From the Desk of Athletics Director Ron Prettyman . . .
A Farewell
Perspectives on the Toros Athletic Department
June 16, 2005

Ron Prettyman began his tenure as Athletics Director at Cal State Dominguez Hills in April, 1995, coming to the Toros from Vanguard University. During his administration, Prettyman has expanded the department from eight to eleven sponsored sports, and he oversaw and coordinated the acquisition of the Hughes Education and Athletic Center. Ron is a graduate of Southern California College and has a master's degree from Cal State Stanislaus.

From the 2004-05 Desk, Issue #1 From the 2004-05 Desk, Issue #2 From the 2004-05 Desk, Issue #3 From the 2004-05 Desk, Farewell Issue Issues From the 2003-04 Desk

Ron Prettyman’s Final Farewell “Well Done”

What a thrill it was to sit in the crowded stadium at the Home Depot Center on our campus in May and participate in the 2004-2005 commencement exercises. Sometimes we forget in the hustle and bustle of competition, championships and tournament play, that graduation from college really is the ultimate goal. I couldn't have been more proud as I watched many of our student-athletes walk across the stage to receive their degrees. I had the chance to shake many of their hands and congratulate them. This is a huge accomplishment, one that should be treasured, enjoyed and remembered for a lifetime.

We also had a long list of incredible accomplishments in the Athletics Department this year. We had some fine performances in the spring by our student-athletes and coaches. Under the direction of head coach Jim Maier, our softball program won the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Championship for the first time in 23 years. Coach Maier was named CCAA Coach of the Year as the team advanced to the NCAA Tournament. We had the pleasure of hosting the first round of that event on our campus, the first time in the history of our school we have received the bid to host an NCAA Softball Regional. Many of our fine student-athletes from the softball program were selected as All-CCAA and All-West Region, and we had one player selected as the CCAA MVP and a Second-Team All-American. This was truly a remarkable accomplishment for our program.

Our women's track and field program also advanced individual competitors to the NCAA National Championships. We had two of the fastest women in the nation competing and wearing the CSUDH Cardinal and Gold. They were honored with 4 All-America Awards and brought home a 10th place team finish at the national championships. This program continues to improve and bring home the hardware as they represent CSUDH well year in and year out.

One of the things that I am most proud of is the overall excellence of our Athletics Department this year. For the first time ever, we advanced 6 of our 11 programs to NCAA National Championship competition. Those sports were women's soccer (who also captured the CCAA Championship), men's soccer, women's basketball, indoor track and field, softball (CCAA Champs), and outdoor track and field. This is a huge tribute to our student-athletes, coaching staff, administrators and Athletics Department support staff. Accomplishments like this don't just happen, it takes incredible amounts of preparation, perseverance and hard work to achieve this kind of a record. What a great accomplishment!

Congratulations to us all for a great year.

On a personal note, this will be my last submission of "From the Desk of Ron Prettyman," as I will be leaving to assume the role of Athletics Director at Indiana State University. I am excited about this new challenge and look forward to great things at Indiana State.

My experience at Cal State Dominguez Hills will never be paralleled. We have seen so many great things happen over the past 10 years at this fine University. We have seen programs added. We have seen buildings built. We have seen facilities improved. We have seen funds raised. We have seen a new level of support that has never been experienced in the past. We have seen more students graduate than ever before. We have experienced more victories than ever before. We have had more of our student-athletes and coaches honored than ever before. This has been a great experience for us all.

This University is blessed with an Athletics Department staff that is committed to their tasks and very good at what they do. I am proud to say that no one works harder than the Athletics Department staff at CSUDH. These people are my co-workers and my friends. They all do the little things that make a program like ours great. They truly are the unsung heroes.

As a final send off, I would like to quote the words of the great American philosopher Carol Burnett. "I'm so glad we've had this time together, just to have a laugh and sing a song. Seems we just get started and before you know it, the time has come to say, so long."

So long everyone. It has been a great ride.

Thanks to you all.

Sincerely,
Ron Prettyman
Athletics Director
California State University, Dominguez Hills

GO TOROS!