MADISON – One of the University of Wisconsin’s possible internal options to fill its athletic director vacancy is removing himself from consideration.
Mitchell Pinta – Wisconsin’s deputy athletic director and chief revenue officer – will not seek the top job in the athletic department, he told the Journal Sentinel.
“First of all, I have full confidence in interim chancellor [Eric] Wilcots and campus leadership to land the right hire at this time,” Pinta said during a recent interview about the Badgers’ business operations. “It’s not the right move for my family and I. My focus remains on continuing the strong business momentum at Wisconsin and helping the department build on that success.”
He wasted no time in removing himself from consideration. The university announced a search committee and search firm on May 12 as it seeks a replacement for Chris McIntosh, who left for a newly created role in the Big Ten office.
The nine-person committee includes Indianapolis Colts general manager Chris Ballard and Dallas Mavericks co-interim GM Michael Finley. Lauren Bishop, a professor and one of UW’s faculty athletics representatives, is chairing the committee.
Pinta, a UW alum, joined the athletic department in 2022 and has overseen the business side of the Badgers’ operations. That has included UW’s contract extension with Under Armour, concerts at Camp Randall Stadium and the Kohl Center, fundraising and new sponsorships.
Pinta was named to Sports Business Journal’s 40 under 40 list in 2025. He came to the athletic department after 14 seasons with the NFL, which began in the league’s rotational program and culminated as the league’s group managing director of sponsorship and business development.
Marcus Sedberry – UW’s interim AD and previously the other deputy AD alongside Pinta – has not publicly indicated whether he will seek the permanent job. Sedberry told reporters in April that he “hadn’t really been addressing that with anybody because I just want to focus on what I have right in front of me.”
If Wisconsin hires someone outside the current athletic department, it would be a first since 1989, when the university hired Pat Richter, a UW alum who was working across town at Oscar Mayer. Richter spent 15 years as UW’s athletic director, followed by Barry Alvarez’s 17 years in the position and McIntosh’s five years.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: One of Wisconsin Badgers’ internal options rules out seeking AD position
Reporting by John Steppe, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
