David Matlin announced today he is retiring as the University of Hawaii’s director of athletics on June 2, 2023.

“This has been more than a job for me, it’s been an opportunity of a lifetime to work with some incredible people — our student athletes, coaches, staff, university leadership and, of course, our fans,” Matlin said in a release. “And I thank you all for the passion and dedication that each and every one of you give to our program every day. It is with deep appreciation that I can say that I’m ready to retire as athletics director and pass the torch on to the next AD when I complete my 8-year term on June 2, 2023.

Matlin’s contract extension was set to expire this spring. A UH official said it was Matlin’s “decision” and that he “was never asked to step down.”

UH did not announce a timetable or format for hiring a new athletic director.

Matlin hired 16 head coaches, including football coaches Nick Rolovich, Todd Graham and Timmy Chang.

It was Graham’s hiring that drew some criticism because of his lack of ties with Hawaii and departure as Arizona State’s head coach in 2020. Graham resigned in January 2022 in the aftermath of complaints from some players and a state Senate hearing on the environment he fostered in his program.

There also was controversy in the search for Graham’s successor, particularly when negotiations between UH and former head coach June Jones unraveled.

Matlin also had to find a new home for UH football home games when Aloha Stadium announced in December 2020 the Halawa facility would be shuttered for spectator-attended events because of safety concerns. Under Matlin’s guidance, the Ching Complex was expanded to a 9,300-seat facility for the 2021 football season. There are plans to further increase Ching’s seating capacity to 15,000 for the coming season while constructing a track and soccer field in the neighboring grass area.

Matlin is credited with leading the program through the COVID-19 pandemic, providing resources to boost UH’s NCAA academic progress rate (APR), create partnerships with Hawaiian Airlines and the Hawaii Tourism Authority, negotiate lucrative deals for television and radio rights, and earn funding from the Legislature.

“David Matlin has been a fantastic UH Manoa athletics director and is truly going out on top,” UH president David Lassner said in a release. “He is a highly respected senior AD and leader in the Big West Conference, the Mountain West Conference and nationally.”

UH competes in football in the Mountain West. Most of the other UH sports are members of the Big West.