Guerrero (l) has held the position for 17 years, and is the second-longest tenured sitting Power Five ADGETTY IMAGES
UCLA AD Dan Guerrero will retire in June '20, and a search firm "will be announced in the fall" to help the university identify candidates to replace him, according to James H. Williams of the L.A. DAILY NEWS. Guerrero, who has held the position for 17 years, is the "second-longest tenured" sitting Power Five AD. He revealed that a "recent battle with an undisclosed form of cancer and the addition of a second granddaughter played a role in his decision to retire." His contract was "set to expire in December," but Guerrero has "agreed to remain at UCLA, at the request of Chancellor Gene D. Block, until the end of the academic school year." USC is also searching for a new AD after Lynn Swann's resignation earlier this month (L.A. DAILY NEWS, 9/20).
DEAL MAKER: Guerrero during his tenure negotiated an apparel deal with Under Armour and a multimedia rights deal with Learfield IMG College that were way over-valued. The multimedia deal guarantees the Bruins almost $15M annually over 10 years, making it one of the richest in the country. Under Armour's deal is worth $280M over 15 years, making it the largest shoe and apparel deal when it was signed. Guerrero is also universally considered one of the nicest guys in college athletics (Michael Smith, SBJ College).
BIG PICTURE: In L.A., Ben Bolch notes UCLA "won 32 NCAA championships under Guerrero, the most by any school under its current athletic director." UCLA has also "vastly enhanced its facilities and fundraising efforts in recent years while experiencing less favorable results in football and men's basketball." Recent success in either major sport has been "elusive." The school recently paid a combined $15.6M in buyouts after firing coaches Jim Mora (football) and Steve Alford (basketball). But UCLA's infrastructure has "never been better." Guerrero has "overseen roughly half a billion dollar's worth of facility upgrades since his arrival." The athletic department's annual budget has "ballooned" from $42M upon Guerrero's arrival to more than $130M after securing the UA deal. Guerrero has been "viewed as an influential figure nationally," serving on NACDA as well as the NCAA D-I men's basketball committee (L.A. TIMES, 9/20).
RECENT CONTROVERSY: ESPN.com's Kyle Bonagura noted UCLA earlier this year was "connected to the well-publicized college admissions scandal." Longtime men's soccer coach Jorge Salcedo was "forced to resign after he was indicted for allegedly taking bribes to classify prospective students as soccer recruits in order to avoid being subjected to the school's tough admissions standards" (ESPN.com, 9/19).
