Saldaña steps down from post

  Sports Information Todd Saldaña

By Vytas Mazeika
Daily Bruin Senior Staff

Todd Saldaña agreed to step down as UCLA men’s soccer
coach, and the university will not renew his contract when it
expires in June, the Athletic Department announced Thursday.

The agreement was linked to the discovery that
Saldaña’s bachelor’s degree in psychology from
Columbia State University ““ a discredited distance-learning
institution ““ was fraudulent.

UCLA expects all its head coaches to have received undergraduate
degrees from accredited four-year institutions, Athletic Director
Peter Dalis said in a statement Thursday.

“While I do not equate the receipt of an academic
credential with one’s ability to coach and administer a
soccer program, I don’t want to distract or detract from the
successful men’s soccer program that we’ve built here
at UCLA,” Saldaña said in the same statement.

“I will do everything in my power to help achieve a smooth
transition for the players, administration and the future coaching
staff,” he continued.

Saldaña’s attorney, Bruce Gelb, said in a telephone
interview that Saldaña intends to complete his degree. He also
said that although Saldaña accepted the university’s
decision, he was not happy with the end result.

“Obviously Todd is disappointed that his contract
isn’t going to be renewed,” Gelb said. “He is
disappointed that they didn’t give him the opportunity to
complete his coursework. It was something he wanted to
do.”

Gelb added that they are considering whether or not to sue the
discredited university. However, he concedes that there may not be
any assets left to seize.

Columbia State University accepted credits from other colleges
Saldaña had attended in the areas where he had played
professional soccer.

According to Saldaña, he spent a year completing
correspondence courses from Columbia State University, reading
books and writing papers before receiving a degree for the
completion of additional course requirements.

Louisiana Attorney General Richard Ieyoub shut down Columbia
State University in the fall of 1998.

The university found that Saldaña had received a degree
from what had been identified as a “diploma mill” in
the middle of the 2001 soccer season, Dalis said. The university
subsequently took the time to confirm the information before
deciding to address the matter after the holiday season, he
stated.

“We don’t feel that there was any intent on Coach
Saldaña’s part to mislead the university,” Dalis
stated. “When he applied and was hired at UCLA as the head
women’s soccer coach in 1998, Coach Saldaña believed he
had received a degree from an institution that would satisfy
UCLA’s expectations regarding undergraduate
education.”

Saldaña, 40, spent one season as women’s head coach
before taking the helm of the men’s program in 1999. He
finishes with a 43-17-4 record during his three-year tenure as
men’s head coach, earning an NCAA tournament berth each year
and leading the team to the NCAA semifinals in 1999. He served as
an assistant coach of the men’s program from 1989-95.

“It’s unfortunate that the position was taken by the
university to hold on to the education requirement over the
substance of his work experience,” Gelb said.

Saldaña’s players are not worried about his ability
to land another job.

“He won’t have a problem getting a job anywhere
else, that’s my opinion,” said junior midfielder and
team captain Ryan Futagaki. “He’s a good person, and he
didn’t do anything wrong here.

“He’s a good guy and he’s a good coach. What
more can you ask for?”

Junior defender Scot Thompson also believes Saldaña will
find another job, but like Futagaki, he is concerned about the
season to come.

“You always hope for Todd’s family that he finds
something else,” Thompson said. “With his record and
the things he’s done, he’s obviously going to go
somewhere and be prosperous.

“And of course my second thought is always our team and
what we’re going to do to prepare for next year,” he
continued.

Gelb said that Saldaña feels bad for his players. He feels
that next year’s team has the potential to win the national
championship based on the maturity displayed over the course of the
2001 season.

Now the search for a new coach begins. Thompson said he thinks
Saldaña’s replacement should not be a newcomer to the
collegiate soccer ranks.

“I would want someone who’s already established, who
has already made a name for himself in college soccer,” he
said. “You can be a really great player but then not have the
coaching experience to coach a Division I team.”

The announcement comes close to the signing period for recruits,
which begins Feb. 6.

Thompson knows what it is like to go through a coaching
change.

He joined the program after the previous head coach, Sigi
Schmid, left to coach the Los Angeles Galaxy of Major League
Soccer. When Saldaña took over, Thompson said at the time he
was concerned with his role on the team, scholarship money and any
possible changes to the system of play.

With reports by Scott Schultz, Daily Bruin Senior Staff.