What to Know
- Chris Del Conte was born in Cuernavaca, Mexico. He grew up in Taos, New Mexico.
- Del Conte received a bachelor of arts degree in sociology from UC Santa Barbara and holds a master's degree in education, administration and supervision from Washington State University.
- In May 2024, Del Conte won the Sports Business Journal's 2024 Athletic Director of the Year award.
- In November 2024, he was named Austinite of the Year by the Austin Chamber.
University of Texas at Austin Athletic Director Chris Del Conte has been building up the Longhorns' sports programs since 2017.
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WATCH HEREHe traces all he does back to his beginnings. He was born in Cuernavaca, Mexico, and said his parents' decision to move to America shaped him.
"My father was working the seminary there, working at a massive orphanage in Mexico and that’s where my parents fell in love and had me. [They] came up with about 15 people through the border and started something in Taos, New Mexico. It was pretty crazy.”
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SIGN UP That "something" was a children's home on a 147-acre ranch in Taos. A photo of Del Conte, his parents and dozens of kids, as well as horses and cows in front of a big red barn on the ranch, hangs in his office overlooking Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium.
“They decided that serving underprivileged youth was gonna be their mission. I was born into a children’s home, and they decided this is what they are gonna do in the United States, and I didn’t know any different.”
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When Chris Del Conte knew it was time to move from TCU to UT Austin
Del Conte started his journey as athletic director at Rice University in Houston where he led the program from 2006 to 2009. He then moved on to Texas Christian University where he served as director of intercollegiate athletics from 2009 to 2017.
Del Conte was not scared to leave the comfort he built in Fort Worth at Texas Christian University and move south down Interstate 35 to work at Texas.
“At that point in time, I had been at TCU nine years. I wanted to try it. And if I fail, I fail. If I don’t, I don’t. I wanna see if what I believe in works. And if you can harness Texas and what it is and its best version of themselves, then you have, it’s awesome.”
It was his vision to build the Texas Athletics Hall of Fame in 2019. It honors UT's national champions, conference champions, Heisman winners, and Olympians.
Chris Del Conte on dressing to impress: 'I represent something more than myself'
CNBC Sport ranks Texas as the second most valuable college sports program in America. The man running arguably the biggest brand in college sports since 2017 is always dressed to impress. It’s not an accident; it’s a lesson Del Conte learned from his father.
“My father did everything he could to make sure we had an outfit, 'cause he would always say the first thing they are gonna see about you — make sure your hair is combed, brush your teeth. How you look is really important,” Del Conte said. “That’s the legacy I hold true. So how I dress is partly — I’m on a Zoom call today and everyone is not wearing a tie but me. I texted someone, ‘Is a tie a lost art?’ — but who you represent, I represent something more than myself. I represent the University of Texas. I represent my parents, my daughters. So how you dress, to me, is important — expensive, but important.”
How Chris Del Conte approaches recruiting the top coaches to UT Austin
That sharp-dressed man is a smooth and shrewd operator when it comes to attracting the best coaching talent to the 40 Acres.
Del Conte boldly snatched his former TCU baseball coach, Jim Schlossnagle, away from rival Texas A&M just one day after the Aggies lost in the 2024 College World Series final.
“With Jim, everyone thinks this thing was baked, there was nothing baked. He was trying to win a national championship. But I made a change. I said ‘Jim, I’m gonna come see you, you’re gonna tell me ‘No’ to my face,’ and I knew if I got in front of him, [he] couldn’t tell me no." Del Conte said. "Been to Omaha 38 times, won six national championships. It is the beacon of college baseball. And he did a yeoman’s job at A&M, but I knew this is where he wanted to be. And he could have said no, he could have said no, but he didn’t.”
The way Del Conte recruited swim coach Bob Bowman from Arizona State was different.
“Again, we won 15 national championships and now you’re replacing Eddie Reese, who is the godfather of swimming. And when you’re replacing someone like that, the shadow is so big. And we looked around and I said, ‘Man, OK, Bob Bowman’ — took a program that was dropped at Arizona, on the verge of winning a national championship, coached arguably the greatest swimmer in the world [Michael Phelps], just coached the second greatest swimmer [Léon Marchand] to France to all these Olympic gold medals," recalled Del Conte. "I find his number, I call him on the phone, ‘I’m going to FaceTime you.’ FaceTimed him and said, ‘Hey, got a job?' He goes, ‘Yep, I’m gonna win a national championship, but I want that job.’ [I] said, ‘OK, I’m going to send you a Docusign.’ He said, ‘I’ll see you on Monday, let me go win it.’ That’s the power of Texas.”
Longhorn football is the main program that fuels the $271 million in revenues at Texas. In their first year in the SEC, Texas played in the conference championship game only to lose to Georgia in overtime. That earned head coach Steve Sarkisan his second straight trip to the College Football Playoff.
“I remember the criticism we were getting when we hired him. We went 5-7 that year and Steve had a complete plan of what it was going to be — here’s our recruiting, here’s how we’re gonna attack it, here’s our staff — and everything he’s said and done has come to fruition.”
Everything comes full circle for a kid who grew up in Taos, New Mexico
The kids from the place Del Conte calls “the ranch” have always come to visit him at football games where he’s been an administrator. He hosted some during this year’s Cotton Bowl. From bunk beds as children to adults, it’s a bond he cherishes.
“For them to be a part of it is pretty cool. They come to my games at home, they come to games at TCU when I was there," said Del Conte. "It’s pretty cool. It’s actually special.”
“I lost my father. He lost his life in a tragic situation and he didn’t get to see this side of it. So having them see it kind of helps me.”
In October 2000, after seeing Chris at a college football game, his father, Robert Del Conte, stopped to help a motorist in a broken-down vehicle. He was robbed and murdered.
“Everything comes full circle. My little daughter just painted a picture of my dad. That was him saying, ‘I’m here for you,”’ Del Conte said as he pointed out words his daughter painted in the lower corner.
“Life and death are a part of our journey … the nature of how he passed just was mind-boggling to me. I mean, I get weepy all the time … I think he would have loved meeting my daughters,” he said.
Chris Del Conte's contract extended through 2030
A year before Del Conte's contract was to end in 2024, the UT System Board of Regents approved a contract extension that keeps him in Austin through Aug. 31, 2030.
The Daily Texan reports Del Conte will be paid up to $19.255 million, "the largest endowment of any named athletic director in the country." Del Conte will earn at least $3 million in the final two years.
“Chris Del Conte came to the 40 Acres with a vision for elevating Texas athletics to compete and win, both on and off the field, and he has consistently delivered,” Kevin Eltife, chairman of the UT System Board of Regents, said in a statement in August 2023. “In my opinion, he is the best athletic director in the country. I am excited to see his contract extended to 2030 and look forward to continuing to work with him to make all of Longhorn Nation proud.”
