AD Pat Chun leaving FAU

Similar post at Washington State awaits

BOCA RATON Pat Chun will only get to experience one year of the Lane Kiffin phenomenon at Florida Atlantic.

On Tuesday, it was confirmed Chun will vacate his post as athletic director to accept the same position at Washington State. The news was first reported by ESPN. Chun will be introduced at a news conference this morning. He replaces Bill Moos.

Chun had been at FAU since 2012, where he earned a reputation as a strong fundraiser. Among his biggest moves was landing a $16 million donation from the Schmidt Family Foundation that went toward building a new athletics facility. It was the largest gift in school history.

In 2013, Chun also played a role in the school securing a 10-year corporate sponsorship agreement with Learfield Sports. Chun was also key in helping the school reel in coach Kiffin.

In just one season, Kiffin led the Owls to the best season in school history. The Owls finished 11-3, won their first Conference USA championship and captured a 50-3 victory over Akron in Boca Raton Bowl.

Chun is the latest to exit after last year’s success on the football field. The team also lost offensive coordinator Kendal Briles, defensive backs coach Corey Batoon, and offensive line coach Garin Justice in the offseason.

Chun, who will be the first Asian-American athletic director at a Power Five school, has a proven track record. Before coming to FAU, he spent 15 years at Ohio State in a variety of roles before leaving as the executive athletic director.

At FAU, Chun also had an impact academically. Before his arrival, the athletic department’s grade point average was 2.66, the Graduation Success Rate was 66 percent and the Academic Progress Rate was 942.

By the 2016-17 school year, the athletic program produced a school-record 979 overall Academic Progress Rate, with eight teams recording perfect scores.