As Pitt chancellor Mark Nordenberg sets out to find a replacement for former athletic director Jeff Long, one consideration might be whether Nordenberg wants to turn back the clock or turn another page.

If Nordenberg wants to correct perhaps a mistake, he could look to Marc Boehm, an executive associate athletic director at Nebraska and a former athletic director at Pitt. If Nordenberg wants someone who is familiar with the current climate at Pitt, he could look to football coach Dave Wannstedt, who has the support of some influential boosters.

Wannstedt had his daily meeting with reporters yesterday before practice and was asked whether he would consider becoming athletic director if Nordenberg asked him to take on dual roles.

"My heart, I think everyone knows, is in this thing for what's best for Pitt," Wannstedt said. "I have no ulterior motives other than seeing our football program, our athletic program and our school constantly get better. I'm just focused now on Michigan State and the season."

He paused and then said: "You can't do both jobs. I don't think anyone could do everything."

It's not unprecedented, however. Barry Alvarez was the athletic director and football coach at Wisconsin before retiring as football coach two years ago.

Wannstedt was asked if he would like to transition someday to an athletic director's position. "It's something I know I can do and be very successful at it," he said. "But right now -- and I don't want to oversimplify this -- we'll see if we can make Michigan State punt. That's where my mind is at."

So Wannstedt is open to being athletic director, but closed to the possibility at this time?

"Today, yes I am [closed to it]," he said. "Today. I'm good on that. I really wouldn't rather comment on that. I want what's best for Pitt."

Boehm is well-acquainted with Pitt, having been Steve Pederson's right-hand man for six years before Pederson left for the athletic director's job at Nebraska in late 2002. Boehm served as Pitt's interim athletic director for 4¹/₂ months and was the top candidate to replace Pederson.

But with Nordenberg and the rest of the university administration preoccupied with the search for men's and women's basketball coaches -- a process Boehm helped facilitate -- Boehm grew weary of waiting for Nordenberg to hire him full-time and followed Pederson to Nebraska in May 2002 to accept a position Pederson created specifically for him.

Unbeknownst to Boehm until late in the process, the eight-person search committee had unanimously voted to name him as the successor to Pederson. Nordenberg asked Boehm to reconsider, but the chancellor never offered him a contract. That led to a hasty search by the committee that ended two weeks later when Nordenberg appointed Long as Pederson's replacement.

Boehm, who could not be reached for comment yesterday, helped make some important decisions during his 4¹/₂ month tenure as interim athletic director, maybe making more of an impact than Long did in 4¹/₂ years. Boehm oversaw the search for Ben Howland's replacement and hired Jamie Dixon to head the men's basketball program. That turned out to be a tremendous hire. Dixon has continued the success started by Howland and has led the Panthers to four NCAA tournament appearances in his four seasons, including two trips to the Sweet 16.

Boehm also fired women's coach Traci Waites and hired Agnus Berenato, another move that is reaping dividends. The women's team made the NCAA tournament for the first time last season, and the program continues on an upswing.

Nordenberg was not on campus yesterday and was unavailable for comment. He did appoint Donna Sanft, an associate athletic director who has been at Pitt for 37 years, as interim athletic director. He also appointed a search committee that will be headed by vice chancellor and general counsel Jerry Cochran, who also headed the committee four years ago when Long was hired.

The committee will include Susan Albrecht, Pitt's NCAA faculty representative; Tom Bigley, a member of the board of trustees and former chair of the athletics committee; Marcus Bowman, director of athletic business operations and a former basketball player; Kirk Bruce, assistant athletic director for Olympic sports and a former Pitt basketball player; John Conomikes, a member of the board of trustees and chair of the athletics committee; and Carol Sprague, a senior associate athletic director.

After Pederson's departure in '02, Nordenberg took five months to name a replacement, but that was due more to the vacancies in basketball than anything else. This search should not take nearly as long.

"[The chancellor's] intention is to assemble the committee immediately and get started right away," Sanft said, adding that she is not a candidate for the athletic director's job.

"That's not in my plans at this point in time. I'm totally focused on doing what the chancellor has asked to do: provide leadership in this interim period," she said.