Former UCLA Director of Athletics Dan Guerrero has been selected for induction into the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) 2021 Hall of Fame class.
Guerrero led the UCLA Athletic Department for 18 years from 2002 through his retirement in 2020. During his tenure, the Bruins won 32 NCAA team championships in 15 different sports, won 73 conference championships in 16 sports, produced more than 800 All-Americans, and featured 11 Honda Sport Award winners, including the 2003-04 and 2018-19 Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year. Guerrero was at the department’s helm when UCLA Athletics became the first to win 100 NCAA team championships, and the Bruins’ current total of 119 NCAA titles ranks second in the nation. Seven of his head coaching hires led their teams to NCAA championships, and UCLA teams also finished second 29 times and totaled 130 Top 5 NCAA finishes.
UCLA's academic accomplishments under Guerrero are equally noteworthy. UCLA student-athletes, in an extremely rigorous academic environment, achieved unprecedented success in the classroom, with the UCLA student-athlete Graduation Success Rate (GSR) hitting a school-record 92% in 2019.
Guerrero was the first athletic director at the NCAA Division I level (FBS, FCS, and NCAA Division I-AAA) to earn three NACDA Under Armour Athletic Director of the Year awards (2013-14 and 2006-07 at UCLA, 2001-02 at UC Irvine). In 2017, he was honored by the National Football Foundation with the John L. Toner Award, becoming the first-ever sitting athletics director from the West Coast to receive the honor. He was also selected as a finalist for the Athletic Director of the Year at both the 2010 and 2017 Sports Business Awards.
Guerrero's record of service in civic engagement, as well as to the enterprise of intercollegiate athletics, has been extensive. Guerrero is one of few individuals to have served as the president of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA), the Division I Athletic Directors Association (Lead1), and the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Committee.
Over the course of his career, he had significant experience in committee work at both the NCAA and conference levels, having chaired a number of committees along the way. He served on the Division I Men's Basketball Oversight Committee, which he previously chaired for two years, and chaired an NCAA Working Group on behalf of the Division I Men's Basketball Rice Commission.
Guerrero was a member of the Rose Bowl Management Committee for 17 years and a member of the Board of Directors of the NABC (National Association of Basketball Coaches), the Institute for Sport and Social Justice, the Los Angeles Metropolitan YMCA, the Southern California Chapter of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, The NACDA John McLendon Foundation and the United States International University Sports Federation, where he is currently serving as president.
As the Chair of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Committee in 2009-10, he was involved with the negotiation of the new $10.8 billion, 14-year NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament television package, as well as the decision to expand the Tournament to 68 teams.
In addition to athletic and academic success, resource development was a core tenet of Guerrero's tenure. During the UCLA Centennial Campaign (2014-18), Guerrero and his external development team raised in excess of $300 million in fundraising support to the program. More dollars were raised for UCLA Athletics during his tenure than any other time in history. He grew the athletics department budget from $42 million in 2002 to more than $130 million, in large part thanks to securing major long-term apparel and rights-holder contracts that, at the time of their signing, were the largest collegiate deals nationally in their respective areas.
Guerrero also led the negotiations that solidified the relationship between UCLA and the Rose Bowl, resulting in more than $180 million in renovations and restoration to the home of UCLA Football. During his tenure, he spearheaded in excess of $430 million in facilities upgrades, including the renovation of the historic Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom and the building of the Wasserman Football Center and the Mo Ostin Basketball Center.
Guerrero previously served as UC Irvine’s fifth permanent Director of Athletics for 10 years (1992-2002), helping to elevate that program to unprecedented success. Prior to arriving at UCI, Guerrero worked at Cal State Dominguez Hills, where he led that program to national prominence while serving as athletic director for five years (1988-92).
A proud alumnus of UCLA, Guerrero received his Bachelor's degree from the University in 1974. He played second base for the Bruin baseball team for four years and was inducted into the UCLA Baseball Hall of Fame in 1996.
He is the fifth UCLA Athletic Director to be inducted into the NACDA Hall of Fame, joining Wilbur Johns (1972), J.D. Morgan (1980), Bob Fischer (1987) and Pete Dalis (2010).
Guerrero and fellow inductees Lynda Goodrich (Western Washington University), Jean Lenti Ponsetto (DePaul University), Craig Littlepage (University of Virginia), Dave Roach (Fordham University), Cathie Schweitzer (Springfield College), and Julie Soriero (MIT) will be recognized in conjunction with the 56th Annual NACDA & Affiliates Convention, to be held virtually, July 27-28.
