Olympic Gold Medalist Herman Frazier Appointed UH Manoa Athletic Director

University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
Contact:
Paul Costello, 808/956-8109
External Affairs & University Relations
Jim Manke, 808/956-6099
External Affairs & University Relations
Posted: Jun 21, 2002


Olympic Gold medalist Herman R. Frazier, 47, has been selected Athletic Director for the University of Hawaii‘s Manoa Campus. The University‘s Board of Regents approved Frazier‘s appointment at their monthly meeting today.

Frazier, 47, who currently serves as Athletic Director at the University of Alabama — Birmingham, is a 1976 Olympic gold and bronze medalist. Prior to joining UAB in August 2000, Frazier served as the senior associate athletic director at Arizona State University. In his twenty-three year career at ASU he moved from graduate assistant with the track program to the senior associate athletic director for business and operations, a position he held from 1996 to August 2000.

"We sought the best and came back with the gold," said Manoa Interim Chancellor Deane Neubauer. "Herman has the qualities critical to taking the UH intercollegiate sports program to the next level of excellence. He is an experienced administrator in all aspects of intercollegiate sports in addition to having achieved an elite status as an athlete."

Frazier serves as one of three vice-presidents of the U.S. Olympic Committee, having been elected to that post in 1996. He worked with the 2000 U.S. Olympic Committee in Sydney. In addition, he was on the Olympic Games Atlanta Committee Board of Directors, the U.S. Olympic Athletes‘ Advisory Council, the U.S. Olympic Overview Commission, the International Olympic Committee Athletes Commission, and the Games Preparation and Development committees. Frazier also served as Chief Executive Officer of the USA Pan American Team in Winnipeg in 1999.

"Every current or potential college athlete, whether in Hawaii or elsewhere, will look at UH and understand that our athletic program, led by an Olympic medalist, inspires champions," said UH President Evan Dobelle. "Herman‘s experience with the Olympic movement is invaluable as we position UH sports in Asia and throughout the globe." Frazier is active also with the NCAA where he serves as a peer review team member and as a member of the NCAA Certification Committee. He is currently on the Fiesta Bowl Board of Directors, having served as vice president in 1996 and chairman in 1998-99.

Frazier won the gold medal in the 4x400 relay and the bronze medal in the 400-meter relay at the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal, and gold medals at the Pan American games in the 4x400 relay in 1975 and 1979.

The Philadelphia native graduated from Arizona State University at Tempe where he has captain of the 1977 ASU National Championship Track Team. He is a former world-record holder in the indoor 500-meters and the outdoor 4x200 meter relay, former American-record holder in the indoor 400 meters, and the 1977 NCAA 400-meter champion.

The appointment is effective August 1, 2002 for a term of three years through July 31, 2005; his annual salary will be $210,000.

Both Dobelle and Neubauer saluted the achievements of outgoing AD Hugh Yoshida.

"Hugh gives Herman an athletic program with tremendous assets and enormous talent," said Dobelle. "We are grateful to Hugh for his leadership over the past decade."

For more information, visit: http://www.hawaii.edu/ur/newsflash/