Las Vegas Bowl chief to leave for UFC
Dan Hanneke is leaving as executive director of the Las Vegas Bowl to take a job with the Ultimate Fighting Championship, a source close to the situation said Monday.
The source didn’t know what job Hanneke would have at UFC.
Hanneke didn’t immediately return calls for a comment.
Hanneke was hired to run the bowl on Oct. 19, 2012, replacing current UNLV athletic director Tina Kunzer-Murphy, who held the position for 12 years.
In his short stint, Hanneke oversaw two games, including last December’s matchup between Fresno State and Southern California, which USC won 45-20. The sellout crowd of 42,178 was the second largest in the game’s history, trailing only the 44,615 who watched Brigham Young beat Oregon 38-8 in 2006.
That was the bowl’s first sellout since 2010, but its seventh in nine years.
Hanneke also was responsible for bringing Royal Purple on board as the title sponsor, signing a three-year contract last September. The agreement is worth more than $1 million per year.
In providing further stability, Hanneke extended the contracts with the Mountain West and Pac-12 Conference for six years through 2019.
The bowl had the top pick from the Mountain West last year and the fifth selection from the Pac-12.
A date and time for this year’s bowl has not been announced. An announcement could coincide when the Football Bowl Association meetings are in Las Vegas from April 22 to 24.
Check back later at reviewjournal.com for a more updated version of this story.
Contact reporter Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2914. Follow him on Twitter @markanderson65.
