shawn
ADMINISTRATIVE EXPERIENCE
eichorst
» Nebraska, Director of Athletics (Jan. 1, 2013-present)
» Miami, Director of Athletics (2011-12)
» Wisconsin, Deputy Athletic Director (2009-11)
» Wisconsin, Executive Associate Athletic Director (2007-09)
» Wisconsin, Senior Associate Athletic Director (2006-07)
» South Carolina, Interim Athletic Director (2005-06)
» South Carolina, Senior Associate Athletic Director (2004-05)
» Wisconsin-Whitewater, Athletic Director (1999-2003)
» Marquette University National Sports Law Institute Board of Advisors
» director of athletics
Shawn Eichorst was named the 14th Director of Athletics of the University of Nebraska by
Chancellor Harvey Perlman on Oct. 4, 2012. Eichorst leads a tradition-rich athletic program of
24 varsity athletic teams, 600-plus student-athletes and more than 275 full-time employees.
Eichorst succeeded legendary Nebraska football coach and Athletic Director Tom Osborne and
officially assumed his duties on Jan. 3, 2013.
“I am honored to have the opportunity to join the University of Nebraska family,” Eichorst
said. “Nebraska is an outstanding academic institution with one of the strongest athletic
departments in all of college sports,” Eichorst said. “Most importantly, everyone here is
committed to keeping the welfare of our student-athletes at the heart of everything we do. I
am humbled by the responsibility and opportunities that lie ahead and will work diligently to
carry on the rich tradition of Husker excellence set forth by Coach Osborne and so many others.”
Nebraska Chancellor Harvey Perlman said it was Eichorst’s commitment to putting studentathletes first that made Eichorst stand out.
“When I asked him how I would be able to measure his success if he were here five years
from now,” Perlman said, “his response was that if the coaches and student-athletes had
been successful and nobody knows his name, it would be a success.”
Although his preference is to serve and lead diligently from the background, Eichorst
has already canvassed the state promoting Husker Athletics and Nebraska’s tremendously
talented student-athletes making more than 70 appearances across Nebraska and visiting
eight other states in just his first seven months. Eichorst emphasizes academics first and is
proud to acknowledge Nebraska’s nation-leading 310 Academic All-Americans, including
five who earned the honor in 2012-13. In fact, he invited all of the academic honor winners
back to campus for a reunion last November. He has met with each college dean on campus
and uses his monthly radio show and his Connecting on Campus column to promote campus,
coach and student-athlete academic and community successes. More than 200 Husker
student-athletes were honored at the academic recognition banquet in the spring of 2013
while 138 were named Academic All-Big Ten in 2012-13.
During Eichorst’s first semester at Nebraska in the spring of 2013, women’s bowling,
coached by legend Bill Straub, won a national title and Rhonda Revelle’s softball team
advanced to the Women's College World Series.
The women’s basketball team, coached by Connie Yori, completed a run to the Sweet
16 for the second time in program history and the women’s tennis team, coached by Scott
Jacobson, made an appearance in the Sweet 16 for the first time in program history and
earned a share of the Big Ten title. Tennis player Mary Weatherholt finished runner-up
at the NCAA Singles Championship, the highest-ever finish for a Nebraska tennis player.
In addition to women’s tennis, two other Nebraska teams added Big Ten titles in the
spring of 2013, as the women’s gymnastics team, coached by Dan Kendig, won its secondstraight Big Ten title and third-straight conference title overall. The men’s track and field
team, coached by Gary Pepin, claimed the outdoor team title.
Last fall, three facility projects were completed: Memorial Stadium, which expanded to
accommodate more than 90,000 football fans and includes the Nebraska Athletic Performance
Laboratory (NAPL) and the Center for Brain, Biology and Behavior (CB3) research facilities;
Pinnacle Bank Arena in a revitalized downtown Lincoln, where the Husker men’s and
women’s basketball teams are permanent tenants; and the renovated Bob Devaney Sports
Center, where volleyball, men’s and women’s gymnastics and the wrestling team now
compete. Construction for each of these three facilities began with Coach Osborne at the
helm. Athletic Director Emeritus Osborne continues to provide Eichorst with counsel on a
number of items including the East Stadium research initiatives. The collaborative research
that will take place within an athletic facility shared by academics and athletics is believed
to be the first of its kind and sets the tone for the leadership role Nebraska has taken in the
Big Ten Conference and nationally.
Eichorst came to Nebraska after spending 18 months as the Director of Athletics at the University
of Miami. He was named the 12th Director of Athletics at Miami on April 12, 2011, and served
until Oct. 4, 2012, when he was hired by Nebraska as a Special Assistant to Chancellor Perlman.
In his first year as Director of Athletics at Miami, Eichorst helped grow the academic reputation
as well as the fan base. Under his watchful eye, the Hurricane Club grew by more than 500
members, surpassing 5,000 members nationwide. More than $19 million in student-athlete
support was generated in 2011-12 and an additional $14.2 million in capital gifts was raised
toward the new Center for Athletic Excellence facility, which was completed in the fall of 2013.
During his tenure, both the Hurricane men’s and women’s basketball programs advanced to
the postseason, with the women posting the highest national ranking in school history at No.
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