Cunningham Named To NCAA Men's Basketball Committee

CHAPEL HILL—The NCAA has named University of North Carolina Director of Athletics Bubba Cunningham to the Division I Men's Basketball Committee. Cunningham will begin a five-year term on the committee in September. Cunningham is in his ninth year as AD at UNC and will become the first Tar Heel athletic director to serve on the committee.

"Representing the University of North Carolina and the ACC on the NCAA men's basketball committee is truly an honor and something I look very much forward to when things settle down and we can get back to managing games again," Cunningham said. "The NCAA tournament has proven over and over to be the NCAA's greatest event and one of the premier sporting events in the world. We all felt badly for the teams who were unable to compete this year, but I also felt for Dan Gavitt and his staff at the NCAA, for whom the championship is a year-long commitment, and (Duke Athletic Director) Kevin White, the current chair, and the members of his committee, who came within days of announcing the field and organizing another great tournament."

Cunningham came to Chapel Hill in the fall of 2011. During his tenure Tar Heels have won 13 national championships and have 10 second-place finishes. In 2017, UNC won the NCAA men's basketball championship in its second consecutive appearance in the championship game. The Tar Heels are 21-7 in NCAA Tournament play in Cunningham's tenure. Carolina also has six top-10 finishes in the NACDA Learfield Director's Cup in that span. He was named an Athletic Director of the Year by NACDA earlier this year.

"As the AD at North Carolina, I've been fortunate to see first-hand the level of dedication and purpose the committee members have each year to make sure the players, coaches, administrators and fans of all 68 teams have the best experience possible," says Cunningham. "I look forward to serving that mission as well."

Cunningham began his professional career at the University of Notre Dame in 1988, soon after earning his master's degree. A member of the men's golf team as an undergraduate student, Cunningham would go on to serve as Associate Athletics Director for finance and facilities and Associate Director of Athletics for external affairs during his 14 years with the Irish.

Cunningham became the Director of Athletics at Ball State in 2002 and at Tulsa in 2005, where in 2009 NACDA named him the FBS Central Region Athletics Director of the Year.

In addition to Cunningham, other committee members include current vice chair and 2020-21 chair Mitch Barnhart (Kentucky), Tom Burnett (Southland Conference), Charles McClelland (Southwestern Athletic Conference), Bernadette McGlade (Atlantic 10 Conference), Mike O'Brien (Toledo), Jim Phillips (Northwestern), Jamie Pollard (Iowa State), Chris Reynolds (Bradley) and Craig Thompson (Mountain West Conference).

University of North Carolina Athletics

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