Fresno City College is looking for a new athletics director to fill, on a permanent basis, the position vacated by Eric Swain who ended his tenure June 30.

Cam Olson, former football coach at West Hills College, is holding the position on an interim basis. He was appointed to the position at the beginning of the fall semester.  

Lorraine Smith, dean of the Allied Health, Athletics, PE Activities and Pre Professional division commented that the change in personnel comes at a time when the college is also making changes to the position of athletic director.

In the past, the position was a faculty one, and the person in the role received release time to perform the duties of athletic director.

Now, the administration wants to make it a true director’s position with supervisory responsibilities. These changes will give the athletic director more administrative power to make more decisions that affect the department of athletics.

The permanent athletic director will not be hired until the new duties associated with the position are fully defined.  

Smith also said that hiring Olson was a good decision, giving the administration time to properly look for a permanent replacement.

“Our plan right now is to keep Mr. Olson throughout the whole academic year, and in the spring, create a selection committee to do a search for the next athletic director.” Said Smith.

Olson’s experience comes from collegiate coaching;  he also has several years of operational and administrative experience.  

“Ram’s athletics is a significant contributor in our campus’s effort to serve our students and the community,” Olson said.

With Olson’s hire and the expanded authority of the athletic director’s position, the college is moving toward building a better athletic program that can continue with the athletic success that made the Rams nationally recognized.

Before his resignation in June, Swain had held the athletic director’s position since 2015.  He is now the director of athletics at Clovis Unified School District.

Many were caught many off-guard by Swain’s departure, especially because he had only been in the position for two years.

Smith said her office has received help from various coaches before Olson assumed his duties. She commended baseball coach  Ron Scott who had served as an athletic director about 15 years ago.

Olson said he  expects to be a candidate for the full-time position.

“Absolutely,” he said. “FCC is where I want to be.”