SANTA CLARA – Sitting in front of a large window on the top floor of Santa Clara University’s Athletic Excellence Center, Heather Owen raised her arms and gestured toward the surrounding South Bay, and then pointed in San Francisco’s direction.
Santa Clara’s new athletic director – once a standout basketball player under legendary Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer and a longtime member of the Cardinal’s athletic department – has a vision for the university.
It starts by taking advantage of one of the Broncos’ backyard, which just so happens to be one of the most economically prosperous regions in the nation.
“From San Francisco down to San Jose, we can offer something that other markets can’t,” Owen told the Bay Area News Group on Wednesday. “We have got to figure out how to capitalize on that.”
By building connections or strengthening pre-existing bonds with Silicon Valley businesses and alumni, Owen’s goal is to make Santa Clara one of the preeminent athletic programs in the West Coast Conference in multiple sports.
And possibly another, larger conference if the opportunity arises in today’s uncertain world of conference realignment.
“You want to be at the top so when that merry go round starts up again, you can actually get on it and talk about it,” Owen said.
No one would have blamed her if Owen had stayed at Stanford.
Owen, 48, helped lead the Cardinal to three Final Fours as a player from 1994-98. During her last two seasons at Stanford, the 6-foot-5 post shared the court with future Cal coach Charmin Smith.
“When we met, we were young ladies who were working hard, and we had some great success at Stanford,” Smith recalled. “But as we’ve moved into adulthood, it’s just interesting where our careers have taken us. I actually thought Heather would end up as a lawyer.”
Smith was correct for a while. After a multi-year pro career in the WNBA and abroad, Owen practiced law for half a decade before returning to the Farm in 2008.
For 16 years, Owen had been an integral part of Stanford’s athletic department as a deputy AD. She lived five minutes away from campus in Menlo Park with her wife and their son.
“It is much easier for us to do what we know, and that temptation was obviously there,” Owen said.
But when college basketball’s all-time winningest coach gives you a call, even if you’re in the middle of a meeting with other Stanford administrators, you step outside and listen.
“I just got off the phone with (Santa Clara) president Julie Sullivan, and you should crawl down the 101 to take that job offer,” VanDerveer told Owen. “If you get this offer, you have got to go.”
Owen followed her former coach’s advice and accepted the position at the same university where she received her law degree in 2003.
While Stanford AD Bernard Muir is sad to see her leave after spending the previous dozen years as her coworker, he’s happy to see Owen take the next step in her career.
“I’m excited for Heather, because she’s been ready for an AD job for a long time,” Muir told this news organization on Thursday. “She’s prepared for any of the issues coming down the pipe.”
Taking over for Renee Baumgartner, the new athletic director inherits a department that has a number of programs on the rise.
Santa Clara’s men’s basketball team has produced two NBA players in the past three seasons, and its women’s basketball squad reached the NIT and won its first postseason game in over 30 years.
The baseball team is perennially competitive in the WCC and the softball team just enjoyed a winning season.
“I want to provide great opportunities for both men and women to compete at the highest level,” Owen said. “If we were out of balance, if you will, and not providing those opportunities to both men and women, this wouldn’t have been a place for me.”
And of course, under the direction of longtime coach Jerry Smith, Santa Clara’s women’s soccer program is one of the best in the nation.
“As an alumna, she understands what’s special about the Santa Clara community,” Smith said in a statement announcing Owen’s hiring. “Heather is passionate and brings tremendous energy and a firm belief we can win national championships in sports across the board.”
Name, Image and Likeness endorsement deals are a growing part of modern college athletics, regardless of the sport. Owen – who was in charge of handling Stanford’s annual giving, major gifts and engagement before becoming an assistant AD – has experience in this arena.
“It gives you the foundation to understand philanthropy, fundraising and NIL,” Owen said of her previous role. “To have that nuance, I hope it will be helpful.”
Coming from one of America’s premier academic institutions, Owen says she is committed to the academic side of the equation, too. Having athletes be involved in the university is one of the ways to build interest in sports at a university with an enrollment of around 9,000.
“You have to value scholar-athleticism, and value being integrated with the university,” Owen said. “The number of people from athletics who went to (welcoming) convocation yesterday blew me away. They’re engaged and that’s awesome to see.”
Owen, who grew up less than two hours away from Gonzaga in Moscow, Idaho, pointed to the Bulldogs’ powerhouse men’s basketball program as a model to emulate.
But while that level of year-in, year-out dominance may be tougher to attain in the new reality of college sports, Owen still sees a bright future for the Broncos.
“I don’t believe there’s going to be a situation where someone’s gonna run the table for 25 years,” Owen said. “But can we be a perennial contender, absolutely? Will we win? Yes.”
