Harlan is a graduate of the University of Arizona, where he earned a bachelor's degree in political science and a master's degree in education.[1]
Career
Harlan is the athletics director at the University of Utah. In his first five years leading the Utes' athletics department, Utah won four national championships and 24 conference championships. The Utes earned their highest finish in the LEARFIELD Director's Cup in 2022-23 and won a school-record 10 conference championships, while Harlan was named Cushman & Wakefield A.D. of the Year by NACDA. He received a contract extension in June 2023, through 2028.[2] Harlan has held sports administration positions at the University of South Florida, San Jose State, Northern Colorado, UCLA, and the University of Arizona.[3] He spent five years as athletic director at the University of South Florida. In 2015–2016, the USF men's basketball team was involved in an academic scandal. USF released a statement that in part read they and the NCAA “are working together to investigate and resolve an inquiry into potential violations of NCAA bylaws and university standards….” Harlan was criticized for his ethical character and mismanagement.[4]
In 2016, he was criticized for the debacle of USF's pitch to join the Big 12 conference. In their presentation, they misspelled the word “research” as “reasearch”.[5]
On November 10, 2024, the Big 12 Conference fined Utah athletic director Mark Harlan $40,000 and issued a public reprimand in the wake of his disparaging comments about officiating and statement, “We were excited about being in the Big 12, but tonight I am not,” after Utah's home loss to BYU on November 9, 2024.
Family
Harlan and his wife, Carolyn, have two children, Savannah and Austin.[1]
