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Corey Johnson, facing harassment allegations, was forced out at Colorado State.
By PETE YOUNG, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times, published October 17, 2002
South Florida athletic director Lee Roy Selmon said he did not know his choice for deputy athletic director, Corey Johnson, had been forced to resign as athletic director at Colorado State in 1993.
"No, I was not aware of that," Selmon said.
Johnson's background has been scrutinized since last week's allegations of sexual harassment by two female USF employees. The allegations are being investigated by the university's Diversity and Equal Opportunity office.
Johnson, 54, was hired in August 2001, three months after Selmon was hired, to fill the new deputy AD position. USF used Carr Sports Associates, Inc., the company it used to assist in its selection of Selmon, to recommend candidates for a $15,000 fee.
"We relied on our consulting firm," Selmon said. "I was relying on them heavily to bring in qualified candidates. They have experience in these types of searches."
Bill Carr, the former Florida athletic director who operates Carr Sports Associates, said he was aware of Johnson's tumultuous two-year tenure at Colorado State but researched the situation before making Johnson one of four candidates.
"I checked with the appropriate official at CSU. I asked if there is any reason why (Johnson) wouldn't be appropriate for this position," Carr said. "When I did my due diligence on July 6, 2001, the official I spoke with gave no indication of malfeasance, abuse, what have you. I've done this for 10 years. I talked to the right person. It was 100 percent my deal."
Asked if he made it known that Johnson was fired by CSU, he said "I don't know that I want to get into that anymore."
Selmon would not say if he felt deceived.
"I'll reserve any comments along those lines," he said. "It's something you look into."
Selmon said he has spoken briefly with Johnson about the matter and is "looking into" Johnson's departure from CSU.
"He is employed here with us right now," Selmon said. "It's something I can't make a lot of comments on until I get more facts. I intend to discuss it with him."
Johnson, who was AD at Long Beach State (1987-91) and Nova Southeastern (1995-2001), did not return phone calls.
Johnson became CSU's fourth AD in five years in 1991 and inherited a budget deficit of a reported $400,000. He dropped CSU's baseball and softball programs in June 1992. The softball move inspired a landmark Title IX lawsuit that reached the U.S. Supreme Court, which refused to hear it, maintaining a lower court ruling that forced CSU to reinstate softball in '94.
The softball coach, Robyn Handler, filed a lawsuit in May 2001 that claims she suffered an imbalance in pay, and Johnson was named in the suit.
Johnson made two unpopular football-related decisions. He fired coach Earle Bruce after the '92 season and replaced him with Sonny Lubick, and he linked season ticket availability to membership in the booster club.
While Bruce was 22-24-1 and Lubick has the highest winning percentage in school history at 79-36, the changes infuriated many. According to the Rocky Mountain News, "CSU's booster club hit the wall in the spring of 1992 when (Johnson) announced season ticket availability and seating designation would be based on booster club membership, where donations of $100-$4,000 are required. ... Plus the unpopular firing of football coach Earle Bruce and the growing dissatisfaction over Johnson's handling of the athletic department angered hundreds of longtime Rams boosters."
Said Carr: "I know there were issues surrounding him, but I know AD is a very political position. Making unpopular decisions is not something that disqualifies someone from consideration for another job."
Johnson was assistant AD at Miami from 1983-87, and he was lauded by the Los Angeles Times for his work at Long Beach State. After CSU, Johnson was vice president of Contemporary Services Corp., a management firm in Northridge, Calif.
-- Staff researcher John Martin contributed to this report.