Incoming UNLV President Carol C. Harter has appointed Charlie W. Cavagnaro, director of athletics at the University of Memphis since 1982, as director of intercollegiate athletics at UNLV, beginning Aug. 1.
Harter described the search process as "extremely thorough and thoughtful, resulting in a superb group of three final candidates, any one of whom could do the job extraordinarily well.
"Charlie brings vast and highly successful collegiate athletic administrative experience, a profound commitment to academic integrity and the well-being of athletes, demonstrated expertise in marketing and generating new revenues, and an energetic, humane approach to the management of people."
Harter said Cavagnaro is "the consummate team player, and I look forward to working closely with him to advance the quality and success of UNLV's athletic programs."
Cavagnaro commented, "The excitement of UNLV and the city of Las Vegas are very contagious, and we're really looking forward to it. The new conference and the new leadership at the university have positioned them well into the next century. I'm really looking forward to joining the team."
During his tenure at the University of Memphis, Cavagnaro operated an $11 million budget and built the department's reserve fund from $750,000 to $5 million, instituted a program that improved the graduation rate of athletes from 22 percent in the mid-1980s to 92 and 91 percent in the last two years, established a fifth-year scholarship program for athletes, instituted an NCAA compliance program, and was directly responsible for a football program that posted winning seasons in the last three years for the first time in 20 years. The University of Memphis men's basketball program has turned in winning seasons 12 of the last 13 years.
In addition to hiring winning coaches in both basketball and football, Cavagnaro has negotiated significant television and radio contracts worth more than $1 million per year and created season-ticket sales in football that are the best in Memphis history.
Cavagnaro hired three minority coaches and created a gender equity study committee at the University of Memphis, played a central role in creating Conference - USA, and was the first professional staff member from the University of Memphis appointed to the prestigious NCAA Council, where he worked on the Warren Burger Committee to review the entire NCAA enforcement process.
Cavagnaro, 54, will receive a three-year contract at an annual salary of $117,500. He will be eligible for an automobile through the C.A.R.S. program, and will have access to a $10,000 expense account earmarked exclusively for academic and athletic program support. He is a 1966 graduate of the University of Memphis. He and his wife, Patricia, a successful real estate agent in Memphis, have three grown children.
