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On April 25, 2002, Daniel G. Guerrero was named UCLA's eighth Director of Athletics. A former Bruin baseball player, Guerrero, who assumed his duties on July 1, 2002, has enjoyed great success and exudes the pride of a student-athlete who is now calling the shots at his alma mater.
Guerrero, one of the most respected and talented administrators in intercollegiate athletics, has placed his mark on the program as the director of athletics at UCLA. He is currently serving as the chair of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Committee and is in his fifth year on that committee. In addition, he is the second vice-president of the National Assn. of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA), serves on the NACDA Executive Committee and is also the first vice-president of the Division I Athletic Directors Association. He recently completed his service as chair of the NCAA's Division I Men's Basketball Academic Enhancement Group. In June of 2007, he was named NACDA Division I West Region Athletic Director of the Year.
In his seven years as AD, Guerrero has clearly established a pattern of "image and substance" that few in his profession can match. UCLA stands as the No. 1 University in the nation for NCAA team championships (104) won, a number that continues to grow under his direction. In those seven years, UCLA teams have won 18 NCAA team titles (the highest total in the nation in that span) in 11 different sports, finished second 14 times and have had an additional 24 Top Five finishes (67 total). A staggering 131 teams (of 161 possible) have qualified for NCAA post-season competition and the football team has appeared in six bowl games. The program has also won 42 conference championships in 15 different sports, produced 387 All-Americans and featured four Honda Award winners, including the 2003-04 Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year.
Furthermore, during the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, China, 39 Bruins participated as athletes or coaches, representing the United States and nine other nations. They won 15 medals, including four gold.
In the last seven years, UCLA has finished second three times (2007-08, 2006-07 and 2005-06), third twice (2004-05 and 2003-04), sixth (2002-03) and 16th (2008-09) in the race for the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) Director's Cup.
This past year, UCLA won its fifth consecutive NCAA women's water polo championship. The Bruins finished second in women's golf, tied for third in women's soccer (sixth straight College Cup) and men's tennis, placed seventh in women's gymnastics and ninth (tied) in softball, women's volleyball and women's tennis, 16th (tied) in women's outdoor track and field and 17th (tied) in men's basketball. UCLA also won six conference titles.
In 2007-08, UCLA won three NCAA championships in women's water polo (fourth straight), women's tennis (first) and men's golf (second). The Bruins finished second in women's golf, tied for third in men's basketball (third straight Final Four), women's soccer (fifth straight College Cup) and men's tennis, placed fifth (tied) in women's volleyball and softball, seventh in women's gymnastics, 14th in men's indoor track and field and 17th (tied) in baseball and men's soccer. UCLA also played in its sixth consecutive bowl game and won four conference championships and two league tournaments.
In 2006-07, UCLA won an NCAA championship in women's water polo, the school's 100th NCAA team title, and placed second in men's soccer and women's tennis, third in women's golf, tied for third in men's basketball, women's soccer and women's volleyball, fourth in women's gymnastics, fifth in women's outdoor track and field, tied for fifth in men's tennis, seventh in men's golf and women's indoor track and field, ninth in men's outdoor track and field and tied for ninth in baseball. UCLA played in its fifth straight bowl game in football and won four league titles.
In 2005-06, UCLA won two NCAA titles (men's volleyball and women's water polo) and placed second in men's basketball and women's soccer, tied for third in softball, tied for fifth in men's tennis, tied for seventh in men's golf and tied for ninth in women's volleyball and women's tennis. UCLA also won the Vitalis Sun Bowl in football and captured seven conference championships and two post-season tournaments.
In 2004-05, UCLA won three NCAA titles (men's water polo, men's tennis and women's water polo) and placed second in women's soccer, men's volleyball, women's golf and softball, tied for second in women's outdoor track and field, fourth in women's gymnastics, tied for fifth in women's volleyball and tied for ninth in men's soccer. UCLA also earned its first NCAA post-season appearance in women's rowing (varsity eight) and won eight conference championships.
In 2003-04, the Bruins won four NCAA titles (women's outdoor track and field, softball, women's golf and women`s gymnastics). They also placed second in men's tennis, women's tennis and men's golf, tied for third in women's soccer, tied for fifth in men's soccer and women's volleyball, fifth in women's indoor track and field and seventh in women's swimming and women's cross country. In addition, the Bruins captured seven league titles.
In Guerrero's first year at UCLA (2002-03), UCLA won four NCAA titles (men's soccer, women's gymnastics, women's water polo and women's softball). The Bruins placed third in men's golf, tied for third in men's tennis, tied for fifth in women's golf and women's tennis, eighth in women`s outdoor track and field, tied for eighth in women's indoor track and field and tied for ninth in women's soccer. UCLA also earned six conference titles.
Over the past seven years, Guerrero has earned numerous honors. In June of 2007, he was named the NACDA Division I West Region Athletic Director of the Year. His other honors include 2002 UCLA Latino Alumnus of the Year (October 2002); Cal State Dominguez Hills' Alumnus of the Year (March 2003); and 2003 "Father of the Year" by the Father's Day Council of the American Diabetes Association (June). On September 10, 2002, the Los Angeles City Council honored him with Dan Guerrero Day. He also became the first athlete in any sport at Banning (Wilmington, CA) High School to have his jersey (#8 in baseball) retired (2003).
