The University of Miami has officially named Dan Radakovich athletic director.
Radakovich, who comes from Clemson earned his master’s degree in business administration from Miami in 1982, was officially announced on Thursday morning.
The addition of Radakovich finishes athletic director search after parting ways with Blake James in November. On Monday, UM officially announced Mario Cristobal as the next head coach to lead the Hurricanes football program.
Radakovich is one of the most respected athletic directors in the country, serving in that role for Clemson since December 1, 2012. During his time at Clemson, Radakovich led Clemson athletics to a period of sustained success and growth, considered among the greatest stretches in school history.
Radakovich’s tenure at Clemson was highlighted by the success of the football program, which claimed the 2016 and 2018 national championships. The Tigers won six consecutive ACC titles and made six straight College Football Playoffs from 2015-20.
Clemson won National Championships in football in both 2016 and 2018.
During his tenure at Clemson, Radakovich empowered Dabo Swinney to have success while providing him tremendous resources from facilities to a sizable staff salary pool.
Radakovich has not hired a football or basketball coach during his Clemson tenure. While at Georgia Tech, he hired Paul Johnson as the football coach and Brian Gregory as the basketball coach.
When Radakovich arrived at Clemson, Dabo Swinney had already been the head coach at Clemson for four years when Radakovich arrived and Brad Brownell was also a holdover.
Respected as one of the best fundraisers in college athletics, Radakovich helped complete more than $180 million in facility enhancements at Clemson.
According to reports, Radakovich’s athletic department revenue nearly doubles from $69 million in fiscal year 2014 to $120 million in 2019.
Radakovich was named Sports Business Daily’s Athletic Director of the Year in 2017 at the Sports Business Awards.
He is an athletic director with an understanding of the ACC landscape. Radakovich came to Clemson from Georgia Tech, where he served with distinction for six years (2006-12).
Radakovich is replacing Blake James as UM’s athletic director. Miami parted ways with James the Monday after a 31-28 loss to Florida State. In December of 2018, James hired Diaz to replace Mark Richt as the Hurricanes football coach after Richt stepped away from the role, and that decision came under fire with the hurdles the Hurricanes have faced in recent seasons on the gridiron.
The Clemson athletic department set a school record for the highest score in the NCAA’s graduation success rate at 93 percent in 2020, while a school-record seven programs were recognized by the NCAA for outstanding APR. Clemson has been at 91 percent or higher for seven straight years.
