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Kowalczyk finds home with Illini
By Greg Gulas
It has been a challenging year for Warren native Paul Kowalczyk.
First, he was let go as athletic director at Colorado State last November. Then his father, who was always one of his most ardent supporters, passed away in February.
Everything took place as Kowalczyk recovered from prostate cancer surgery.
Always someone positive, Kowalczyk, who was adamant about finding a job despite still receiving a paycheck from CSU, hit the ground running and in late August was hired as senior associate athletic director/administration at the University of Illinois.
His appointment came almost nine months to the day that he was let go from Colorado State’s top athletic post, a move that he said continues to leave an aftershock and has him still baffled today.
“There really was no indication that this might be coming,” Kowalczyk said. “Nothing was wrong within the department, our academic record was significantly improved and well above the national average and we ran a program with integrity.
“Everything was going as planned and I had just signed a contract extension the previous year,” he said. “But in this business, these things happen.”
A Kent State graduate, he earned his bachelor’s degree in accounting in 1980 and later worked in the accounting department at Packard Electric.
He returned to Kent State and obtained his master’s degree in sports administration in 1986.
He struggled to find a job after obtaining his degree and at the insistence of Joe Malmisur, former YSU director of athletics, he served an internship in the Penguins’ athletics marketing office.
In 1987, he was hired at Portland State to serve as their athletics business manager, later moving to Kansas State where he served as the Wildcats’ assistant athletic director for business operations from 1988-91.
He later worked for Southern Illinois before moving on to Colorado State.
While the sting of being let go still festers inside Kowalczyk, starting a new chapter in his administrative career remains an exciting new beginning.
“I’m back in the Big Ten and what I want to accomplish is very simple,” Kowalczyk said. “I want to be a part of the team and to contribute to something bigger and special.” His duties at Illinois will include supervising the school’s 11 Olympic sports (six men and five women’s sports) and with an operating budget of more than $70 million.