Report: Badgers to hire Texas Deputy AD as next Athletic Director
· Yahoo Sports
After an extensive search, the Wisconsin Badgers have reportedly found their new Athletic Director. According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, Wisconsin is set to hire Texas Longhorns Deputy Athletic Director and Chief Operating Officer Shawn Eichorst as its next Athletic Director, replacing the departed Chris McIntosh.
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Eichorst, a Wisconsin native, graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater back in 1990 and then went on to earn his law degree from Marquette in 1995. His administrative career began at Wisconsin-Whitewater, where he was the Athletic Director from 1999-2003.
Following a successful stint there, Eichorst moved on to be the Senior Associate Athletic Director at South Carolina from 2004-06 before moving back home and taking a job with the Wisconsin Badgers. Eichorst was hired to the same role at Wisconsin in 2006 and was promoted to Executive Associate Athletic Director in 2007. Two years later, he earned another promotion with the Badgers front office, being named the Deputy Athletic Director in 2009.
In 2011, he got his first shot as an Athletic Director at a power conference school, being hired for the job by the Miami Hurricanes. However, amid ongoing NCAA investigations, Eichorst quickly left for a better opportunity, as he was hired as the Athletic Director for the Nebraska Cornhuskers in 2013.
He remained in that role until 2017, when he was fired during the middle of the football season by University Chancellor Ronnie Green. At Nebraska, Eichorst’s major move had been to fire head coach Bo Pelini and replace him with Mike Riley, which ultimately led to his demise.
Of the reported candidates involved in the search, Eichorst appears to be the one most tied to the program. He had a strong relationship with former Athletic Director Barry Alvarez during his prior stint at Wisconsin, and will now take over in that role with crucial times ahead for the athletic department.