5 things to know about new Wisconsin athletic director Shawn Eichorst

Eichorst would succeed interim athletic director Marcus Sedberry, who took over for Chris McIntosh in mid-April. McIntosh resigned after less than five years in the role to take on a senior position at the Big Ten Conference.

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Here are five things to know about the Badgers new athletic director.

Deep pool of experience

Eichorst just finished his eighth year as the deputy AD and chief operating officer at the University of Texas.

He oversaw the university's football program, which recorded its third straight 10-win season and had an average attendance of 102,366 at home games last season.

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He started as the Longhorns’ executive senior associate AD for internal affairs before making the switch to his latest role, all under Texas vice president and athletic director Chris Del Conte.

Eichorst was the athletic director at Nebraska from 2012 to 2017 following two years at the University of Miami. In total, Eichorst has more than two decades of experience in administrative roles at the Power Four level.

Strong Wisconsin ties

Eichorst is a Wisconsin native from Lone Rock and attended River Valley High School in Spring Green.

He earned special mention as a senior in the 1985 State Journal all-area football team and went on to play football at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. He was a three-time letterwinner and all-WIAC defensive back from 1988 to 1990, and he helped lead the Warhawks to a pair of WIAC titles in 1988 and 1990.

Eichorst later got his administrative start in college athletics, returning to his alma mater to serve as AD from 1999 to 2003. Among Eichorst’s 22 years working inside Division I athletic departments was a five-year stint at Wisconsin.

He served as the Badgers’ deputy AD from 2006 to 2011. Eichorst also was the Badgers’ COO and oversaw the department’s daily operations as well as the men’s basketball program.

Law background

Eichorst earned his law degree at Marquette University in 1995. He is a member of the State Bar of Wisconsin and a past member of the State Bar of Wisconsin Board of Governors.

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That law background will be important moving forward in the ever-changing landscape of college athletics and Wisconsin’s recent legal matters.

Wisconsin is involved on opposite ends of separate lawsuits. Wisconsin, in conjunction with its collective, VC Connect, sued Miami in 2025 for interfering with contracts they had with cornerback Xavier Lucas.

Miami has moved to have that case dismissed. In a separate lawsuit, Wisconsin has moved to dismiss a case in which six former women’s basketball players accused the school, former women's basketball coach Marisa Moseley and former administrator Justin Doherty of violating their rights. 

The players said Moseley caused "severe emotional distress," and they accused the coach of retaliation and discrimination.

Key fundraising, national projects

Eichorst oversaw multiple major fundraising projects during his time at Nebraska.

Nebraska opened Pinnacle Bank Arena, home of the Cornhuskers’ men’s and women’s basketball teams, as well as the renovated Devaney Center during his five-year stint. A center-hung video board was installed at the Devaney Center, home to the Huskers’ volleyball, wrestling and men’s and women’s gymnastics programs. Memorial Stadium also underwent major upgrades with new video screens and ribbon boards.

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Nebraska ranked in the top 20 nationally in average attendance across nine of its sports during Eichorst’s final year in 2016-17.

Eichorst has racked up other national credentials, too. He served on the inaugural Division I football oversight committee, starting in 2015, while at Nebraska. He also was named co-chair of the Division I football recruiting ad hoc working group in 2016.

Recent budget-planning hurdles

Eichorst has been well-versed in recent budget issues at Texas, something that could serve him well at Wisconsin.

Texas reported a loss of $23.3 million in the 2025 fiscal year, according to a Jan. 26 article by Austin American-Statesman’s David Eckert.

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Wisconsin athletic department officials indicated financial strains after the university budget exceeded $200 million for the first time. That projected budget of $203.263 million includes $14.6 million in revenue from state taxpayers that was approved by both Gov. Tony Evers and the Legislature earlier this year.

Texas broke its own spending record in one fiscal year last year. The Longhorns reported $376 million in expenses while generating $353 million in revenue, according to Eckert.