Troy Dannen might have accomplished something historic this week.
Of the countless sports figures that have visited New Orleans for major events over the years, he might be the first to sleep in his own bed.
Dannen, who is in his third month as the athletic director at the University of Washington, lives in Seattle. But his home — at least for now — remains in Old Metairie, where he lived for eight years while serving as the athletic director at Tulane. His wife, Amy, and kids, Elle and William, are still living there until the semester ends at Country Day School.
The situation has made for a convenient work week for Dannen as his Washington Huskies prep for their College Football Playoff semifinal game against Texas on Monday. During the early part of the week, he was able to spend mornings and nights with his family, while joining the team for practice and bowl activities downtown during the day.
“It’s interesting being on this side of it,” Dannen said Thursday, donned in a purple and black UW hoodie, while taking a break from Husky media sessions at the Sheraton Hotel.
For years, Dannen was on the other side. During his time at Tulane, Dannen often found himself in the role of host. Yulman Stadium has long served as a practice site for participating teams in the Sugar Bowl and College Football Playoff. Dannen also served as the co-chair of the local host committee for the men’s NCAA Final Four, when it was here in 2022.
Now, he’s the guest of honor, the one being feted and hooked up with restaurant reservations.
“It’s easy to understand why everyone wants to come to New Orleans,” he said. “It’s been pretty remarkable so far.”
Dannen’s 12 weeks in Seattle have been special, as well, equal parts whirlwind and magic carpet ride. Seven days after he accepted the job, he watched the Huskies rally in the final minute to defeat Oregon 36-33 as fans flooded the field at Husky Stadium.
Since then, the Huskies, led by All-American quarterback Michael Penix, have reeled off seven consecutive wins to finish the season 13-0 and advance to their first CFP appearance in seven years.
Between wins, he’s kept busy, overseeing the historic logistics of UW’s impending move from the Pac-12 Conference to the Big Ten, while trying to familiarize himself with the players, coaches and staff of the 18 teams in his program.
“Seeing the sail-gating that day and (ESPN's) "College Game Day" on campus and the fans storming the field, I laughed and said, ‘I don’t know how it gets better than this,’ ” said Dannen of UW’s dramatic Oct. 7 win against Oregon. “And then it keeps getting better.”
This is Dannen’s first return to New Orleans since leaving Tulane in early October. His departure was not a shock to many on Willow Street as Dannen was linked to other prominent athletic director jobs during the final years of his tenure. And the exit did not occur as cleanly as some would have hoped.
Days after his appointment at UW, Dannen unwittingly upset some members of the Tulane community with comments he made during an interview with a Seattle radio station.
“I want to go someplace where you can win,” Dannen said when asked what attracted him to the job at UW. “I love Tulane. You’re not going to win a national championship at Tulane. You can win national championships here, and it’s been proven.”
Dannen politely declined to revisit the subject on Thursday, other than to say he didn’t mean it to be “an affront to anyone (at Tulane).” To that end, Dannen contacted some members of the Green Wave athletic department to explain his side of things and assure them he meant no ill will.
“I love Tulane,” he added. “The people at Tulane are awesome. There’s a lot of personal relationships there (for me). I love the players. I love the coaches. I think the world of the staff. Tulane is thriving. The best days of the university lie in front of it, and you can’t say that about a lot of universities.”
Dannen said he has watched every Tulane football game since he left New Orleans and has kept in touch with some of his former staff members and colleagues at the school.
He said he did not speak to former Tulane football coach Willie Fritz about his departure to Houston earlier this month but has spoken to him after the fact.
“I want the best for Willie, and I’m happy for him and his wife (Susan),” Dannen said. “He did an unbelievable job to put Tulane back on the map, and then some. He left the program in a place where it could continue to succeed. It’s a better place than it was when he got there.”
The same is true for Dannen, who said he and his family will miss New Orleans and the friendships they formed during their time in the city. But he said the opportunity to oversee a widely respected Power Five program with, what he calls, “one of the best brands in college athletics,” was too good to be true.
He's had to donate most of his Tulane gear to friends and longtime supporters of the program because, as he said, "You can't wear green in Seattle" because of longtime rival Oregon. His wardrobe is now accented by a lot of purple, coincidentally the primary color of his alma mater, Northern Iowa.
One year after seeing Tulane record its best football season in school history, he’s two wins away from the doing the same at Washington.
“At the time (he left Tulane), who would have seen this run coming?” Dannen said. “Normally, when you change jobs you don’t walk into a job where the football program is on an unbeaten trajectory. But the possibility of (the CFP run) is one of the things that attracts you to the University of Washington.”