Dec. 16, 2010

Tulsa, Oklahoma - The University of Tulsa President Steadman Upham announced today a new contract for Athletic Director Bubba Cunningham.

"Bubba and I have a great partnership," Upham said "and his service to TU has been marked by exceptional progress by our student-athletes, including 31 Conference USA championships. We're on a roll and I'm confident we'll continue to build on our remarkable momentum and national visibility."

Cunningham said he is grateful for the community's support of TU and its athletic programs and he believes the future is bright for the Golden Hurricane.

Cunningham has been TU's Athletic Director since October 2005. During his time at TU, Golden Hurricane teams have produced:

31 Conference USA championships
42 NCAA appearances
32 All-Americans
18 Academic All-Americans
78 C-USA Academic selections
207 C-USA Academic Medalists
624 C-USA Honor Roll Recipients

Beyond those statistics, Cunningham:
• Hired football coach Todd Graham, who has led the Golden Hurricane to 35 wins and three bowl games in four years.
• Hired volleyball coach Ed Allen, whose teams have produced a 133-37 record, two C-USA regular season titles and
 one C-USA post-season tournament title, and has appeared in the NCAA tournament twice.
• Has seen 17 of TU's 18 NCAA Division I teams compete in national post-season competition either as a team or 
as individuals.
• Contributed to TU's best-ever ranking (61st) in the Learfield Sports Directors' Cup Standings for the
 2008-09 season, with 336.6 points in the final standings.
• Has seen TU host C-USA Championships for men's soccer, men's and women's basketball, women's golf,
 men's and women's tennis and track and field.
•Has seen TU host NCAA Men's Tennis Regional Tournaments, the 2008 NCAA Men's and Women's Division I Tennis 
National Championship, and five NCAA Men's Soccer Tournament games.

Cunningham has also overseen numerous athletic facility improvements, including the construction of the Case Athletic Complex and the renovation of H.A. Chapman Stadium, in addition to the building of new facilities for the rowing, golf, and softball teams.

The terms of Cunningham's contract were not disclosed.