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March 18, 2024

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UNLV AD Kunzer-Murphy gets six-month extension

Tina Kunzer-Murphy, whose contract was set to end Dec. 31, 2016, will serve until June 30, 2017, then work with the UNLV Foundation

Sam Boyd Stadium Renovations

Mikayla Whitmore

Renovations at Sam Boyd Stadium this summer brought new turf to the facility for the first time since 2003. The $1.2 million project also widened the playing surface, which cut 860 total seats from the east and west sidelines. Director Tina Kunzer-Murphy discusses the project during a tour on July 23, 2015.

Updated Monday, Oct. 24, 2016 | 3:35 p.m.

UNLV Athletics Director Tina Kunzer-Murphy has agreed to a six-month extension through June 2017 and then she will take a fundraising job with the UNLV Foundation, the university announced today.

Kunzer-Murphy met with UNLV Athletics staff this morning and told them that she would be extended past her original contract and would serve until June 30, 2017, the end of the fiscal year and UNLV’s academic calendar. Kunzer-Murphy’s three-year contract was set to end on Dec. 31, 2016.

“I was asked by President Jessup to continue serving as Director of Athletics until the conclusion of the 2016-17 academic year and appreciate having the opportunity to do so,” Kunzer-Murphy said in a statement. “I am fortunate and grateful to work with such an outstanding team of coaches, administrators and support personnel – all dedicated to serving our student-athletes and the wider university community. While we have accomplished a great deal together, there are exciting challenges ahead and I look forward to what we will achieve during the remainder of this academic year.”

Kunzer-Murphy’s contract paid her $240,000 annually plus bonuses. It is not yet clear if the compensation will remain the same for her six-month extension or what her salary will be at the UNLV Foundation.

A former UNLV player, coach and administrator, Kunzer-Murphy first became the interim AD on July 1, 2013, after Jim Livengood’s departure. Prior to that she worked for six months in the UNLV Alumni Association, where she spearheaded the project to build a statue of former basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian. From 2000-12, Kunzer-Murphy was the Executive Director of the Las Vegas Bowl.

“Tina’s unwavering commitment to UNLV, our athletics program, and our student athletes is simply unmatched,” UNLV President Len Jessup said in a statement. “Under her leadership as athletics director, our programs have been successful in competition, in the classroom, and in the community. As the first alum to lead UNLV Athletics, Tina has been and remains a stalwart ambassador for our university and we look forward to her continued service.”

Taylor Bern can be reached at 948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Taylor on Twitter at twitter.com/taylorbern.

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