Texas hires new AD
Texas stayed within the Big 12 Conference when it came of finding a new athletic director. The school filled its vacant post by stealing Chris Del Conte from TCU.
AUSTIN, TEXAS — Chris Del Conte once parked himself outside the office of the Texas athletic director to make a personal plea to the Big 12’s most powerful member to get TCU into the league.
Over several hours and drinks, Del Conte poured himself and TCU out to then-Texas athletic director DeLoss Dodds.
“I do not remember much of that conversation,” Del Conte said Monday, “except the next day I needed two aspirin.”
Dodds didn’t get all the details — he thought Del Conte’s first name was Del — but got enough to be impressed. TCU got in and the Horned Frogs quickly bloomed into a Big 12 heavyweight in football and baseball, and a rising power in other sports.
It was Del Conte’s power of persuasion and his leadership in turning a small private school into a Big 12 contender that led Texas to him this time, to bring him back to Austin to be the athletic director.
Texas President Greg Fenves first met Del Conte through Big 12 leadership meetings. Although athletic director Mike Perrin still had nearly another year left on his employment agreement, Fenves decided to move quickly to lure Del Conte to Texas. They finalized the move last week at meeting in a New York City steakhouse, the deal was done Saturday and Del Conte was introduced to the Longhorns at a news conference Monday.
“What he has done at TCU, to take that program to new heights, to heights that were unimagined when he began at TCU,” Fenves said. “Chris has the vision for how important athletics is for a great university.”
Del Conte spoke like Texas was the dream destination for any athletic director. It has one of the wealthiest and largest athletic departments in the country, a massive, passionate alumni base that spreads from coast to coast, and an internationally recognizable brand.
It also a place that has struggled through losing football, unrest in the fan base and an unsettled administration in recent years. Del Conte will be Texas’ fourth athletic director since 2013.
“The standard of college athletics starts here,” Del Conte said. “When (Fenves) said, ‘I want to talk to you about this position,’ I was floored ... We have one rodeo. My thought was, ‘If I’m ever going to do it, why not now? Why not at the University of Texas?’ It is like riding a bull. Eight seconds, hang on, let’s see what we can do. Awesome.”
Del Conte’s sevenyear contract has a salary that starts at $1.3 million annually and must still be approved by university regents, who will be expecting stability and results. Dodds’ successor, Steve Patterson, was fired after less than two years of clashes with fans, coaches and administrators.
Perrin, a former Texas football player, was brought in to calm the unrest but was always viewed as a placeholder until a permanent hire could be found. Perrin will stay on as an adviser to Del Conte.