Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

UNLV names Erick Harper athletic director

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Steve Marcus

Pyrotechnics explode before the UNLV Rebels game against the San Diego State Aztecs at Thomas & Mack Center Saturday, Jan. 1, 2022.

Updated Monday, Jan. 3, 2022 | 12:27 p.m.

UNLV’s next athletic director is Erick Harper, the man who has been doing the job on an interim basis for the past four months.

UNLV President Keith Whitfield made the formal announcement Monday, though Harper was appointed to the post effective Saturday. The Sun reported the news on Sunday.

"Erick has a strong track record in intercollegiate athletics and tremendous passion for our university, our student-athletes and our coaches," Whitfield said in a statement. "He’s also vested in our community and has a vision for the program that I believe will continue the momentum we’ve built and lead us to new levels of success in all areas of Rebel athletics."

Harper said it was a privilege to serve as the next athletic director and that the department culture would be built on "trust, empathy, compassion, care, growth and accountability."

UNLV will have a "dedicated team of coaches and staff who are driven to win championships, graduate our student-athletes and help them achieve at the highest level," Harper said in a statement. "I look forward to further engaging with our community and working with campus colleagues to make Rebel fans proud."

Harper was installed as the interim athletic director shortly after Desiree Reed-Francois left UNLV for Missouri in August. In announcing Harper as the interim, Whitfield said the school would conduct a national search that was expected to last “several months.”

Harper, 53, is assuming leadership of the athletic department at a crucial time for the university. With conference realignment only widening the gap between the haves and the have-nots, it will be imperative for UNLV to avoid falling behind or being left out.

In the two flagship sports Harper inherits young coaches who are in the early stages of rebuilding processes. Marcus Arroyo is 2-16 in two years at the helm of the football program, while Kevin Kruger has the basketball team at 8-6 in his first season; both are first-time head coaches.

Harper played college football and earned his bachelor’s degree at Kansas State. He has since spent more than 30 years as an administrator in college athletics, including the last nine years at UNLV.

Harper came to UNLV in 2012 as a senior associate athletics director for development, a key fundraising position for several sports. Prior to that he was associate athletics director for football operations at Arizona from 2003-2011, and before that he spent 13 years at Kansas State in a variety of administrative roles.

Desiree Reed-Francois’ contract at UNLV paid her $425,000 per year; Harper made $115,900 last year as an associate AD.

Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.

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