Inside the office of IU’s director of football operations is a framed photograph taken in Pasadena, Calif, on Jan. 1, 1968. That was the only time the Indiana Hoosiers played in the Rose Bowl. It was also the last college football game director of IU football operations Harold Mauro played. He said playing in front of more than 102,000 people in the Rose Bowl is one of many highlights from his illustrious IU career. For Mauro, IU’s first Rose Bowl might not have even been the highlight of that season.\n“Maybe a notch higher than that moment was when we beat Purdue 19-14 earlier in the 1967 season to clinch the Rose Bowl berth,” Mauro says with a chuckle. “Any day you beat Purdue is a good day.”\nMauro’s 36-year tenure with IU football will come to an end in 2009 when newly appointed associate director of football operations Mark Deal will assume the role of director.\nFor a man whose IU football career has spanned parts of five decades and nine head coaches, the “beat Purdue” mindset has become a way of life. Mauro has participated in every IU football bowl game as either a player, coach or administrator.\n“Harold is a great friend and adds a tremendous amount of experience to our program,” IU coach Bill Lynch said in a statement. “Harold’s unbridled passion for IU is unmatched and we are proud to have him with us.”
Playing for the Hoosiers\nMauro arrived in Bloomington to play for head coach Phil Dickens in 1963 as a freshman. After a recruitment process that also featured the tradition-rich University of Alabama, Mauro chose IU over other schools for several reasons, but mostly because “it just felt right.” \n“I had a lot of good friends already here at Indiana that I played against in high school,” Mauro says. “I liked the coaching staff and it felt comfortable.”\n1965 saw IU replace Dickens with John Pont as head coach. The 1967 season, Pont’s third year as coach, was the most prolific season in school history. The Hoosiers finished the season ranked No. 4 in the nation, their highest ranking ever. That team played in IU’s only Rose Bowl, losing to the eventual National Champions USC Trojans by a score of 14-3. Despite coming out on the losing end, that experience is still a highlight for Mauro.\n“I thought we represented the state of Indiana and the Big Ten very well,” Mauro says.
After graduation\nMauro graduated in 1968 with a bachelor’s degree in physical education. While earning his masters’ degree in special education and health, he served the program as a graduate assistant. He spent a year in 1971 as an assistant freshman coach before being promoted to the varsity squad. In 1973, Mauro followed Pont to Northwestern where he served as offensive line coach for four seasons.\nMauro returned to IU as offensive line coach in 1977 under head coach Lee Corso. Mauro calls the 1979 season the highlight of his coaching career. That season IU won its first bowl championship by beating then-undefeated Brigham Young by a score of 38-37 in the Holiday Bowl.\n“We ended up beating BYU in an unbelievable game,” Mauro says. “It was meant to be.”\nMauro served one season as the Hoosiers’ offensive coordinator in 1983 under coach Sam Wyche. After spending 15 years as a college coach, Mauro decided to get into the administrative side of athletics.\n“After 15 years sometimes it’s time to take another look at what you want to do,” Mauro explains. “It was a good opportunity for me to learn another side of the business.”\nIn 20 years of administration with IU, Mauro worked his way up from assistant athletic director to associate athletic director, then, finally, to senior associate athletic director. 2005 saw him rejoin the football front office as director of football operations. In June 2007, Mauro was recognized and honored for his accomplishments and career when he was inducted into the Indiana Football Hall of Fame.\nToday, as director of football operations, Mauro is involved in every non-coaching aspect of the program. His responsibilities deal with the business side of the program. As Mauro says, “You work until the job is done, whatever it is.”\n“I enjoy coming to work. I work for a great head coach and a staff that respects your effort,” says Mauro. “Sometimes work can get mundane but it never does here.”
Looking to the future\n2008 will serve as Mauro’s final travel season with the team before his planned retirement in August 2009, when Deal will take over.\nDeal played for Mauro at IU and coached alongside him as a graduate assistant in the 1970s. When describing Mauro, Deal uses the words knowledgeable, positive and loyal. \n“He is as true an IU man as there has ever been,” says Deal.\nThrough funds raised by the Varsity Club, including donations from members of the IU football family such as Lee Corso, Bill Mallory and others, the North End Zone Facility project will feature an office named in honor of Harold Mauro. \nWhile Mauro is looking forward to spending time with his wife and family, he admits life after IU football will be a tough transition.\n“This is my passion, my love. It’s not going away,” says Mauro. “If I can help in any way on a volunteer basis to help this football team get to where we need it to get, I’m all for that. That would be my goal.”\nSome 45 years after first arriving in Bloomington, Harold Mauro has no regrets about his playing days, coaching career, or time with IU athletics. \n“When I came back in 1977, I told my wife ‘we better build a nice house in a nice neighborhood because we are going to be here for five years’,” says Mauro. “31 years later and we are still in the same house. It has been amazing. I’m glad to finish my career with the school I graduated from.”
