By Gerald Nicdao
Daily Californian Staff Writer

Last Thursday, the Cal athletic department announced the retirement of men’s swimming coach Nort Thornton.

Thornton had been the head coach for the Bears for the last 33 years and had taken Cal to two NCAA team championships in 1979 and 1980. The Bears finished eighth at this year’s NCAA championships.

However, Thornton said that university asked him to resign from his post last week.

“It was something I didn’t want to do,” Thornton said. “I was basically asked to resign. The athletic director (Sandy Barbour) wanted to have a search (for a new coach), and since I was the head coach, she couldn’t hold a search for a job that I held. I had to step away from it.”

However, Barbour said that she did not ask Thornton to retire.

“I did not let Nort go,” she said. “Out of several conversations came a mutual agreement which was what Nort wanted and what everybody agreed was the kind of move forward position for the program and in the best interest of the student athletes was what we announced.”

According to Thornton, he had retired a few months ago in order to open up a salary position for volunteer coach Bart Kizierowski and to keep co-head coach Mike Bottom with the team. The NCAA only allows for two salaried positions.

Thornton was to take the volunteer coach position with Cal.

Barbour had the understanding that Thornton would have still been the head coach.

“Coach Bottom and coach Kizierowski were going to take the two salaried positions that are allowable under the NCAA and Nort was going to remain the head coach,” Barbour said. “It would be based on volunteer pay, but yes, he was going to be the head coach.”

However, Bottom left the program last week to join The Race Club, a swimming camp in Florida operated by former U.S. Olympians Gary Hall, Sr. and Gary Hall, Jr.

Thornton said when this happened, the university had told him that he could name an interim head coach and stay on as the volunteer coach for a year, which would have given Cal enough time to look for a permanent coach.

But a day later, according to Thornton, the university had backtracked and wanted to move on.

“Basically (Barbour) told me that she wanted to slide me over and work with the alumni on a voluntary basis,” Thornton said. “I told her that I wasn’t interested. I wanted to be out on the deck working with the athletes. She told me that she didn’t want me on the deck and that was it.

“It’s a bit of a shock to me actually.”

Barbour still holds that she did not ask Thornton to resign and that she is trying to resolve the situation with him.

“We’re not on the same page right now in this situation,” Barbour said. “All I ever wanted to do, or try to do through this process is to respect Nort’s wishes and to honor and respect for what he’s done for this program and for literally hundreds of student-athletes. I am confident that Nort and I can find that place.”

Thornton expressed concern for the program because he feels that he university may not be able to find a qualified coach in the four weeks before the new school year starts..

He said that most of the top coaches that would be able to fill his position would be involved in the various national and international competitions that will take place within the next four weeks, such as the Speedo Junior Championships and the Japan International Grand Prix.

But Barbour insists that Thornton is still the man at the helm of the men’s swimming team.

“We have announced that we are going to be running a national search,” she said. “Until that has been concluded, Nort Thornton is still our head coach.

“My priority right now is to make sure that Nort Thornton understands that he is loved and beloved and welcomed at the University of California.”

Copyright 2007, The Daily Californian. Reprinted with permission.