University of Arkansas Athletic Director

Entering his first full year as vice chancellor and director of athletics at the University of Arkansas, Hunter Yurachek has made the most of his time since Chancellor Joseph Steinmetz announced him as vice chancellor and director of athletics on Dec. 4, 2017.

Shortly after his arrival in Fayetteville, Yurachek introduced a program wide strategic plan that focused on fostering student-athlete success and centered on achieving the program’s mission of building Razorbacks/Champions for Life. Thanks to the dedicated efforts of Razorback student-athletes, coaches, administrators, Razorback Foundation members and fans, results are already being realized on and off the field.  

In the 2018 spring semester, Razorback student-athletes earned a record-tying 3.25 GPA and 282 student-athletes secured a spot on the department honor roll. In addition, nearly 125 Razorback student-athletes added their name to Senior Walk as graduates of the University of Arkansas.

Arkansas tied a program record with a No. 16 finish in the 2017-18 Learfield Sports Directors Cup, a program that ranks the nation’s most successful intercollegiate athletics programs. Arkansas finished first in the nation in the rankings among schools with 19 or fewer sports.

In 2017-18, Arkansas captured four SEC championships (men’s and women’s cross country, women’s indoor track, women’s golf), including the school’s first SEC crown in women’s golf. The Razorbacks earned three top-five national finishes including national championship runner-up finishes at the 2018 NCAA Women’s Indoor Track and Field Championships and the 2018 College World Series. Four Arkansas student-athletes earned individual national championships in 2017-18.

He earned his bachelor’s degree in business management at Guilford College in 1990, where he was a four-year letter winner in basketball. He earned his master’s degree in sports administration from the University of Richmond in 1994.

Born in Richmond, Va., and raised in Charlotte, N.C., Yurachek and his wife Jennifer have three sons; Ryan, Jake and Brooks. Ryan is a former football student-athlete at Marshall University. Jake is a freshman football student-athlete at the University of Colorado.