9/5/03

While many Oberlin athletes were either hitting the weights or hitting the beaches during the sumer a year ago, the athletics program underwent a transformation at the top. On July 1, 2003 Oberlin College announced the hiring of Vin Lananna as the new Delta Lodge Director of Athletics and Professor of Physical Education. Lananna came to the position from a 28-year career as a cross country and track and field coach replete with championships and coaching honors.

In taking the Oberlin athletic director position, Lananna left behind an 11-season tenure at Stanford, during which time he led the men’s cross country team to six Pacific-10 championships, seven NCAA West Region titles and three national championships; and the women’s cross country team to nine Pac-10 titles, seven NCAA West championships and one NCAA championship.

Prior to his time at Stanford, Lananna was an assistant athletic director and the head track and cross country coach at Dartmouth, where his teams captured a total of 13 Ivy League championships and two NCAA second place finishes. He began his coaching career at the C.W. Post campus of Long Island University after earning his B.A. from the institution in 1975.

In addition, Lananna has earned four NCAA National Coach of the Year honors, 17 NCAA Regional Coach of the Year honors, and eight Pac-10 coach of the year honors. He has been president of the Ivy League Track Coaches and the NCAA Cross Country Coaches Association, and he is also the co-founder and a past president of Nike Farm, a program for corporately funded athletes.

Besides heading Oberlin’s athletic department, Lananna coached the United States’ middle distance team at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece, after having coached individual Olympians in the past.

Lananna took some time to answer some questions for the Review early this fall.

Your departure from Stanford seems to have come as a surprise to some people. What made you decide to leave Stanford for Oberlin?

VL: Certainly I didn’t wake up one morning and decide to do this. Basically, it was a matter of position. I wanted to be an athletic director at a small Division III school with strong academics, because I really believe in that philosophy. I also made a strong connection here with President [Nancy] Dye, and I really believe in what she’s doing here. So that’s the “why Oberlin.”

Were you looking at other athletic director positions?

VL: I had considered it over the last three years. I knew that after 25 years of coaching, that would be it. I coached for 28, so over the last three years I was waiting for the right position to come up. I knew about Oberlin’s academic reputation but not its athletics until I actually got a call from the search committee. It was a tough decision to leave Stanford, of course.

What do you feel Oberlin has to offer you, and what, in turn, do you have to offer Oberlin?

VL: My hope is that it will be a mutually rewarding experience. For me, it’s an opportunity to work with extraordinarily gifted young men and women. The talent level may be different in Division III, but the values are the same. My hope is that I’ll be able to clear away some of the obstacles so that all of our teams will have a chance to be successful, whether or not it’s on the scoreboard.

How much did you know about Oberlin athletics before you started looking into the position?

VL: I looked at the statistics and results and noticed that there were more on the “L” column than the “W,” but that’s not such a big deal. I looked at the facilities and there are really great facilities. The coaches and administration are enthusiastic and the athletes are dedicated. So when I looked around at the pieces, I think the pieces are all here, the question is if they can be put together to build something.

The Oberlin athletics program has struggled at times for respect not only from outside the institution, but from the student body as well. What do you think can be done to change that?

VL: I’m a person who looks at the glass as half full. I think in the athletics world perception has a lot to do with success or lack of success. I tend to be of the mindset that that perception can be changed. The desire is there among the athletes, among the coaches. Every department at Oberlin has pride in being excellent — whether it’s biology or history or economics — so why not athletics? It’s not about having a football team that goes to the Rose Bowl, it’s about having an athletics program that’s a positive experience.

The Oberlin campus has its own unique culture — do you have a sense of that culture yet and how athletics can fit into it?

VL: I haven’t gotten that sense yet, since most of the students I’ve met so far have been athletes, but I’m confident enough in the students at Oberlin that their innate intelligence will allow them to be objective about what athletics at this wonderful liberal arts college can be. I’m confident that they will respect athletes the same way they do musicians, writers, intellectuals, etc. Why shouldn’t they?

Do you have a hierarchy of goals for the program — things you want to accomplish in one year, in four years, etc.?

VL: At this point I don’t have them categorized in that way. My goals will be evaluated in three ways. One is to evaluate the experiences of the student athletes. What will affect that are sound technical advice, strong mentorship and a sense of commonality with teammates toward a specific goal. The second goal is based on recruiting and admission, for our coaches to be able to define an Oberlin student who possesses strong athletic skills and get them to choose Oberlin. Third will be to work with the President, the Dean [of the College of Arts and Sciences Clayton Koppes] and Development to find new funding to support the first two goals. But none of that will deviate from the first goal of providing a positive experience.

How will you be involved with recruiting?

VL: Having spent 28 years recruiting and being successful at recruiting, I think I can provide our coaches in identifying quality student athletes and getting them to choose Oberlin. I’ll be working with the Dean [Koppes] and Admissions and Financial Aid. I’ve had very good discussions with [Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid] Debra Chermonte.

What do you think is the most appealing thing about Oberlin for potential student athletes?

VL: An outstanding reputation as a teaching institution. I think Oberlin has more PhDs than any other college. So a potential student who is interested in expanding her intellectual horizons has a great opportunity. Once I get a feel for what kind of student chooses Oberlin we will try to recruit students like that.

Having been here over a month, how do you like the town of Oberlin so far?

VL: I’ve spent time on the East Coast and on the West Coast, but the people in this town are fantastic. I love the small town. I’m not a city person, and I was born in New York, so I’m looking forward to being part of this community.