Hypocrisy On Parade In Lude's Firing Of Ito

Once in a long while, a story surfaces that makes your blood boil. A decision is made that is so hypocritical, so wrong-headed, so appallingly stupid, you wish it weren't true.

Bob Ito, the University of Washington women's gymnastics coach, was fired approximately six weeks ago. No announcement was made. The university let him go without a whisper into the dark night of unemployment.

The university didn't have the dignity to publicly thank Ito for his decade of service. The news of his firing came via a ``Help Wanted'' ad in the NCAA's newsletter.

Considering the location of the university's athletic department, maybe the latest blunder by Athletic Director Mike Lude should be called the mistake by the lake. Let's let the Washington athletic director, whose heart is as hard as a balance beam, hang himself with his Lude-icrous words.

``His (Ito's) performance was not where we wanted it to be,'' Lude said.

Huh?

Despite some of the poorest practice facilities in the conference, Ito never had a losing record in his decade with Washington. His dual-meet winning percentage was .704. Many years, his teams were ranked in the nation's top 20.

The past season, a rebuilding year after the loss of superstar Yumi Mordre, was the first in which the Huskies didn't qualify either the team or an individual for the national championships. Still, his freshman- and sophomore-dominated team finished with a 10-9 record. It lost only one home meet and upset Arizona at home.

Ito's was the only team at the university, other than crew and football, that challenged for a national championship in the 1980s.

Says Lude: ``It ought to be that one out of every four or five years, it (a program) wins the Pac-10 championship.''

Maybe the football coach, Don James, should be nervous. Washington hasn't been to the Rose Bowl since 1982. But it appears Lude has different standards for different programs. My guess is that if Ito were drawing 70,000 fans to his meets and making the kind of money football makes, Lude might overlook the lack of Pac-10 titles.

Besides, the gymnastics program only has been part of the Pac-10 since 1987. Apparently Lude subscribes to the George Argyros, ``patience is for losers'' philosophy.

Notice to Lynn Nance, Washington men's basketball coach: According to your boss' timetable, you have three, maybe four more years, to win a Pac-10 title, or you will be gone.

Now, let's talk about Lude's rampant hypocrisy.

He says gymnastics, basketball and volleyball are high-priority women's sports. Funny thing is, in his ill-timed, poorly handled firing of former volleyball coach Lindy Vivas, Lude said gymnastics and volleyball weren't high-priority sports.

And whatever happened to academics? There isn't a coach in the athletic program with a better graduation rate than Bob Ito. Ito says only one athlete in 10 years, who stayed in his program, didn't graduate. The average grade-point average of his gymnasts is approximately 3.15.

``Bob is very, very good at helping his athletes mature,'' said Kate Nau, the Huskies' 1986 captain, who works for Proctor and Gamble in Cincinnati. ``Academics were always stressed. We never felt any pressure to have anything but a well-rounded college experience.''

Nau wrote Lude a letter April 12, when she heard Ito's job was in jeopardy. Lude never responded.

``I just told him that Bob taught me how to be a leader,'' Nau said. ``I blew my knee out in my sophomore year, and he helped me get back in shape so I could compete. He helped me set goals that got me back. But most of all, he taught me how to survive. The lessons I learned from him in gymnastics helped me through graduate school and have helped me in my work.''

In other words, Ito, 41, has fit every definition you might place on a college coach as a teacher, academician, friend, advisor, winner.

Since when is Mike Lude's motto, ``Just win, baby?''

Lude ``told me the team performance wasn't where it should be,'' Ito said. ``It was a tough year for me. I was a demanding coach this year, and that caused a little bit of friction. Hindsight is 20-20. I think if I had the season over again, I would have taken a slightly different emotional tone, considering how young our team was. Sometimes the mood is as important as what you say. But I wouldn't change my standards.''

Maybe Lude didn't understand Ito's importance to Washington's athletics, but Ito's peers did. Many members of the athletic department took him to lunch and presented him with an engraved watch.

Ito will survive. He has faced more difficult times. His son Daniel almost drowned several years ago and still needs therapy. And, because of the importance of his son's therapy, Ito says he will stay in Seattle.

``When Daniel was near death, I felt helpless. I felt horror. I felt fear,'' Ito said. ``He was clinically dead, then he was revived, then comatose, then in a half-coma. Now, he's alive, walking and talking. My son is a fighter.

``When I was told I was fired, I felt similar emotions, just not as intense. Shock. Outrage. Grief. Anger. My career's probably over. I'm going to have to leave coaching and go out in the real world.

``I'm excited about the prospects of a new career, but I'm also scared stiff.''

It is Ito's successor who should be scared stiff. He or she will have to deal with the duplicitous Mr. Lude.

Steve Kelley's column usually is published Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Friday in the Sports section of The Times.