New UH Athletics Director Eddie Nuñez Wants to Put Student-Athletes First

Eddie Nuñez has had the opportunity to work and play for some of the greatest leaders in college sports. When the Miami native was an undergrad at the University of Florida, he played for future national champion and NBA coach Billy Donovan. Early in Nunez’s tenure at Louisiana State University (where he held a variety of leadership roles and ultimately served as deputy director of athletics), Nick Saban, among college football’s winningest coaches of all time, won a national championship for the Tigers.  

Whether it was the comfort Donovan provided when Nuñez lost his father after his senior year or the wisdom he gained watching Saban’s meticulous processes, Nuñez gleaned as much as he could on his way to becoming the head of the University of Houston’s athletic department. 

Before Nuñez joined UH in August 2024 as vice president of intercollegiate athletics, he served as vice president/director of athletics at the University of New Mexico, during which time the Lobos secured 53 NCAA Tournament appearances and 22 Mountain West Conferences. Nuñez also brings Power 5 experience from his 14 years at Louisiana State University, where he oversaw $400 million in facility renovations and construction and led the renegotiation of a 10-year multimedia rights agreement. 

A former college athlete, Nuñez played basketball at Miami Dade Community College before transferring to the University of Florida for his final two seasons. He also served as a graduate assistant at Florida and an administrative assistant coach at Marquette University before beginning his administrative career at Vanderbilt University.  

Nunez arrived at UH amid a period of transition. The school joined the Big 12 Conference in 2023 and has more than doubled its on-campus housing in the last decade. (There’s another $179 million residence hall set to open 2027.) 

As the athletic program steps into the limelight and the on-campus atmosphere at UH continues to become more vibrant, Nuñez speaks about how his experiences have shaped him as a leader and how the mission to make UH Athletics one of the country’s top programs will take university-wide support.  

“When you think about the University of Houston, you think about the individuals we serve from all areas of the world and right here in our region,” he says. “It’s a melting pot of people from all aspects of life, and making that kind of impact is huge.” 

How was the transition from student-athlete and coach to administrator?  

Nuñez: I studied architecture for three and a half years but got to a point where I said, “This is not what I want to do.” I pivoted to the sport management route, and I had an opportunity to sit down with the athletic director at the University of Florida when I was there. I got so focused on understanding every aspect of college athletics, from the weight rooms to nutrition to the business office, and they allowed me an opportunity to be an intern. I learned so much about being a part of different teams and being able to communicate.  

My father passed away the summer after my senior year, and Coach Billy Donovan said, “Why don’t you come back to be a graduate assistant with us?” It was the door that opened for me when it came to administration. I later got an opportunity at Vanderbilt to be the director of events and facilities, and I never looked back. I never thought about coaching again. 

How did your experience at a community college impact your leadership at UH? 

Nuñez: When I took the opportunity to go to Miami-Dade, it was truly the best for me as an athlete. I needed to better myself. It allowed me the ability to improve myself and go through adversity and perseverance. I look back on having to travel in a van to games and living in an apartment on a “campus” that really wasn’t a campus.  

Having been on a commuter campus helped me grow as a person, but it also helped me understand how to build a better campus life. No. 1 is making sure student-athletes are treated well. For the past 15 years or so, UH has been among the largest campuses in Texas, and its residential life becomes more vibrant each year. It creates momentum. 

Do you have some specific memories prior to the University of Houston that stand out and have helped shape your career? 

Nuñez: My time at Vanderbilt taught me a lot about the importance of academics as well as athletics, trying to compete at a high level in the SEC. Going to LSU broadened my eyes to the fact that you can do a lot of both, since we were competing across every sport at a national level. Winning the national championship in football with Coach Saban made me a lot of who I am today.  

At LSU, we went through every natural disaster you could ever imagine, from Hurricane Katrina to Rita. I look back, and every one of those experiences made us better. I learned how to adapt. I learned how to how to address challenges.  

More than anything else, I learned it’s bigger than athletics. It’s bigger than sports. You start realizing the importance of a campus and a community and how much athletics can give back and raise the spirits of those around you. 

Is there a moment in your career you are especially proud of?   

Nuñez: Winning a national championship at New Mexico in cross country my first year as athletic director there. I remember one of my colleagues called me up and said, “Congratulations!” I’m thinking to myself, “I’ve only been here for four months. What are the congratulations for?” 

But you’ve got to appreciate those moments because you’ve just helped your team win a national championship. It’s not easy to win national championships at any level, let alone at the Division I level. You have to reflect on how hard we work. 

How are name, image and likeness rules changing your role in leadership of an athletic program? Do you expect to hire a general manager to handle those complexities?  

Nuñez: Part of it is educating everyone around us to communicate what NIL means, what revenue sharing means, what this whole new dynamic of what we’re dealing with means. I’m all in when it comes to supporting our student-athletes. If revenue sharing is the model that we move forward with, let’s do it right, but let’s make sure we have the parameters.  

The big question today is whether these student-athletes will be treated as employees. Because if they are, it becomes a different game. We’re not in college anymore. It changes the model. We’re still trying to find that balance between the academic side and what we’re doing here in the university and this other side, which is revenue sharing. 

Regarding whether I’ll hire a general manager, I have spoken to a lot of general managers or individuals in professional sports to get their thoughts and guidance. As we move forward in this landscape, my intent is to put somebody in a position to help us manage our revenue sharing and do it right. But we also have to think about hiring somebody with a legal background, because the number of contracts and agreements we’re making now has almost tripled. 

How do you balance the discrepancy between attention and earning potential of the different sports?

Nuñez: Part of it is being transparent and honest with people. I’ve always been a straight shooter. I’d rather they understand all the dynamics and the facets we’re having to address and understand that we’re going to do this together.  

I might not have the funds to support one program more than I do another, but right now, they have to be aware that football and basketball are driving a lot of decisions. If we can find a way to keep those at a high level, we can move the needle for our department by putting our student-athletes at the forefront.  

A lot of schools make decisions they feel are in the best interest of the university and forget about the best interest of their students. That balance is part of everything we do. 

Tell me about the Houston Blue initiative. 

Nuñez: It’s a way we connected with the police and others who represented the essence of Houston back in the day — and all the way back to the founding of the city. The light blue color symbolizes a shared identity, as it was prominently worn by the police and local sports teams and displayed in the city’s flag and street signs. We saw an opportunity to pay tribute to the city’s history and spirit. We collaborated with retail outlets and national brands like Nike and Peter Millar to share the story and significance of Houston Blue. 

For the Baylor football game, we rolled out our Houston Blue uniforms and painted the field light blue. Fans ran to the stores and sprinted to buy merchandise. The impact of that one initiative is going to be seen for years to come. 

Any final message for Cougar fans? 

Nuñez: We’re excited about this opportunity and what Houston has. I want our fan base to understand that the vision to make UH athletics one of the best in the country is going to take everyone’s support.  

This is going to be a shared vision, a shared success story. I’m hoping all the Cougar fans out there can get behind us. We’re looking forward to a wonderful ride together.