On May 24, 2016, Jen Cohen was introduced as #15 wearing a purple dress and gold necklace.th Athletic Director at the University of Washington. She talked about going to games with her father in the “Family Fun Zone,” howling loudly at unwelcome opponents, and how she became obsessed with Husky football inside the stadium. Ta.
“It's no exaggeration to say this is truly a dream come true for me,” said Cohen, who had already been at UW for nearly 20 years.
This…isn't it.
Pat Chun isn't here because it's a dream come true.
He is here because no one else came.
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About Pat Chun's employment at UW
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Chun — Featured as UW's 17th He was named athletic director on Thursday after six years at Washington State University. He grew up in Strongsville, Ohio and received his bachelor's degree from Ohio State University. His wife, Natalie, is also an Ohio State graduate, and his oldest daughter, Vanna, is a freshman at Ohio State this spring. Chun worked at his alma mater for 15 years (1997-2012), rising to the position of executive associate athletic director under longtime Ohio State AD Gene Smith.
So when Smith announced he was retiring this summer, Chung was the obvious candidate to return to Columbus. That's why when Cohen left Wisconsin State for the University of Southern California, he showed no interest in replacing him, instead dooming the hiring (and departure) of Tulane's Troy Dunnen. It was.
“Pat was on everyone's radar for a top AD, and he certainly was on my radar.” [at that time]And we reached out,” University of California President Anna Mari Coase said Thursday. “He didn't participate in the search because it wasn't the right time for him, but we did get in touch.”
Chun added: “I had specific goals regarding my career, and at that time I thought I would achieve them. Things change.”
Specifically, Ohio State hired AD Ross Bjork from Texas A&M, and Dannen accepted the same role at Nebraska after just 165 days at UW.
No matter what side of the state you live on or what color you wear, you'll know the rest. Three days after the WSU men's basketball team's dream season ended with a loss to Iowa State in the NCAA Tournament, and a day after coach Kyle Smith accepted the job at Stanford, Chun made a divisive move. He transferred to UW and joined an impending Pac-12 rival. His departure destroyed the Cougars' future.
“I told my friends that this was not the Big Ten school we thought we were going to attend, but the reality is that the good Lord is working in different ways,” Chung said. Ta. “This is where we are and where we need to be. We're excited about the opportunity.”
For Chun, UW was more of a business decision than a dream.
That doesn't mean it doesn't work.
The same goes for Husky football coach Jed Fisch, who has been in charge of 11 staffs over the past 16 years. When Fisch was hired by Dannen in January, he didn't talk about his childhood devoted to Seattle sports. He did not vow to remain with the UW (Loyal Dawg) until his death or retirement.
Instead, he stated clearly: [in the College Football Playoff], It's about the same 12-14 teams. The University of Washington is one of his 12 or 14 teams. That's why we coach. We are teaching them to have a seat at that table. ”
Similarly, Chun wanted a seat at the Big Ten table. “When this opportunity came along very quickly, it aligned with where we wanted to go and the next challenge we wanted to take on,” he said.
It was his head, not his heart, that led him here.
Now, I have something to do.
After all, Chun isn't graded on Bleeding Purple and Gold. He will be judged on his successful transition to the Big Ten, his fundraising and ability to balance the budget, and his ability to compete with his alma mater, among other things.
It means you can win even if you take it. only — I can see the irony — $30 million in the first year of the Big Ten's upcoming media rights deal. And while the Huskies will receive an additional $1 million each year through the 2030 deal, that's still only about half the stake most Big Ten members expect.
(UW and Oregon State will receive full stock in the conference's next transaction.)
Chun will also be tasked with managing the budget to manage debt repayments from the 2012 renovation of Husky Stadium. UW Athletics continues to make annual payments to Upper Campus even after the university sold his 30-year bond to pay for the project. This debt repayment was restructured into interest-only payments in 2023, 2024, and 2025…but from $9.8 million per year he would jump to $17.7 million in 2026.
Chun's additional responsibilities include the logistical concerns associated with cross-border conferences, as well as the frenetic evolving NIL market and hiring and firing of prospective coaches. At WSU, Chun's hiring came with a string of hits (including Smith, football coach Jake Dickert and women's basketball coach Kamie Etheridge) and a major public mistake (the firing of football coach Nick Rolovich). was included.
Of course, he will be taking over from men's basketball coach Danny Sprinkle — who was introduced to the University of Wisconsin the day before Chun.
“It's great to sit there on a Saturday afternoon and watch Husky football with my dad,” Sprinkle said through tears. His father, Bill Sprinkle, was a defensive back in college.
Unlike Cohen and Sprinkle, Chun wasn't a Husky fan until recently. In fact, the opposite is true.
But he made a business decision in an industry increasingly defined by dollar signs. He traded WSU's uncertainty for a seat at the most coveted (read: lucrative) table in college athletics.
Let's see if business booms.
