The rare path to a Power Five

Pat Chun in profile
Chun

His parents wanted him to become a doctor or a lawyer.

But sports is what interested Pat Chun and when WSU tapped him in February to lead Cougar athletics, following successful stints at Ohio State and Florida Atlantic universities, the Washington Post took notice.

Chun was profiled by the Post in a June 22 feature exploring the path that brought him to Pullman and, in the process, made him the first Asian American to lead a Power Five conference program.

“Let me put it this way,” Chun told veteran Post sports writer Gene Wang. “It’s not lost on me the significance of being the first Asian American athletic director at a Power Five.”

WSU President Kirk Schulz added: “Pat, like a lot of successful people, he’s so focused on doing what he needs to do that I think he sometimes maybe isn’t as proud of that as he needs to be.”

You can read the full profile on the Post’s website.

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