LINCOLN, Neb. (KMTV) — A banner day for the University of Nebraska system, as not one but two major announcements were made to fill top leadership roles.
In a speedy turnaround from last Wednesday's announcement that Athletic Director Trev Alberts would depart for Texas A&M University — Nebraska announced that the University of Washington's Troy Dannen will be the next Husker AD. Dannen's contract begins Friday and according to a document provided by NU, is expected to last through March 2030.
His starting base salary will be $1.6 million per year, with a $1 million signing bonus, among other benefits.
Dannen was in Seattle for less than one year, but has been serving as an athletic director at the collegiate level since 2008. He was at the University of Northern Iowa, his alma mater, for eight years, before moving on to Tulane in 2015.
Nebraska is no stranger to Washington state hires. In 2017, Bill Moos left Washington State University for the same position at NU, but retired less than four years after assuming the role. That opened the door for Alberts to become director, with the next chapter in Nebraska athletics now to be written by a leader of the other half of the WSU-UW interstate rivalry.
His contract begins Friday, which is the same day that both Husker basketball teams will play their first round games — both against Texas A&M, in the NCAA Tournament. The No. 8 ranked NU men are scheduled to play at 5:50 p.m. and the No. 6 ranked women are scheduled for the last tipoff of the day at 9:30 p.m.
