Report: ASU considering
Frazier

The Hawaii athletic director
previously worked at his alma mater,
Arizona State, for 23 years

Hawaii athletic director Herman Frazier was mentioned as a candidate for the same position at Arizona State -- his alma mater and where he worked for nearly a quarter of a century -- in yesterday's editions of the Arizona Republic, as well as other Arizona newspapers.

Gene Smith is leaving ASU to become the athletic director at Ohio State. Smith was hired over Frazier for the Sun Devils job in 2000.

Frazier, 50, was a track and field star at ASU and then an athletic department administrator in Tempe for 23 years.

"I have no comment on speculation," Frazier said. "I am the athletic director at the University of Hawaii."

After Smith was hired, Frazier -- who was senior associate athletic director for business and operations at the time -- eventually left ASU to became athletic director at Alabama-Birmingham (2000-2002).

Frazier started as Hawaii athletic director Aug. 1, 2002. His three-year contract ends July 31.

Smith's base salary last year was around $290,000. Frazier's annual pay is $210,000.

UH's athletic department has been in a deficit the past three years. Last year, Frazier presented a five-year plan to pull the $18-million-budget (increased from $16 million when he arrived) program out of its financial slump.

In 2002, Frazier helped negotiate football coach June Jones' new $800,000-a-year contract, half of which comes from private sources.

Frazier, a two-time U.S. Olympic sprinter, won a gold medal in the 4x400 relay and a bronze in the 400 at the 1976 Games in Montreal. The longtime U.S. Olympic Committee member was chef de mission of the 2004 U.S. Olympic team.