Ten days after USC Athletic Director Lynn Swann resigned, plans were announced Thursday for his counterpart at UCLA, Dan Guerrero, to retire in June.
The University of California Board of Regents on Thursday approved a six-month contract extension for Guerrero through June 30, 2020, and he informed the board he will retire at that point, the Los Angeles Times reported.
In a letter to the “Bruin Faithful,” Guerrero said two changes in his life over the past 18 months led to his decision to retire.
“First, though it was not widely known, I successfully battled the toughest opponent I have ever had to face: cancer,” he wrote. “The world-class medical team at UCLA, however, helped me beat the disease and my prognosis for the future is excellent.
“Second, my wife, Anne Marie, and I recently welcomed our second granddaughter, and spending time with our growing family is incredibly important to me,” he wrote. “For these reasons, it is time for me to step aside and for UCLA Athletics to flourish under new leadership. In the remaining year ahead, however, we still have a great deal of work to do and championships to win, and I look forward to every minute of it.”
Guerrero has been UCLA’s athletic director since 2002. According to the university, UCLA has won 32 NCAA championships during his tenure, bringing the school’s total to 118. He previously held the same position at both Cal State Dominguez Hills and UC Irvine.
He earned a bachelor’s degree from UCLA in 1974, and played second base for the Bruin baseball team for four years. He was inducted into the UCLA Baseball Hall of Fame in 1996.
UCLA was also impacted by the nationwide college-admissions cheating scandal this year, leading to the departure of men’s soccer coach Jorge Salcedo, who is charged with conspiracy to commit racketeering for allegedly accepting a $100,000 payment to facilitate the admission of two students by posting them as soccer recruits, even though neither played the sport.
The Times reported that former Fresno State Athletic Director Terry Tumey, a former Bruin football player, is considered a strong candidate to replace Guerrero.