Aug. 17—Eddie Nuñez, vice president and athletic director for the University of New Mexico for the past seven years, has accepted an offer to be the next athletic director for the University of Houston.
The Journal confirmed the news with Nuñez on Saturday afternoon and both schools later released announcements about the move.
The University of New Mexico will begin its search for a new athletic director in the coming week.
"I want to thank Eddie for the work that he has done here at The University of New Mexico," UNM President Garnett S. Stokes said in the school's release. "He has led Lobo Nation with pride and enthusiasm, and he and his wife Jane have been terrific ambassadors for UNM and our athletic department. Our success on the field and in the classroom is a reflection of his leadership, and it is a source of pride for all Lobos."
Nuñez agreed to a five-year deal with Houston, which has one of the nation's top men's basketball programs and is beginning its second season in the Big 12 Conference. He will be formally introduced at Houston in a Wednesday news conference.
"Eddie Nuñez brings a wealth of experience and a proven track record of success during a time of great transformation in college athletics," said Houston President Renu Khator. "His leadership will be critical as we continue to elevate our athletics programs, enhance the student-athlete experience and build on the tremendous momentum at the University of Houston."
Nuñez, 48, is a Miami native and University of Florida graduate. He was the deputy athletic director at LSU for 14 years before accepting the UNM AD job in 2017. He currently sits on the NCAA's Division I Council and is chairman of the Division I Men's Basketball Oversight Committee.
Tilman Fertitta, UH Board of Regents chairman and owner of the Houston Rockets, said, "Eddie has demonstrated incredible tenacity and leadership during his many years at LSU and as AD at New Mexico. He knows how to manage complex issues and solve problems."
Houston had an $81 million athletics budget in the 2022-23 fiscal year, according to the Sports Business Journal, prompting Nuñez's predecessor Chris Pezman, who was fired in June, to state, "Our biggest challenge right now, honestly, is money."
While the Cougars' budget was expected to grow to the $95 million range this past year after joining the Big 12, it is still the lowest among all power conference programs. Nuñez, meanwhile, was applauded for increasing fundraising dramatically at UNM, which operates under a $32 million annual athletics budget.
Nuñez and his wife have two teenage daughters. He told the Journal they struggled with the decision to accept the Houston offer because Albuquerque has become a special place for them, admittedly far more than he would have initially thought after his first few years on the job.
Hired amid turmoil and intense financial scrutiny of UNM's athletic department, Nuñez has overseen improvement in fundraising efforts and switched the school's multimedia rights partnership. He oversaw the reorganization of the Lobo Club shortly after taking the job, trying desperately to tap into donor resources in one of the country's poorest states without the type of corporate sponsorship opportunities available to many power conference programs.
Nuñez did not attend attend Saturday's Cherry Silver Gala, one of the athletic department's largest annual fundraisers. With the reality of moving on without Nuñez being a clear theme of the night, the Journal learned late Saturday that the gala brought in $1,081,000, about $250,000 more than its previous record.
On his watch, UNM won a national title (women's cross country), 22 conference titles and had 53 NCAA Tournament appearances.
Nuñez received a new contract in November 2021 that paid him $420,000 annually — $360,000 in base salary and $60,000 in other compensation, not including potential bonuses. The contract was set to expire June 30, 2025.
As of July 1, being the final year of his contract, Nuñez has no buyout for breaking his contract to take another job.
Next for UNM
When Nuñez was hired in 2017, UNM utilized a process that included both a search firm and the heavy influence of the board of regents. An internal candidate was not among the finalists, which included Nuñez, Eastern Illinois AD Tom Michael and Kentucky Deputy AD DeWayne Peevy.
UNM has not yet indicated if it will use a search firm or given a timetable for the search, though in general athletic director searches, unlike head coaching searches, often take several weeks or even months.
Internally, the leaders within the athletic department include Assistant Vice President/Deputy AD David Williams, Senior Associate AD for Sports Administration Ed Manzanares and Senior Associate AD and Executive Director of the Lobo Club Jalen Dominguez.
Ryan Berryman was another senior associate AD before starting a position last week at the Big Ten's University of Washington.
Also worth keeping an eye on is how Nuñez's move could affect Lobo coaches. Some, but not all, have clauses that lessens their buyout should Nuñez no longer be the AD.
For example, men's basketball coach Richard Pitino's contract states his buyout should he leave for another job is reduced by 50% for one calendar year from Nuñez's departure. So, Pitino's would-be buyout of $750,000 is $375,000 for the next year.
