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Washington hires Tulane athletic director Troy Dannen to replace Jen Cohen, who left for USC

Cohen left Washington for Southern California in August, after the Huskies announced they would be following USC and leaving the Pac-12 for the Big Ten next year.
Credit: AP
FILE - In this March 29, 2016, file photo, Tulane athletic director Troy Dannen speaks during a news conference in New Orleans.

SEATTLE — Washington hired Tulane athletic director Troy Dannen on Saturday to fill its vacant AD position.

He will replace Jen Cohen, who left Washington for Southern California in August, not long after the Huskies announced they would be following USC and leaving the Pac-12 for the Big Ten next year.

Now Dannen will oversee that transition at Washington. The school said Dannen will start Monday and a news conference to introduce him at the Seattle school is scheduled for Tuesday.

“Throughout this process, the passion, love and spirit of the UW was evident in every conversation, as was the alignment necessary for comprehensive success," Dannen said in a statement. "We will compete for championships, and we will provide an unmatched experience for our student-athletes. The future has never been brighter for Husky Athletics, and I am humbled to steward the next chapter in our storied history.”

The Iowa native has been with Tulane since 2015. He has served on various NCAA committees in recent years, including the Division I Transformation Committee.  He is currently in his fourth year as Chair of the NCAA Football Competition Committee and serves on the Executive Committee of the NCAA Football Oversight Committee.

During his time at Tulane, Dannen hired football coach Willie Fritz and helped turn the Green Wave into one of the strongest Group of Five programs in the country in the American Athletic Conference.  During his eight-year tenure the Green Wave had 49 All-Americans and 21 conference champions, and made 41 postseason appearances, including a Cotton Bowl victory over USC earlier this year.

Before his time at Tulane, Dannen was athletic director at Northern Iowa.  While at UNI, the university's teams reached 15 NCAA tournaments and 20 post-season berths, with Dannen being recognized as FCS Athletic Director of the Year in 2014.
 

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