The University of Connecticut has chosen Warde Manuel as the new athletic director and he said on Monday that it's the "role of a lifetime."
Manuel fills the position that Jeff Hathaway left in August, under pressure.
Manuel, a 43-year-old New Orleans native, spent the last six years running the 20 sports program at the University at Buffalo.
He was on the football and track teams at the University of Michigan.
Members of the UConn search committee said they were impressed by Manuel's presence when they talked to him.
The Hartford Courant reports that he will be the first African-American to hold the position.
Manuel will have a five-year contract with a base salary of $450,000, with a $100,000 performance incentive tied into academic and athletic goals.
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The school is in the process of appealing NCAA sanctions over low annual academic progress rates.
The school learned on Friday that the NCAA has denied its waiver and offer to self-impose sanctions, so it will not be able to compete in the postseason for the 2012-13 season or the 2013 NCAA Tournament.
Manuel said his wife and two teenage children are happy to call Connecticut home.
