Former UCSB Director of Athletics John Kasser passed away last week in San Francisco at the age of 82.
His death was “heart related,” his wife, Carol, told the San Francisco Chronicle.
Kasser ran the UCSB athletic department from 1989 to 1993.
Among the highlights during his tenure was the first NCAA Tournament victory for the men’s basketball team in 1990 and the women’s basketball team making its first two NCAA Tournament appearances in 1992 and 1993.
A major renovation of the on-campus baseball facility, Caesar Uyesaka Stadium, was completed just before Kasser resigned to accept the Director of Athletics job at Cal, where he worked for eight years.
One of the tough decisions he made at UCSB was dropping the school’s resurrected football program in 1992, after a student referendum to fund the sport’s upgrade from Division 3 to 1-AA status was defeated in an election.
At that time, the NCAA didn’t allow schools playing in Division I in other sports from maintaining a lower level football program.
Kasser put a greater emphasis on the academic performance of the Gaucho student athletes. He worked with successful local businessman Pete Jordano, the president and CEO of Jordano’s Inc., to create the Golden Eagle Award, which honors student athletes for their achievements in the classroom.
— Noozhawk sports editor Barry Punzal can be reached at bpunzal@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk Sports on Twitter: @NoozhawkSports. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.