UT turns to Del Conte
UT hopes AD keeps having success he enjoyed leading TCU
Chris Del Conte takes over as Texas athletic director after guiding TCU into the Big 12 with success in football and baseball and great promise in basketball.
AUSTIN — Chris Del Conte, immaculately outfitted in an understated pinstripe suit accented by a burnt-orange pocket square and corresponding tie, stepped to the dais and made his rounds.
He thanked University of Texas president Greg Fenves. He commended outgoing athletics director Mike Perrin for steering UT out of the tempestuous Steve Patterson era. He shrewdly praised women’s athletic director and new underling Chris Plonsky.
Del Conte’s gaze then turned to Robin, his wife.
For just a moment, his voice became trapped in his throat. Tears pooled in his eyes. He looked overwhelmed not by the immense job ahead, but by the emotional fallout of his decision to jump from TCU.
“It’s a pretty crazy time for me today,” said Del Conte, UT’s new vice president and director of athletics. Then, he pivoted back to levity. “By the way, I’m an amazing crier,” Del Conte, 49, said. “I cry when we win, I cry when we lose. It’s OK to show emotion because it means you’re real.”
The man knows how to work a room. It’s one of the principal reasons Fenves lured him away from Fort Worth with a seven-year contract reportedly worth $1.3 million per year. Uniting Texas’ numerous boosters into one cohesive force will be among Del Conte’s biggest tasks on the job, which officially began Monday.
Good time for a change
The suddenness of the hiring — announced Saturday afternoon — added to its bombshell nature considering Perrin was expected to stay on until August 2018. But after meeting with Del Conte last week in New York City, Fenves wanted to move quickly.
“This was a good time to do a change,” Fenves said. “The regular football season has ended. I wanted to be ahead of any other potential searches. Chris Del Conte is a hot commodity. I wanted to get him here to Texas before he had too many other alluring offers.”
Of course, Del Conte, who left Rice in 2009 to go to TCU, first had to receive permission to trade Horned Frogs for Longhorns from his two teenage daughters.
“Many opportunities have come and passed,” he told them. “Ladies, I’d like to do this.”
But, Del Conte had promised Sienna and Sophia nothing would change until they graduated. So, the patriarch apologized and asked the girls to think about it.
The next morning, he received a text: “Life is all about taking risks. If you never take a risk, you’ll never achieve your dream.”
“Profound from a 16-year-old who is going to have to move high schools,” Del Conte said. “My other daughter wrote, ‘Dad, listen to Miley Cyrus, ‘The Climb.’ I’m all in.’
“Are you kidding me? I get one profound statement, eating my Cheerios, the other one says listen to Miley Cyrus, it will not disappoint. OK, I got that.”
Del Conte’s job now is not disappointing those at Texas who have placed their faith in him. His track record suggests he’s up to the task.
Under his stewardship, TCU raised $300 million to be used for major upgrades to the football stadium, basketball arena and facilities used by non-revenue teams. He locked up football coach Gary Patterson through the 2023 season and convinced Jamie Dixon to leave Pittsburgh and take over the Horned Frogs’ historically inept basketball program. Today, Dixon’s team is 10-0 and ranked 14th in the nation. TCU’s baseball team has appeared in four consecutive College World Series.
Keeping with the standard
Del Conte’s now legendary meeting with former UT athletic director DeLoss Dodds in 2011 is cited as the primary reason TCU gained admittance into the Big 12.
“Deloss Dodds, wow,” Del Conte said. “Much has been made of our relationship. You’re a beacon in our industry, someone that I looked up to my whole life. When I came down and had that fateful conversation about Texas Christian University — I do not remember much of that conversation, except the next day I needed two aspirin.”
Now, with his daughters’ blessing, Dodds leads the richest athletic department in the nation. Though a new face is now in charge, the goal remains the same as ever: win championships.
“I think that’s why you come to the University of Texas, for that challenge,” Del Conte said. “The standard has been set: championships, doing it the right way, providing an opportunity for young people to get a great education.”