Guerrero was named one of the nation's Top 100 Most Influential Hispanics by Hispanic Business Magazine (October 2004) and the May 5, 2003 issue of Sports Illustrated listed him #28 among the 101 Most Influential Minorities in Sports. He was one of 28 people whose photo was featured on that issue's cover.
In addition to unparalleled success in the playing arena, his seven years at the helm have also demonstrated the overall excellence Guerrero has made a priority for the program. Belief in conducting a program of integrity has been a cornerstone of Guerrero's leadership throughout his career. Named as a 1999 Sports Ethics Fellow by the Institute for International Sport, Guerrero has fostered a strong sense of commitment and dedication among his coaches and staff to the development of the total student-athlete experience. He has also served as an Executive Board member of the National Consortium for Academics and Sport for over a decade and is resolute in his desire to support academic achievement and life skills development for UCLA student-athletes. As a result, he has spearheaded unprecedented growth in the Academic Support and Life Skills program at UCLA. In Guerrero's seven and two-thirds years (20 quarters), student-athletes earned 4,744 spots on the Director's Honor Roll (3.0 or higher grade-point average for a quarter) and community service activities for the program are at an all-time high.
Resource development has always been a strength for Guerrero and his tenure at UCLA has demonstrated continued evidence of this skill. In 2004-05, he successfully negotiated two blockbuster deals: a new multi-million dollar agreement with ISP Sports, a premier national collegiate sports marketing organization, and a six-year, multi-million dollar extension with adidas, equipment provider for all of UCLA's 24 sports.
Guerrero also led the negotiations that solidified the relationship between UCLA and the Rose Bowl, inking a 20-year agreement, which included over $13 million in facility enhancements to benefit the UCLA football program. He has also reorganized the External Relations area, integrating Corporate Sponsorships, Marketing and Development under one umbrella, in anticipation of a major revenue generating initiative designed to address capital project needs, operational support and program endowments.
Under Guerrero's guidance, UCLA continues to aggressively enhance its athletic facilities, including the completion of the Bud Knapp Football wing of the Acosta Center, and the sports medicine and athletic performance centers in the same complex. A new golf practice facility and the Easton Softball Stadium renovation, benefitting the Bruins' golf and softball powers, respectively, were completed for the 2004-05 season. The installation of synthetic turf at Spaulding Field was completed in 2006, the final phase of the Acosta Center project (Olympic sport locker rooms) was completed in 2007. Spieker Aquatic Center was completed in the summer of 2009. The renovation of Pauley Pavilion is the next project slated for completion.
Guerrero has extensive experience in committee work at both the NCAA and conference level. He is serving his fifth year as a member of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Committee (he is the 2009-10 chair) and also served on the "College Basketball Partnership," a group formed by NCAA president Myles Brand, that included many of the most influential people in the sport. He has served as Chair of both the Pac-10 Athletic Directors Committee and the Budget and Finance Committee, has served on several Pac-10 committees and is currently a member of the Pac-10 Television and Rose Bowl Management committees. He has also served on other NCAA committees, including the NCAA Division I Baseball Committee and the Baseball Academic Enhancement Committee and at the time of his hire by UCLA was serving as the second vice president of the Division I-AAA Athletic Director's Association.
Guerrero came to UCLA from UC Irvine, where he had served as UCI's fifth permanent Director of Athletics for 10 years (1992-2002). The broad competitive success of its athletic teams, the academic excellence of its student-athletes, the development of new and improved facilities and enhanced relations with the UCI community, reflect the progress UC Irvine Athletics experienced under Guerrero's direction. During his tenure, the program continued to accumulate conference championships, garner national rankings, feature graduation rates among the nation's best, and win numerous post-season honors for its student-athletes. In June of 2002 while still at UC Irvine, he was named the 2001-02 Division I-AA/I-AAA West Region NACDA Athletic Director of the Year.
Resulting from Guerrero's resourcefulness and creativity, UCI experienced unprecedented activity in the area of athletic facilities development. In his final five years, Guerrero was the driving force behind $38 million of newly constructed or renovated facilities. These projects included a newly renovated track and soccer complex, a new 64-meter competitive swimming pool, a new baseball stadium and the Anteater Recreation Center, one of the premier recreation centers in the country.
Prior to arriving at UC Irvine, Dan came from Cal State Dominguez Hills, where he led that program to national prominence while serving as Athletic Director for five years (1988-92).
Guerrero received his Bachelor's degree from UCLA in 1974 and played second base in the Bruin baseball program for four years. His batting average in Pacific-8 Conference games over three seasons as a varsity performer was .343. Guerrero, known as "Warrior" during his playing career, was inducted into the UCLA Baseball Hall of Fame in 1996. The Bruin Athletic Director earned a Master's degree in Public Administration in 1982 from Cal State Dominguez Hills and was named to the Pi Alpha Alpha Honor Society for Public Affairs and Public Policy that same year.
Guerrero, born on November 10, 1951 in Tucson, AZ, was raised in Wilmington, CA. He is married to the former Anne Marie Aniello and they have two grown daughters: Jenna and Katie.
