FAU Names New Athletic Director

BOCA RATON (CBSMiami) - Florida Atlantic University finished off a busy year in the athletic department Monday when the school hired Patrick Chun as the school's new athletic director.

In the last year, FAU has opened a brand-new stadium, hired Carl Pelini as the team's new head football coach and now filled the vacant athletic director position.

Chun came to FAU from the Ohio State Buckeyes. At Ohio State, Chun was the executive associate athletic director for external relation. He oversaw a 20 percent increase annually in overall donations to the athletic department.

OSU football coach Urban Meyer said FAU will "embrace this young man, who is a rising star in athletics administration."

Chun's task at FAU is steep with having to reinvigorate the big money sports, football and men's basketball.

The school's football team was arguably the worst team in the Football Bowl Subdivision last year. Pelini brings a defensive mindset to the school, which will help mask an offense that ranked dead last in the nation last year gaining just 248.8 yards per game.

FAU's men's basketball team won just 11 games last year after making the NIT the year before. FAU needs the basketball and football teams to draw fans if they hope to gain any traction in the local marketplace.

Complicating matters for Chun and FAU is the rapid rise of Florida International University's football program under head coach Mario Cristobal. The Panthers' rise will make finding the money in South Florida that much more difficult as FAU starts to rebuild.

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