Manuel set for introduction as UConn AD

Storrs - Warde J. Manuel, the athletic director at the University of Buffalo for the last six years, has been named to the same position at UConn, according to a press release.

Manuel will be introduced at 10:15 this morning in a press conference at The Burton Family Football Complex on the UConn campus.

"I am so honored and excited to come to the University of Connecticut," Manuel said in the release. "UConn is synonymous with greatness, excellence and achievement. It is without a doubt one of the legendary schools that is at the pinnacle of intercollegiate athletics.

"The opportunity to be the athletics director at UConn and lead this extraordinary division is the role of a lifetime. You have remarkable coaches, great leadership, outstanding student-athletes and a wonderful base of fans, alumni and supporters. ... My family and I are so happy to call UConn home."

Manuel, 43, replaces Jeff Hathaway, who signed a separation agreement with UConn in August. Paul Pendergast has been acting as interim athletic director while the university conducted a national search for Hathaway's permanent replacement.

Manuel, a 1990 graduate of the University of Michigan where he was a member of the football team under legendary coach Bo Schembechler, led a 20-sport program at Buffalo.

Manuel will sign a five-year contract with UConn, with the option for a two-year extension at the discretion of the university. He will be paid a base salary of $450,000 per year. He is eligible for a $100,000 performance incentive annually if certain academic and athletic goals are achieved and is eligible for $100,000 in deferred compensation to be awarded at the conclusion of his five-year contract.

Manuel arrives at UConn in the midst of turmoil with the men's basketball program, which has been ruled ineligible for the 2013 NCAA tournament because of a substandard Academic Progress Rate.

Manuel has dealt with this matter before at Buffalo, where upon his arrival there were four programs - football, men's basketball, wrestling and baseball - that fell below the APR cut score. Those programs are now above the APR cutoff and 10 of Buffalo's 20 sports had scores of 975 or above.

"Warde is going to be a great ambassador for the University of Connecticut and he is going to immediately exude energy into the campus," Buffalo men's basketball coach Reggie Witherspoon said in a statement.

"Warde stands firm on academic principals first and foremost and he is also an extremely competitive person who wants to win. The people of Connecticut will be thrilled by him and feel good about being in his presence."

In September of 2011, Manuel was one of only three athletic directors asked to serve on the Collegiate Model Rules committee, a working group of the Division I Committee on Academic Performance, charged with broad overview of the current NCAA Rules Manual.

In June of 2007, Manuel accepted the Opportunity Award by all-time tennis great Billie Jean King, as Buffalo was recognized by the Women's Sports Foundation as one of four "standout" colleges and universities in the nation for outstanding achievement in providing equitable athletic opportunities for its female student-athletes.

Prior to his time at Buffalo, he was the assistant and associate director of athletics for the University of Michigan, where he oversaw that school's football and men's basketball programs. In February, 1998, he was named an assistant athletic director at Michigan with responsibilities for overseeing operational facets of the university's athletic program. He was named an associate athletic director in September, 2000.

Born May 22, 1968, Manuel is a native of New Orleans, who was a high school All-American football player.

Manuel and his wife, Chrislan, have a daughter, Emma (17), and a son, Evan (13).