Warde Manuel named as U of M AD

Warde Manuel has agreed to be Michigan’s next athletic director, according to two people familiar with the situation. While we are sorry to lose him at UConn, we also understand how much the position at MI means to him and we wish him all the best.

Manuel, credited with elevating the academic standing of the athletic department while presiding over six national championships, is returning to his college home.

Manuel, who is the first sitting athletic director MI has ever hired for the position, has strong ties at the university. Hackett was not interested in the full-time job.

Manuel, who was raised in New Orleans, earned a master’s in social work and an MBA from MI, and served as assistant athletic director and associate athletic director at the school before becoming AD at Buffalo in 2005.

“When he came in, there were a lot of unanswered questions that were floating around the university”, UConn women’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma said.

Manuel navigated UConn through the retirement of Hall of Fame basketball coach Jim Calhoun, agreeing to hire Kevin Ollie, Calhoun’s hand-picked successor.

Manuel signed a five-year contract that will net him almost $5 million throughout the life of the deal. Manuel also pointed out that Jim Harbaugh, who was in attendance at the press conference, was his first captain as a MI football player.

The team has since posted back-to-back ideal academic progress reports to the NCAA.

Rubin now serves as the Chief of Staff to President Susan Herbst, and the Secretary to the Board of Trustees.