Jon Fagg, a senior associate athletic director at the University of Arkansas, is one of three finalists for the vacant Athletic Director's post at Alabama-Birmingham, the Birmingham News reported on Tuesday.
Fagg, 47, is a senior associate athletic director for administration and governance who came to Arkansas in the summer of 2008.
He is a finalist along with David Harris, the senior associate athletics director at Iowa State and Mark Ingram, the executive senior associate Athletic Director at Temple, the News reported, citing confirmation from UAB search committee chairman Harold Jones.
The trio was among a group of 11 candidates who interviewed with the search committee last week in Atlanta, and all three are expected to visit the UAB campus this week to meet with president Ray Watts and other university personnel, the newspaper reported.
Alabama-Birmingham's athletic department and administration have come under criticism in recent months after the announcement last December that the Blazers' football program, which had just gained bowl eligibility for the first time since 2004, would be dropped. The university also dropped its women's bowling and rifle teams.
The football team, led by first-year Coach Bill Clark, was not invited to a bowl game after finishing 6-6. Arkansas beat the Blazers 45-17 on Oct. 25 at Reynolds Razorback Stadium.
Fagg, a University of Arizona graduate, has also worked in the athletic departments at North Carolina State, Fresno State and Mars Hill College, and also as director of compliance for the Big South Conference.
"They've all three been involved in the management of football and basketball programs," Jones told the News. "The bottom line is we ended up with three candidates who'd had experience in athletic department operations at major institutions that have both basketball and football. We'd call them young and hungry."
Fagg declined comment through a UA spokesman. Arkansas Athletic Director Jeff Long, who is attending College Football Playoff management council meetings in Arlington, Texas, could not be reached for comment.
-- Tom Murphy
BASEBALL
UCA's Gilmore honored by Southland
Central Arkansas pitcher Connor Gilmore threw another complete game over the weekend, and earned another Southland Conference Pitcher of the Week honor on Monday.
Gilmore, a Little Rock Catholic graduate, was named the Southland's top pitcher fro the second time in the past three weeks. He pitched his fourth complete game in his last five starts in leading UCA to an 8-0 victory over New Orleans on Saturday in Conway. Gilmore improved to 7-2 on the season with a 2.02 ERA.
Gilmore's four career shutouts is a UCA record and he is third in career victories (19) and tied for fifth with 10 complete games.
GOLF
Angles earns third Southland honor
Central Arkansas senior Pep Angles was named Southland Conference Men's Golfer of the Year for a third consecutive season. It's an honor only accomplished one other time in Southland history.
Angles, from Barcelona, Spain, averaged 71.26 strokes in 31 rounds this season and captured medalist honors at the UMKC Bill Ross Intercollegiate in October. Angles had a league-high nine top-10 finishes, six top three finishes and was runner-up at the 2015 Southland Championships. Angles was also named last week to Europe's Palmer Cup team.
-- Democrat-Gazette Press Services
Sports on 04/29/2015