Warde Joseph Manuel (born May 22, 1968) is an American college athletics administrator and former

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

player. He has served as the 12th director of athletics at his alma mater, the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

, since January 2016. He was the

director of athletics An athletic director (commonly "athletics director" or "AD") is an administrator at many American clubs or institutions, such as colleges and universities, as well as in larger high schools and middle schools, who oversees the work of coaches and r ...

at the

University of Connecticut The University of Connecticut (UConn) is a public land-grant research university in Storrs, Connecticut, a village in the town of Mansfield. The primary 4,400-acre (17.8 km2) campus is in Storrs, approximately a half hour's drive from Hart ...

from 2012 to 2016 and at the

State University of New York at Buffalo The State University of New York at Buffalo, commonly called the University at Buffalo (UB) and sometimes called SUNY Buffalo, is a public research university with campuses in Buffalo and Amherst, New York. The university was founded in 1846 ...

from 2005 to 2012. He served as associate athletic director at the University of Michigan from 2000 to 2005.

Early life and education

Manuel played high school football at Brother Martin High School in New Orleans. He was a first team high school All-American. He was recruited and enrolled at the

, where he played

defensive tackle A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that will typically line up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the offensive guards, however he may also line up opposite one of the tackles. Defensive tackles are typically the la ...

for the

Wolverines The wolverine (), (''Gulo gulo''; ''Gulo'' is Latin for " glutton"), also referred to as the glutton, carcajou, or quickhatch (from East Cree, ''kwiihkwahaacheew''), is the largest land-dwelling species of the family Mustelidae. It is a muscul ...

from 1986 to 1989, for coach

Bo Schembechler Glenn Edward "Bo" Schembechler Jr. ( ; April 1, 1929 – November 17, 2006) was an American football player, coach, and athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at Miami University from 1963 to 1968 and at the University of ...

, before suffering a career-ending neck injury. Manuel received a

Bachelor of General Studies A Bachelor of General Studies (BGS) is a highly interdisciplinary undergraduate academic degree offered by colleges and universities that "allows students to combine and explore multiple subjects." The concept of general studies derives from the ...

with a focus in

psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries betwe ...

, a Master of Social Work, and a

Master of Business Administration A Master of Business Administration (MBA; also Master's in Business Administration) is a postgraduate degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration such as accounti ...

from the University of Michigan in 1990, 1993, and 2005, respectively.

Administrative career

Manuel developed his management skills as assistant athletic director and then associate AD at the University of Michigan. He credits Michigan coaches and staff for his success, including Bo Schembechler, Stephen Ross, and

Greg Harden Greg Harden is a life coach, motivational speaker and executive consultant who is best known for his work with 7-time Super Bowl champion quarterback Tom Brady. He also worked with Heisman Trophy winner and Super Bowl MVP Desmond Howard, and 23- ...

, now Director of Athletic Counseling at U-M."Warde Manuel credits U-M for showing him what to do at UConn"
by Carol Cain, April 27, 2014. Manuel was responsible for the hiring of Turner Gill as the head coach of Buffalo's football team. Under Gill the team achieved its first winning season and first invitation to a post season bowl game since the program joined

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of College athletics, intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major ...

athletics in 1999. Manuel has helped change Buffalo's image and marketing strategy. Immediately after he took office, Manuel replaced the old "Bull Head" logo with a sleeker, more modern bull. Manuel also increased the athletics budget from $11 million to $25 million within three years of his hiring.

References

Additional sources

Manuel's can-do attitude does plenty (Buffalo News Archives)

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Manuel, Warde 1960s births Living people American football defensive ends Buffalo Bulls athletic directors UConn Huskies athletic directors Michigan Wolverines athletic directors Michigan Wolverines football players Michigan Wolverines men's track and field athletes Ross School of Business alumni Wayne State University faculty Sportspeople from New Orleans Players of American football from New Orleans African-American players of American football African-American college athletic directors in the United States 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American sportspeople Track and field athletes from New Orleans