2022-23 UConn Athletics Annual Report
A Letter from the Director of Athletics
We are pleased to present our inaugural 2022-23 UConn Athletics Annual Report. This online publication provides a review of our very successful past year and includes points of pride, budgetary data and general information about the operations of the department. Our achievements would not be possible without the ongoing support of many, including UConn's students, faculty and staff, the state, and our loyal fans, including our many donors and season ticket holders.
Those who share in the accomplishments of our student-athletes, coaching staff and our championship-winning tradition understand that competing and succeeding in any endeavor requires resources and an unwavering work ethic. The university provides considerable support for Athletics; that robust support has helped to fuel our impressive academic and athletic achievements historically and during the past year as highlighted by 67% of our student-athletes earning a 3.0-or-better GPA, a 94% Graduation Success Rate, a fifth men's basketball national championship, seven conference championships and seven teams ranked in the Top 20 during their respective seasons. At the same time, the department is engaged in an ongoing effort to both increase revenue and implement efficiencies in order to reduce the level of university support needed to operate, allowing Athletics to achieve greater long-term fiscal sustainability. To that end, we are pleased to report that Athletics was able to reduce the level of university support from last year by nearly $20 million.
There are just over 130 Division 1 FBS schools across the country. Only 15-20 of them generate an annual surplus, meaning that the vast majority of athletics programs are subsidized in some form by their institutions. USA Today regularly issues a report detailing revenues and expenses for athletic departments across the country. That report illustrates that university support for athletics is the norm, not the exception.
At UConn, in FY23, we were able to self-generate $47 million of the $82 million needed to operate the department. UConn's investments in Athletics reflect the unique strength that an athletic program can have in building global awareness for our institution, generating alumni and donor support, interest among prospective students, and raising the overall profile of the university nationally and globally.
Many of the peer institutions UConn competes with on the national stage, such as those in the Power 5, enjoy significant revenues from conference-related television contracts. Television-generated revenue represents a large annual financial inflow and generally allows university support to be more modest at those institutions. At this point UConn receives approximately $4 million from our media partners vs. the Power 5 media contracts that range from $30 - $65 million. As such, the combination of self-generated revenues and university investment has been critical in allowing us to continue to compete for national championships in multiple programs, including men's and women's basketball, while also supporting our 19 other teams which contend for conference titles and compete on a regional or national championship stage.
Moving forward, as the university directs Athletics to become more fiscally independent, we will be ever-more reliant on our fans and supporters, especially our exceptionally generous donors and our season ticket holders. Investing in UConn Athletics, whether through a philanthropic gift or the purchase of tickets – or both – is an investment in the excellence which has become synonymous with UConn Athletics, providing vital support for our extraordinary student-athletes and coaches. Our countless supporters are critical to our success athletically and academically. We cannot do it without you!
Together, we can sustain greatness. But it must be a team effort, with each of us pitching in and doing our part to keep UConn on top. To all our fans and supporters: thank you for your support of UConn Athletics and our student-athletes. Go Huskies!
David Benedict
Director of Athletics
