03/28/24 07:19:00
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03/28 19:18 CDT Chun says he had a different Big Ten school in mind, but
Washington is where he's 'supposed to be'
Chun says he had a different Big Ten school in mind, but Washington is where
he's 'supposed to be'
By TIM BOOTH
AP Sports Writer
SEATTLE (AP) --- Pat Chun finished his opening remarks with a phrase that drew
applause from a crowd of supporters clad in purple.
"Go Dawgs," he said.
Yes, it sounded odd.
Chun was introduced Thursday as the new athletic director at the University of
Washington, leaving behind six years in the same role at Washington State to
take the reins of the rival program that will begin life in the Big Ten
Conference this fall.
"We looked for the best person in the country. It was incidental that person
was at Washington State," Washington president Ana Mari Cauce said.
Since the middle of last summer, Chun had been locked in a fight with
Washington and the rest of the Pac-12 members that are departing for new
conferences at the end of this academic year, amid the collapse of what was the
flagship conference on the West Coast. He fought on behalf of Washington State
for the survival of its athletic programs as one of the two schools --- along
with Oregon State --- left out in the last round of conference realignment.
"I think we were fighting with everybody in college athletics. It's not one in
particular," Chun said. "I look at the last six months and it's just another
experience to help shape me."
Chun will take over for Troy Dannen, who surprisingly left Washington after
less than six months on the job to take the same position at Nebraska last
week. But Chun's hiring should bring stability after it seemed a little more
than a week ago Washington was listing in the wrong direction. The Huskies
didn't have an athletic director. They didn't have a basketball coach.
And yet, on back-to-back days, Washington introduced new basketball coach Danny
Sprinkle and then Chun.
Chun agreed to a six-year contract that starts at $1.3 million in guaranteed
compensation and rises to $1.7 million in the final year, according to the
school.
Cauce said the school spoke with Chun six months ago prior to Dannen's hiring,
but the timing wasn't right. At that time Washington State was reeling, trying
to find stability of its own moving forward without a permanent conference for
its athletic programs.
Additionally, Chun was holding out hope for the athletic director job at Ohio
State --- where he previously worked for 15 years --- after Gene Smith
announced his retirement.
The Ohio State job went to Ross Bjork, a decision that started the trickle-down
that eventually landed Chun at Washington. Trev Alberts left Nebraska to take
over for Bjork at Texas A&M; Dannen departed Washington for Nebraska; and now
Chun has left Washington State.
"I've told friends this is not the Big Ten school we thought we would be at,"
Chun said. "But the reality is the good lord works in different ways and this
is where we're at, this is where we're supposed to be."
Chun said he was in Omaha, Nebraska, last Wednesday with the Washington State
men's basketball team preparing for its first NCAA Tournament game when USC
athletic director --- and former Washington AD --- Jen Cohen called to gauge if
there might be interest in the Huskies job.
"We're friends. So at the end of the day you'll take a friend's advice because
she loves and cares for my family," Chun said.
Chun isn't walking into a perfect environment at Washington. The Huskies are on
their third athletic director since the school announced it was leaving for the
Big Ten last summer. It has an $8 million deficit the next fiscal year and
rising debt services to be paid on the renovations of Husky Stadium from a
decade ago.
There's also the fact that Washington will only be receiving a half-share of
Big Ten payouts compared to the other conference members.
And then there's how the decision sits 300 miles away in Pullman --- where
Washington State president Kirk Schulz told Cougfan.com of his disappointment
in Chun's decision and said his reaction would have been different if it was
another Big Ten school other than Washington.
Washington State football coach Jake Dickert told reporters Thursday that he
had a "genuine appreciation" for Chun, who hired Dickert into the full-time
position following the tumultuous 2021 football season.
"We want people who want to be here and that's from the janitor all the way to
the top of the administration," Dickert said. "We're focused on getting the
right people on our bus."
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