticket revenue, so it can bolster other Rebel teams rather than drain resources from them.

By the end of next season, no one will be able to say Mr. Hauck was denied a fair chance.