UW AD Pat Chun talks conference change, NIL, & what it means to be a Husky at Chamber Lunch

At Chamber Lunch on September 19, we were joined by the University of Washington’s Athletic Director Pat Chun and longtime Seattle sports reporter Elise Woodward for the first lunch of the season. 

Chun discussed his transition from WSU, the Huskies’ entrance into the Big Ten, and his overall adjustment to the program. He noted the welcoming committee of UW students and alums, and shared that he is eager for the current school year and the football team's entrance into their new conference.

“One of the first lunches I had was with the mayor, Bruce Harrell, and we talked about how great it is that we're in a community that you can have the debate, ‘Does a great city make a great institution, or does a great institution make a great city?’” said Chun. “And the answer is, ‘Yes.’”

In addition to athletics and performance, he also discussed the importance of student excellence in all forms and his commitment to uphold this standard.

When chatting about what makes the University of Washington so special, Chun dove into this to the electricity of Game Day and the sea of purple he meets each week.

“It all is reflected on those Saturdays inside Husky Stadium,” he said. “Whatever lens you want to look at it, it’s the University of Washington at its best, the city of Seattle at its best, it's the state at its best, it's this country at its best, because we literally will have newborns to 100 years old, white, Black, Latino, Asian, different genders, different religions, different ethnicities, different politics, all cheering for the same thing on these given Saturdays.”

“It's just one of the most powerful things that only college sports can provide,” he continued. “So when you look at what fuels that logo, what fuels this campus, what fuels this community, I believe I can give a pretty fact based argument: A lot of it starts with the energy and the connectivity that happens in our own college athletics.” 

We are so glad Chun was able to join us for this lunch… and just hope he sticks around longer than the previous ADs have following a Chamber event. (All jokes aside, go dawgs and welcome Pat!)