University says Hawaii AD Craig Angelos let go due to performance

In an official statement put out by the University of Hawai’i Tuesday afternoon, athletics director Craig Angelos has been dismissed from his position due to performance reasons.

The statement was made at 4:02 p.m. following an all-staff meeting for the athletics department at 3 p.m. that Angelos was in attendance for.

Here is the statement in full:

“This is a confidential personnel matter. The University of Hawaiʻi confirms that Mr. Angelos’ final day as the UH Mānoa athletic director is December 1. Effective December 2, Associate Athletic Director Lois Manin will serve as the acting athletic director.  An announcement about a future search will be made by incoming UH President Wendy Hensel after the new year.

President David Lassner met regularly with AD Angelos since he was hired, as he does with all his direct reports. Lassner made the decision to part ways with Angelos based on performance. This action is taking place now following the completion of the search for the new UH president.

Lassner is appreciative that Angelos is remaining through December 1 to assist with the transition. The University remains grateful for his efforts and his dedication to UH Mānoa athletics, and wishes him the very best in the future.”

News of Angelos’ termination was first reported by Brett McMurphy of the Action Network at 3:29 a.m. HST. Per McMurphy’s sources, Angelos was dismissed by outgoing university president David Lassner, but McMurphy writes no reasons were provided by Lassner.

Angelos released a statement regarding the situation at 4:39 p.m.

“When I said it would be a dream to serve as the Athletics Director at the University of Hawai’i—I  truly meant it. I thoroughly enjoyed my time here, I loved the people and this community. That’s why I was completely blindsided when I learned of the outgoing President’s decision to part ways. When I asked for the reason, he cited my performance—a response that absolutely shocked me because I thought things had been going pretty well for our athletics department.

In a short amount of time, I believe we accomplished so much like creating new revenue streams, hiring a ticket sales team, revamping fundraising efforts, focusing on NIL initiatives, navigating the effects of the NCAA House settlement, securing a place in the Mountain West Conference while eliminating travel subsidies, arranging charter flights for the football team, negotiating a record-breaking apparel deal, developing a facilities master plan, collaborating with the stadium authority on the new Aloha Stadium project, and balancing the budget for the past two years.

There is still much more to be done, but I thought we were on the right track.

I understand some may wonder if there were other factors contributing to the separation, especially if my performance seemed to be going well. I want to assure everyone that there is no “smoking gun” here—no hint of impropriety or malfeasance, either personally or professionally. I have always treated people with kindness and respect and have done what is best for the athletic department at all times.

While my record speaks for itself, I remain grateful to the President for hiring me and giving me the opportunity to serve as the Athletic Director at the University of Hawai’i. It was truly an honor.

As I move forward, I want to sincerely thank everyone for their support. I am especially grateful to the student-athletes, head and assistant coaches, staff, tremendous donors, the Board of Regents, legislators, and all the friends of the program. Throughout my time here, I always felt a tremendous amount of support from them.

I loved being here and am truly saddened to be leaving. Nevertheless, I depart with my head held high, grateful for the opportunity to have been part of this community. I take pride in knowing we did things the right way and achieved meaningful results. Now, it’s time to move forward and seek the next great opportunity in intercollegiate athletics—a career I have loved for 30 years.

So for the last time….Go Bows!!!!”