From the university that gave the sports world Jackie Robinson, Arthur Ashe and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar comes the announcement of its first Black athletic director.
UCLA has appointed Martin Jarmond to the position of shepherding one of the most prestigious programs in college sports history. It’s the first time in the school’s 101-year history that a Black person has served as athletic director, despite the campus being home to some of the most famous African-American sports stars.
Jarmond, 39, arrives from Boston College where, as well, he was the school’s first Black athletic director. In Westwood, he’ll take over a department where all six of his predecessors where White or Latino men. He’s also the first person in the position not to have any history with the campus. His six-year contract will reportedly pay him up to $1.7 million annually.
“I was back and forth mentally and emotionally, but when UCLA calls, you have to answer that call,” Jarmond said. “The impact that I want to have in college athletics-I think I can have that impact and do that at UCLA.”
Despite the fanfare, Jarmond will inherit a department reeling from an $18.9 million deficit for the 2019 fiscal year, and could conceivably go deeper into the red this year because of reduced revenue and donations related to the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the controversy surrounding the “Varsity Blues” scandal involving fraudulent attempts to sign prospective athletes.
Jarmond, a two-time captain of the men’s basketball team at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, has been a rising star in athletic-administration after obtaining his business degree and a master’s in sports administration from Ohio State University. He served as assistant athletic director for development and regional giving at Michigan State prior to years at Ohio State.
At UCLA, Jarmond is expected to devote a significant amount of his time in reviving the glory of the football and men’s basketball programs. The football team has gone 7-17 in two seasons under Chip Kelly, while men’s basketball, under coach Mike Cronin, won 11 of its last 14 games to finish 19-12 last season.
Through the years, UCLA has won 134 national championships—the most of any university. They have won 114 NCAA team championships, second only to Stanford University with 115 titles. The basketball program has 11 NCAA titles (10 in 12 seasons under John Wooden), while the football program is 16-19-1 in bowl appearances.
“You want to be a part of something bigger than yourself and try to contribute to it,” Jarmond explained. “I want to be able to serve and add what little bit that I can to move it forward to the future.”
