THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, July 25, 1996 TAG: 9607250543
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C6 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JAMES C. BLACK, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: 47 lines
Old Dominion baseball coach Tony Guzzo confirmed on Wednesday he was interviewed for the head baseball job at North Carolina State.
Guzzo, who completed his second year with the Monarchs this spring, was interviewed by a search committee - headed by assistant athletic director Mack McElhaney - Tuesday afternoon. Guzzo also met with interim athletic director Les Robinson.
North Carolina State associate athletic director Jim Miller, a Norfolk native, said Wednesday the search committee will meet today to select a candidate for recommendation to Robinson.
``We probably will be talking with the prospects from (today) to next week,'' Miller said.
Guzzo would not elaborate on any details of the interview or his future at ODU.
The Wolfpack job was vacated on June 14 when former coach Ray Tanner was named South Carolina head coach.
In his first two seasons at ODU, Guzzo coached the Monarchs to consecutive Colonial Athletic Association regular season and conference tournament titles. The tournament titles earned the Monarchs automatic NCAA Regional tournament berths. ODU lost its first two games at the Atlantic Regional in Clemson, S.C. this spring.
Named the CAA coach of the year this spring, Guzzo has coached ODU to a 78-37 record. Guzzo, who took the ODU job when Pat McMahon left to become an associate coach at Mississippi State, has a career record of 509-403-2.
ODU athletic director Jim Jarrett is out of the country and was unavailable for comment
Guzzo, an alumnus and former coach of Norfolk Catholic High, graduated from East Carolina and coached at North Carolina Wesleyan for four years. Guzzo's wife Kitsy is from Elm City, N.C.
State baseball sports information director Bruce Winkworth said the school was hoping to fill the position soon so the new coach could get familiar with the program before classes start in late August.
Six other coaches were interviewed for the job, including New Mexico State coach Elliott Avent - a former Wolfpack player and assistant.
Tanner led N.C. State to seven NCAA tournaments in his nine seasons as head coach. His career record is 395-173. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
Tony Guzzo is one of seven candidates for the Wolfpack job. by CNB