Washington hires Tulanes Troy Dannen as AD: What the veteran administrator brings to Huskies

March 06, 2024

By Nicole Auerbach, Chris Vannini and Scott Dochterman

The University of Washington hired veteran college administrator Troy Dannen as its athletic director. The school announced the news on Saturday, about a month-and-a-half after Jen Cohen left the position to take the same post at USC. Here’s what you need to know:

Dannen has spent the past eight years as the athletic director at Tulane, overseeing a historic run for the football team that included a Cotton Bowl win over USC last postseason. Prior to Tulane, he spent seven years as the AD at Northern Iowa.
He will begin his duties in Seattle on Monday, Oct. 9, and will be introduced in a news conference on Tuesday, Oct. 10.
Dannen is a widely respected administrator who has served in leadership roles on a number of prominent NCAA committees, including some of the most prestigious appointments in recent years.

Backstory

From 2021 to 2023, Dannen served first on the NCAA Constitution Committee and then on the NCAA Transformation Committee, which was tasked with charting a path forward for college sports. He is currently in his fourth year as the chair of the NCAA Football Competition Committee and serves on the FBS Oversight Committee.

Dannen will lead Washington in a pivotal time, as it makes the jump from the Pac-12 to the Big Ten conference next summer. The Huskies are one of four new West Coast additions to the Big Ten.

What they’re saying

Washington football coach Kalen DeBoer said Dannen “brings a passion and enthusiasm for college athletics as well as a strong commitment to developing student-athletes” in a statement Saturday. DeBoer added: “He is a visionary and proven leader, and has worked diligently to improve the sport of football. I’m excited to work with Troy and help move the Huskies into the future.”

Former coach Chris Petersen, who helped advise UW president Ana Mari Cauce on the search, also raved about Dannen, calling him “a gifted leader and experienced athletic director who will help lead Washington to new heights.”

“He is highly respected because of his wisdom, thoughtfulness and integrity,” Petersen continued. “He is admired by coaches and administrators because of his support, creativity and drive to be the best. It’s an exciting time in college athletics with many challenges ahead, and Troy Dannen is just the person to help lead the Huskies into an exciting future.”

Dannen’s legacy with Tulane

At Tulane, Dannen rejuvenated the athletic department with successful hires in the two biggest college sports. Football had one winning season in 13 years when Dannen hired Willie Fritz from Georgia Southern. Under Fritz’s watch, Tulane has had its most consistent success since World War II.

The Green Wave reached three consecutive bowl games for the first time in school history, and last year’s Cotton Bowl win against USC was the program’s first major bowl appearance since 1939, while also tying the school record of 12 wins.

Dannen also hired Ron Hunter in men’s basketball, which had one winning season in the previous 11 years. The Green Wave have improved their conference record in all four seasons under Hunter, and the 20-11 record this past year was the program’s most wins since 1999-2000. — Chris Vannini, national college football writer

Big Ten country roots

Dannen is well known in the Upper Midwest, where he grew up. He spent seven years leading the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union in the only state where there are separate organizations for boys and girls high school sports. Dannen added girls sports to increase participation before he was hired as athletic director at his alma mater, Northern Iowa. He immediately dealt with controversy at UNI when he eliminated baseball based on financial and Title IX considerations within two years of his arrival. His coach then was Rick Heller, who now leads the Iowa baseball team, and hard feelings linger in his home state even now.

But Dannen understands the landscape in the traditional Big Ten footprint, which will help in Washington’s transition next summer. — Scott Dochterman, college football staff writer

Required reading

(Photo: Steph Chambers / Getty Images)

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