WSU extends athletic director’s contract through 2026
Pat Chun to earn $700,000 annually in his fourth year
Washington State announced Tuesday it has extended the contract of highly regarded athletic director Pat Chun through 2026.
The five-year agreement calls for a $700,000 salary the first year and will increase by $50,000 annually through the fourth year. Chun was hired in 2018 and signed a five-year deal worth $650,000 a year plus incentives.
The extension, effective July 1, comes shortly after Chun’s name came up in connection with AD openings at Kansas and Northwestern.
“Pat has done an exceptional job of leading our athletics program during the past three years,” WSU president Kirk Schulz said in a news release.
“He has proven himself to be one of the nation’s most influential Power 5 athletic directors, guiding Cougar Athletics to success not only in athletic competition, but also in the classroom, in fundraising and in creating innovative programs to benefit the welfare of our student-athletes.”
The contract includes incentives for meeting fundraising and fiscal management goals, as well as retention incentives that rise during the five years.
“Pat Chun has brought a culture of success to the Palouse,” WSU Board of Regents chairman Brett Blankenship said in the release, “and that spirit is evident among our athletes, coaches and all of Coug Nation.”
According to data cited by WSU, Chun’s contract will rank ninth in overall compensation among ADs in the Pac-12.
“My family and I are grateful to President Schulz and the Board of Regents for their continued leadership and support,” Chun said in the release. “It is an honor be a part of the WSU family and to serve an extraordinary group of student-athletes who continue to achieve academically and athletically.”
The school said Chun will be subject to a 60-day furlough each year. Because of the coronavirus pandemic, he voluntarily reduced his base salary by 15 percent through June of this year.
Chun, whose parents emigrated from South Korea before he was born, is the first Asian-American AD in the Power 5 and serves on the NCAA Division I Council. The school’s athletic department raised a record $15 million his first year and upped that total each of the next two years.
Chun grew up in Ohio, spent 15 years in the Ohio State athletic department and served as AD at Florida Atlantic for five-plus years before landing the WSU job.
Grummert may be contacted at daleg@lmtribune.com or (208) 848-2290.
