UConn Names Interim Athletic Director

On Sunday, UConn President Susan Herbst announced that Paul F. Pendergast, UConn’s former Senior Associate Director of Athletics, will be named the university’s interim Director of Athletics.

Pendergast will be taking over for who is retiring, and the appointment will become effective on Sept. 19.

“Paul Pendergast has a great reputation throughout the university and the state,” said Herbst in a release. “I’m very confident that he will do an exemplary job leading the division as its interim director. It’s clear to me that he and I share the same high standards when it comes to athletics, including the academic performance of our scholar-athletes and adherence to the rules of compliance.”

Pendergast said that he is thrilled to be able to return to the University of Connecticut and its Athletic Division.

“UConn athletics is something very special and I’m happy to do anything I can to help ensure its success,” he said. “It’s no secret that the Huskies have seen incredible achievements on the field of play for many years. Winning teams are of course the most visible part of collegiate athletics, but what counts just as much is what happens behind the scenes, particularly when it comes to the academic success of student athletes, strict compliance with NCAA rules and fundraising. I look forward to working with President Herbst and the entire division as we address these challenges.”

Pendergast will be paid $325,000 a year on a pro-rated basis. He served as the Assistant Athletic Director for Marketing and Corporate Relations for the UConn Division of Athletics from 1998 to 2002 and then as Senior Associate Athletic Director for Development until 2006. In his role at UConn, Pendergast was responsible for growing the athletics donor base with primary emphasis on major gifts.

During his time in charge of development, private giving to the Division of Athletics averaged approximately $14.6 million per year and membership in the UConn Club reached an all-time high of 8,000 members during his tenure.

From 1968 until his retirement in 1998, Pendergast had held various managerial and executive level positions with the IBM Corporation and its affiliates, both domestically and abroad.

He is a 1968 graduate of Grove City College in Pennsylvania with continuing work on an advanced Business degree from St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas. Pendergast is the President of the Saint Francis Foundation and the Senior Vice President of Development for Saint Francis Hospital. His position puts him among the leading executives for Saint Francis Hospital reporting directly to President and CEO Christopher Dadlez.

He and his wife Linda live in Avon and have a family of five children and 12 grandchildren.