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.”
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