Chichester era begins at UC Irvine

BREN EVENTS CENTER -- Touching on the importance of athletics,

representing a university and winning, Bob Chichester addressed the

media and colleagues after being named the Director of

Intercollegiate Athletics at UC Irvine Tuesday.

UCI Chancellor Ralph Cicerone, who said the university made its

offer to Chichester, “seven to 10 days ago,” announced Chichester as

the new athletic director, the sixth permanent A.D. at the school.

Chichester, who has served as senior associate athletic director

for administration, academic affairs and Olympic sports at the

University of Colorado for the past three years, succeeds Dan

Guerrero.

Guerrero was hired by UCLA, and started working for the Bruins

July 1. Chichester will start at UCI, Oct. 14.

“I’m very excited to be here,” Chichester said. “I don’t know why

I’m so nervous. I thought we were all gathering here to listen to the

chancellor talk about Sunday’s men’s water polo victory over UCLA.”

Chichester, 45, was involved in the development and implementation

of Colorado’s “Athletics 2010,” a 10-year plan, which includes

pursuit of goals in areas of academics, athletic competition,

facilities development and work-environment culture. He said he would

transfer some of his ideas into his plans for UCI. He also said,

finishing the construction on Anteater Ballpark is one of the top

priorities as he prepares to start his new job.

Chichester displayed a sense of passion to take on, what he

called, the challenges at Irvine. One of the challenges is he wants

the Anteaters to be competitive, the same desire of Irvine’s athletic

staff.

“Winning, to me, is not a bad word,” Chichester said. “I’m

competitive. I think great things come from winning. I’m extremely

excited when I hear the people, who I’ve met (at UCI), who say we

want to compete.”

“There’s a difference between participating and competing,”

Chichester continued. “If my wife (Phyllis) was here, she would

probably interrupt me and say, ‘Yes, Bob is very competitive.’ I’m

competitive with my wife when we mow the lawn. I want to mow the lawn

better than she can. I want to barbecue better than she can. It burns

me up because she gives me plenty of opportunities to win, and she

sometimes lets me win.”

Chichester earned his bachelor’s degree in American Studies in

1979 from Occidental College, where he competed in basketball and

golf. He then earned his Juris Doctor degree from the University of

Colorado in 1984 and is a member of the Bar Associations in

California, Colorado and Ohio.

After receiving his J.D. at Colorado, Chichester joined the United

State Air Force, and he eventually took on the rank of captain.

Chichester, who served as contract legal advisor at Goodfellow Air

Force Base in Texas and Ramstein Air Force Base in Germany, was

awarded the Air Force achievement and commendation medals.

He then worked two years (1989-91) as an attorney for the Northrop

Corporation, and in 1991, he moved to Cincinnati where he was legal

counsel for five years with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Chichester was born in Inglewood and is a 1975 graduate of Polytechnic School in Pasadena, where he played football, basketball,

baseball and golf.

At the University of Colorado, the Buffaloes’ student-athletes

selected Chichester as the 2000-01 Staff Member of the Year at the CU

Sports Person of the Year Awards. He joined the Colorado athletic

department as an associate athletic director for administration and

academic affairs in November 1998. Prior to that, Chichester had

worked supporting the athletic department as associate university

counsel from 1996-98.

“We are pleased and excited for Bob and Phyllis about the

announcement from UC Irvine that he has been selected to become their

director of intercollegiate athletics,” Colorado Athletic Director

Dick Tharp said. “Bob is an intelligent, hard-working individual who

cares deeply about the welfare of student-athletes. We never want to

‘lose’ one of our own, but this is a wonder professional opportunity

for Bob. They have made a good choice.”

Chichester said the Anteater swim and water polo programs are a

great foundation and examples to build around at UCI. And, he

expressed the importance of the UCI men’s basketball team.

“The basketball program is critical,” Chichester said after the

press conference. “Hopefully that will be one of the hottest tickets

in Orange County. We want it to be difficult to get a ticket for

basketball at the Bren Events Center. We want students lining up to

get tickets.”

Chichester’s plans and desire to maintain Irvine’s goal of

competing with top schools across the nation is what attracted the

athletic department and UCI’s search committee for the A.D.

“Bob has a real attractive combination of intellect, a

collaborative style of leadership that go along with his integrity,

which is absolutely first rate, daid UCI Dean Ron Huff, the chair of

the search committee. “He’ll fit in well with faculty members. He’s

not a talk-down type of guy.”

Huff said there were several finalists, but did not give a

concrete number. He was also pleased the search went successfully.

The search committee also included student athletes, Jordan Harris of

the men’s basketball team and Tynisia Edwards of the track and field

team.

During the time Guerrero left for UCLA and Irvine hired

Chichester, Petrina Long served as the Interim Director of Athletics.

She said she would resume her role as senior associate director of

athletics. Long said she did not apply for the A.D. post at Irvine.

“It’s been wonderful and challenging,” Long said of her experience

as the Athletic Director. “It was probably the busiest summer I had

in my life. We hired three coaches and the A.D., so there was a lot

of activity.”

Long also said Chichester has quality leadership skills.

“We work real well as a team,” Long said. “We share the same

philosophy. We’re very excited. He has big vision, and that was

something we were impressed with. He’s very competitive, and our

mission is to be the best NCAA Division I-AAA (non-football) program

in America. We really feel that he’s the right leader to take us in

that direction.”