He started out as a professor and teacher of accounting, although the majority of his career has been spent as a BYU administrator. But Fred Skousen will always be remembered as the man placed on the front lines in the volatile world of Cougar sports — and it was his task to make decisions become reality and ideas turn to rubber on the road.

Many hats were placed on Skousen's head. He's a university vice president over athletics; he's been advancement vice president, founding director of BYU's now famed school of accountancy and a former dean of the Marriott School of Business. For some time, although technically not his job description, he's been referred to as BYU's actual athletic director since the days of the Merrill Bateman administration.

Sometimes it's been a tough hike. Like saying good-bye to LaVell Edwards, then dismissing his replacement, football coach Gary Crowton. Or consolidating the men's and women's athletic departments into one, which meant terminating loyalists Val Hale and Elaine Michaelis, a painful ministorm which he publicly admitted could have been handled more tactfully back in the fall of 2004.

He was a driving force behind other decisions, like hiring head coach Bronco Mendenhall just days after current Utah coach Kyle Whittingham had agreed in word but not on paper to take the job. During his tenure, BYU built the long-awaited Indoor Practice Facility, renovated LaVell Edward Stadium, constructed Larry Miller Park, erected the Student Athlete Building and is now finishing a new soccer stadium. Skousen was the front man in making the Cougar Club a bigger part of the department's fundraising, which, in turn, became part of a bigger financial collection machine to endow athletic scholarships and coaching salaries and hopefully, someday, to keep ticket prices from escalating.

When he leaves his post in July, BYU will have established itself as the Mountain West power in football and basketball and a consistent championship presence in other sports.

Skousen had a front seat in the creation of the MWC and chaired a committee to name the new league.

"Fred Skousen did a lot to advance the athletic program at BYU," said Hale, now a vice president of Utah Valley State College.

"He worked hard to help get the athletic facilities built and funded. He enjoyed his association with the student athletes and the coaches and cared deeply about their success, doing everything he could to provide them with the resources they needed to succeed. I wish him and Julie the best as they retire to their beautiful ranch."

It'll be tough. To carry a big stick, then lay it down.