Cal State San Marcos Director of Athletics Morod Shah finds inspiration in his father.
Morod remembers how his dad, Habib Shah, would write the alphabet on the back of his checkbook to help him pay bills on time as a newly-arrived immigrant in America. He thinks about his dad, who, at 17, left Afghanistan in search of a better life for his mom, three sisters and brother in Europe before pursuing education in Dallas and later dropping out to become an auto mechanic.
Morod Shah thinks about when he took a job at Harloff BMW of Encinitas and slowly climbed the ladder before starting his own business in San Marcos, Bavarian Master Care, doing BMW repairs.
But when they get together, a lighthearted squabble often breaks out.
His father likes to say, “If I were born in this country, I’d be a millionaire.”
“Because you weren’t born in this country, I think that’s what’s driven you [to become successful],” the son pushes back.
“The sacrifices he made as a young man have always been a motivation for me,” Shah, 40, told The Coast News. “He’s done all this to get us here so I have to capitalize off of these opportunities. This is easy compared to what he has gone through.”
Shah, a 2008 graduate of CSUSM, has been with the athletic department since 2013. He spent the past year as the interim director of athletics following Jennifer Milo’s promotion to the role of special assistant to the vice president of student affairs.
He was appointed to the role permanently on July 24, and his first day under the new title was Aug.1.
“I’ve always said that if I wasn’t going to be a professional athlete I want to be around sports one way or another,” Shah said. “I wanted to do something that I enjoy so it doesn’t always feel like work. Looking back as a kid, there were so many life lessons through sports: teamwork, comradery, hard work, discipline. Those are all transferrable and I was blessed to be part of that. I want to help the next generation of student athletes cultivate their journeys through athletics and more importantly using athletics to earn a degree and set themselves up for the future.”
A hooper at San Marcos High School, Shah could not pursue collegiate athletics because CSUSM did not have a basketball team when he enrolled.
However, he did compete for the Afghan National Team while pursuing a communications degree, often asking professors for excused absences to travel to Qatar, Taiwan, and Bangladesh for FIBA tournaments.
“That experience was very special,” Shah remembered. “It was neat because I made the team and we had to do everything on our own: fundraising, practices. I looked it as a way to represent my father’s country and also travel. It was us against the world, we were grinding for every dollar. We were playing national teams that got paid and had annual practices but we had a little bit of heart and appreciation.”
During Shah’s interim year as director of athletics, CSUSM set a new program record, with 12 out of 13 teams making postseason play. The high point was the women’s basketball run to the NCAA Division II Final Four.
Student-athletes combined for a GPA of 3.31, and revenue was up across the board, with over $ 1 million raised through the athletic program.
“I am excited to continue working with Morod in his new role as the CSUSM director of athletics and help him elevate athletics to new heights,” said Dr. Viridiana Diaz, CSUSM’s vice president for Student Affairs, in a press release. “I want to thank the members of the search committee and the internal and external community members who attended the open forums and shared their feedback. Their input was invaluable in helping us identify and recruit the next director of athletics.”
“We used to say we are the diamond in the rough in North County,” Shah added. “I would argue now we aren’t in the rough; we are out there shining. We are the only four-year university north of the 56. From an athletic standpoint, we have done a great job of strategically putting ourselves in this position. When I first got here as a staff member, we were playing our volleyball games at Escondido High School and our basketball teams were practicing next to the Boys & Girls Club. Seeing that growth from then to now is exciting.”
Funding has long been a challenge for CSUSM athletics. During Shah’s time as interim AD, the program increased corporate sponsorships by 40% and saw an uptick in season ticket sales of 26%, with general admissions tickets up 76%.
“Money is always important,” Shah said. “Fundraising is always a priority for us and being able to supplement our budget. The state of California is going through some challenging budgetary times. We need to look at that and plan and continue to grow while being responsible fiscally.”
With longtime coaching staples Renee Jimenez (women’s basketball) and Stef Ewing (softball) departing for new head jobs elsewhere, Shah oversaw the difficult task of finding replacements, hiring Jana Pearson as the new women’s basketball coach and A.J. Robinson to lead the softball program.
“We want this place to be the best possible place for our student athletes and our staff,” Shah said. “It’s trying to cultivate relationships and understanding there are individual goals [that may take coaches elsewhere]. Selfishly, I want our coaches to stick around but I also understand they have their own aspirations. So, my job is to help them in that. Division II is very much life in the balance.”
Shah didn’t know the interim role would become permanent, but he’s ready to get to work.
“I took it as I am here to do what’s best for our campus and department; If it ended up being permanent that would be a tremendous honor and dream come true,” he said. “Looking forward to this year and seeing some things we can grow and improve on is exciting.”
