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By Randy York
Gary Bargen has
been on both sides of the athletic fence, so he knows when you can push
the envelope and when you can’t. The former Nebraska assistant
basketball coach (1987-95) has spent the past 17 years in NU’s
Compliance Office, including the last 13 heading the staff charged with
ensuring that the Huskers’ 23 athletic teams are in compliance with NCAA
and Big Ten Conference rules and regulations. That’s no small task for
anyone, and when Tom Osborne announced Wednesday that Jamie Vaughn would
replace Bargen as associate athletic director for Compliance, NU’s
athletic director thanked Bargen for his outstanding service and wished
him well in his retirement.
Vaughn will assume his new position on July
16, but wisely asked Bargen to stay on staff until Aug. 3 to help him
transition from his leadership position in compliance at Big 12 member
Kansas State to his new job in the Big Ten at Nebraska. “Jamie Vaughn is
a great hire for the University of Nebraska, not just in compliance,
but within the whole athletic department. He has a great resume, and
he’s been in some excellent programs,” Bargen said. “Jamie’s run his own
shop at Kansas State, so he’s been able to provide education to and
work with some very strong coaching personalities, and those experiences
will help him be very successful at Nebraska. He’s a people person and
as a graduate of Wayne State (Neb.), he cares a great deal about the
University of Nebraska. He knows how important this position is to
protect the integrity of this institution and specifically the athletic
department and the coaches in each program. He’s an excellent person to
direct the compliance program, and our staff is super excited about his
being hired at Nebraska.”
Everyone who knows Bargen, 70, understands
how and why he wants nothing more than to leave Nebraska in good hands,
and fortunately, compliance isn’t the only case where that’s true.
Before Bargen exits stage left and moves to Kansas City, where he and
wife Nancy will be closer to three of their four children and 13 of
their 15 grandchildren, he made a point to give the Nebraska basketball
program the same vote of confidence he gives his successor in
compliance. “Tim Miles has a lot energy,” Bargen said of NU’s new head
basketball coach. “He’s been very successful in building programs
everywhere he’s been, and some of those programs were in dire straits.
They were on their backs looking up, so I think he’ll be able to do that
in time here. People will have to patient. He’s a good man, and he’s
surrounded himself with a quality staff. He knows that games at this
level largely are won with talent. I think he will put the pieces
together with discipline and strategy. He’s hired coaches that
understand the Big Ten area, recruiting-wise, and his contract is
designed to allow him to build this program the right way, so he can
capitalize on the new practice and game day facilities.”
Helped Coach No. 3-Seeded NCAA Husker Team
Bargen understands what it takes to make
Nebraska successful. He was a member of Danny Nee’s coaching staff that
qualified for four consecutive NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournaments from
1990 to 1994. The Huskers, in fact, were a No. 3 national seed in 1990
but were upset in the opening round. “We had the talent that year to be a
Sweet 16 team or maybe even an Elite Eight team,” he said. “We had
size, shooters, rebounders and great depth. We just didn’t get it done.”
Even though he’s moving, Bargen will continue to follow all Nebraska
sports and expects to attend as many games as a football, basketball,
volleyball and baseball season ticket holder can make from Kansas City.
Two of Bargen’s sons played college basketball. Mike Bargen played at
Marquette and still coaches at Butler Community College, the Kansas
school that sent Caleb Walker to Nebraska.
As a man who works out and meditates almost
daily, Gary Bargen is fit and ready to get closer to his family. “We’ve
been able to be a part of their lives,” he said, “but not to the extent
that you hope you will be when you get closer to them on a daily basis.
Our grandchildren range in age from 14 years down to six months. They’re
involved in a lot of activities, so when we move to Kansas City, we’ll
be able to attend their activities on a regular basis. Hopefully, we can
help during times when they need help, and we can be a more meaningful
part of their lives. There’s no substitute for being there in person.
We’re getting closer to family, but we’ll continue to support our
favorite team three hours down the road. Nan and I have always enjoyed
being at every game we were able to attend, and we both believe that
once you’re a Husker, you are always a Husker.”
Send a comment to ryork@huskers.com (Please include current residence)
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