Houston's Athletic Director Receives Special Recognition

Nuñez was named as one of the top athletic directors in the country according to Silver Waves Media. 70 different ADs from across the country were named to this list and Nuñez joined them. He was one of eight Big 12 ADs on the list and one of seven ADs in Texas to be named as well.

Nuñez was officially named Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics on Aug. 17, 2024 and there have been plenty of moves conducted as he approaches two years on the job.

The now 51-year-old signed a five-year deal with Houston in 2024 and previously served as New Mexico's Athletic Director for almost seven seasons. The Lobos experienced significant success on and off the field with Nuñez at the helm. Before that, Nuñez spent 14 years in various high-level administrative capacities at LSU.

Nuñez was a former college athlete himself and played four seasons of basketball, including at Florida under Billy Donovan. Nuñez and UH launched the Nantz Leadership Society, which is Houston’s new philanthropic giving society, during his first season, and it was a 97% increase in the department's single-year giving.

Nuñez has hired multiple new head coaches across sports, including Will Davis in baseball, Ben Williams in soccer, former Kentucky coach Matthew Mitchell in women's basketball, Chrissy Schoonmaker in softball and Valeriya Zeleva in tennis.

All those moves have been highly praised, and he was the one who made changes in sports that really needed them, such as baseball and women's basketball. Mitchell, with his previous success, was a big get for the program. Williams led the women's soccer team to their first winning season since 2021 and its best mark in the Big 12.

Soccer also went undefeated during the non-conference portion and beat Texas for the first time since 2000. Zeleva was the former Auburn assistant coach who helped lead them to an SEC Championship and runner-up nationally.