CSUN NARROWS AD SEARCH TO FIVE.

Byline: Chris Branam Daily News Staff Writer

The five finalists for the athletic director post at Cal State Northridge present a breadth of experience.

One candidate - Myles Corrigan, assistant athletic director at the University of Washington - has the best football background. That may make him the favorite when the university announces the new athletic director in mid-May. Interim AD Sam Jankovich is signed to a contract that ends at the beginning of June.

``It is an opportunity that is unique,'' said Corrigan, a 1977 CSUN graduate who went on to become an assistant football coach at Washington from 1987-93. ``The job presents a variety of challenges. It's an opportunity to make a real mark on a program that is certainly in need of an identity.''

The other finalists announced by the school on Friday are Robert Arias, a Los Angeles civic leader; Richard Dull, a former athletic director at the University of Maryland; William Lide, athletic director at North Carolina Central University; and Brian Quinn, Loyola Marymount's athletic director from 1985-98.

The challenges facing the new athletic director - inadequate facilities, a shoestring budget and the looming threat of being jilted by the Big Sky Conference in football if a new on-campus stadium is not approved - are daunting.

These are some of the issues the candidates could face in scheduled, one-hour public forums. That's the mandate the school has attached to the finalists' interviews.

The five men will have very little downtime in their whirlwind campus visits, which start with Lide on Tuesday and end with Arias on May 7.

Ryan Finney, CSUN's sports information director, said public meetings with athletic director candidates is nothing new to CSUN - the university did the same thing when former AD Paul Bubb was hired in 1996.

``Members of the community, even from the corporate world that could possibly be current sponsors or future sponsors, would have an opportunity to meet the candidates and ask them questions,'' Finney said. ``It's the same with the (football) stadium issue.''

Finney said finalists will get a break of ``about 15 minutes'' between meetings on the days they interview.

Dull, Corrigan and Quinn have the most experience at the Division I level. Dull, athletic director at Moravian College, a Division III school in Bethlehem, Pa., was the AD at Maryland from 1981-86.

Quinn has the most experience as an athletic director - he headed the department at LMU for 13-1/2 years before being promoted to executive director of athletic development and promotion in June 1998.

Arias, a 1973 graduate of CSUN, was AD at LMU in the year prior to Quinn. He is now president of One to One/Los Angeles Communities in Schools, a position he has held since January 1998.

Lide has been director of intercollegiate athletics at North Carolina Central, a Division II school in Durham. He was also AD at Salisbury State (Md.) from 1987-93 and West Chester University (Pa.) from 1993-95.

THE FINALISTS

The five finalists for Cal State Northridge's athletic director position (listed in alphabetical order):

Robert D. Arias: President of One to One/Los Angeles Communities in Schools, a position he has held since January 1998. Served as athletic director at Loyola Marymount University in 1984. Will interview May 7.

Myles P. Corrigan: Assistant athletic director at the University of Washington since 1994; has been at the school since 1987. Has overseen the football and baseball programs at UW. Will interview Thursday.

Richard M. Dull: Director at Moravian College, a Division III school in Bethlehem, Pa., since May 1998. Was athletic director at University of Maryland from 1981-86. Will interview May 3.

William E. Lide: Director of intercollegiate athletics at North Carolina Central since 1995. Was director of athletics at Salisbury State (Md.) from 1987-93 and West Chester University (Pa.) from 1993-95. Will interview Tuesday.

Brian F. Quinn: Executive director of athletic development and promotion at Loyola Marymount since June 1998. Was athletic director at LMU from 1985-98. Will interview May 4.

CAPTION(S):

Box

Box: THE FINALISTS (See text)