CONFIRMED: Hunter Yurachek Will become the Next Athletic Director at the University of Houston

Sources tell College AD, that Hunter Yurachek will become the next athletic director at Houston. Earlier today College AD provided an update on the status of the search.

Last week multiple sources close to the Houston athletic director search told College AD that Yuracheck was a frontrunner for the position, and a decision would be made last week; however sources told College AD, multiple delays occurred, including Houston President Renu Khator’s midweek trip to Austin Texas.

Yurachek joined the University of Houston Athletics Department as the Associate Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for Intercollegiate Athletics in February of 2014.

He now inherits a program experiencing extraordinary success both on the field and off.  College AD profiled the athletic department just prior to the departure of Mack Rhoades to the University of Missouri.



During his tenure as COO, Chancellor Dr. Renu Khator, named Yurachek as Chair for campus-wide steering committee established to oversee the grand opening events for the $120 million TDECU Stadium, Yurachek assisted Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics and Cougar Pride staff in the cultivation, solicitation and securing of a 10-year, $15,000,000-naming rights agreement for TDECU Stadium with the per year value currently ranking in the top ten nationally for collegiate venue naming rights agreements.

Yurachek assisted departing athletic director, Mack Rhoades in the national search and hiring of football and men and women’s basketball head coaches while overseeing the development and implementation of a $500,000 remodeling project to the men and women’s basketball locker rooms.

He served as liaison with an architectural design firm on the plans for the $25-million Houston Basketball Development facility as well as overseeing the development and implementation of a $500,000 facility enhancement to the Athletics/Alumni Center.

Prior to Houston, Yurachek spent the four years as athletics director at Coastal Carolina, where he oversaw a department that included 18 men’s and women’s Division I sports programs.

Under Yurachek’s leadership, the Chanticleers won a total of 29 Big South Championships, made 30 NCAA appearances and finished a program-best 79th in the 2012-13 Learfield Director’s Cup.

The Chanticleers department operated within a balanced budget during Yurachek’s tenure, due to a zero-budget initiative and the revenues generated since his arrival with the restructuring of the external relations department. In his first year, the department revenue was at $560,000, including $316,000 in ticket sales and sponsorships at $250,000. After the 2012-13 year, revenue came in at $1.4 million, thanks to $549,000 in ticket sales and $600,000 in sponsorships.