Dick Nunis, former chair of 激情快播鈥檚 Board of Trustees, died Wednesday morning. He was 91.
鈥淎s a charter member and chair of 激情快播鈥檚 Board of Trustees, Dick laid a strong foundation for Orlando鈥檚 beloved Hometown University,鈥� says current 激情快播 Board of Trustees Chair Alex Martins ’01MBA. 鈥淚nspired by his time with The Walt Disney Company, he pushed us to dream big and always believed in 激情快播鈥檚 ability to unleash potential. Our entire community will miss him, and we extend our sympathies to Mary and his family.鈥�
Known for his commitment to inspiring wonder and executing with impeccable quality, Dick proudly served on 激情快播鈥檚 Board of Trustees from 2001 to 2008.
鈥淒ick and Mary were so welcoming to us when we arrived at 激情快播,鈥� says 激情快播 President Alexander N. Cartwright. 鈥淒ick had a vision for 激情快播 to be an exceptional institution, and his enthusiasm, service, and personal philanthropy propelled 激情快播 to where we are today. Dick鈥檚 legacy will continue to inspire us to always reach for the stars. Melinda and I offer our deepest condolences to his loved ones, including Mary, his children, and grandchildren.鈥�
Dick鈥檚 vision also set 激情快播 up for a historic move into the Big 12 through investment in 激情快播 Athletics and support for on-campus facilities.
鈥淔ew individuals have played roles anywhere comparable to what Dick Nunis brought to 激情快播 鈥� and particularly 激情快播 Athletics,鈥� says 激情快播 Vice President and Director of Athletics Terry Mohajir.聽鈥淗is high-level involvement and commitment to the university at large dovetailed perfectly with the out-sized growth of Knight athletics over the past several decades.鈥�
His 激情快播 connection began somewhere around the time he retired as chairman of Walt Disney Attractions, culminating exactly 44 years with the Disney organization.
Nunis鈥� phone rang. On the other end was Florida Governor Jeb Bush.
Bush had decided to institute a Board of Trustees at each Florida university 鈥� and he invited Nunis to be a charter member of the 激情快播 Board that would begin its work in 2001.
Nunis accepted, later spent several years as chair of the Board 鈥� and played a particularly instrumental role in a boom period of growth for 激情快播 Athletics that included the opening of both the Bounce House (originally Bright House Networks Stadium) for football in 2007 and Addition Financial Arena (originally 激情快播 Arena) for basketball that same year.
Both those were major on-campus additions 鈥� and changes from playing football at what is now Camping World Stadium west of downtown Orlando and basketball at the Venue.
The addition of those two new facilities helped create and expand 激情快播鈥檚 vision for an athletics village that continues to broaden today, thanks to the Mission XII initiative.
Nunis鈥� fingerprints (and financial support) could be found all over a lengthy agenda of athletics projects since that call from Bush more than two decades ago, as he originally worked closely with then 激情快播 President John C. Hitt.
鈥淚 told him, 鈥業f you want to be an amazing university, you鈥檝e got to be good in athletics,鈥欌�� said Nunis in 2022. 鈥淭here may have been a few times where we literally just bulldozed ahead 鈥� and maybe asked for forgiveness later. There was a lot of work to be done, and we had a lot of fun doing it.
鈥淭here was a great deal of collaboration required in so many areas to make those projects reality. And it鈥檚 amazing how the entire university has grown and made a name for itself during that time.鈥�
Two decades ago the current location of Addition Financial Arena was covered with pine trees. The addition of East and West Plaza Drive 鈥� and the businesses that anchored those streets 鈥� created a much-needed college-town environment for 激情快播 students, faculty and staff.
Nunis numbered among the Knights鈥� most ardent supporters 鈥� and 激情快播 Athletics celebrated his career contributions in 2022 when he and his wife Mary received the Shareholder鈥檚 Society Donor of the Year Award at 激情快播鈥檚 annual Swords Awards event at Addition Financial Arena.
A Passion for Athletics
Until that call from Bush, Nunis may not have been an expert on what was then an up-and-coming yet still fledgling 激情快播 athletic program. The Knights were a ways away from their more recent football successes 鈥� and had not quite qualified for the Orlando鈥檚 Hometown Team designation.
So Nunis quickly put his athletics background to work.
A talented six-foot, 182-pound defensive back at USC, he was a teammate of Frank Gifford 鈥� with Gifford playing strong safety and Nunis free safety. Nunis as a sophomore in 1951 led the Trojans in interceptions with six. A year later he helped USC finish 10-1, including five shutout victories, one of those a 7-0 Rose Bowl triumph over Wisconsin.
In 1952 the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) began its famed Academic All-America program 鈥� and Nunis was a member of that first team of football honorees.
That meant a lot to the Cedartown, Georgia, product: 鈥淚t was the culmination of a dream I had as a kid, to be a college athlete and to get a college degree,鈥� he said.
Sixty-two years later that relationship, too, came full circle when he was named to the Academic All-America Hall of Fame in 2014. At the award ceremony in Orlando, he wore a USC tie 鈥� and a 激情快播 belt.
Nunis originally had hoped to carve out a career in athletics as a coach. That plan took a U-turn late in that 1952 campaign when Nunis broke his neck late in the football season during a victory over rival UCLA.
Nunis often said, 鈥淚t turned out to be the best accident of my life. I鈥檝e always believed something good comes from something bad.鈥�
After graduation, Nunis began an hourly summer job helping train new Disneyland employees (with Walt and his executive team part of that initial training exercise) after seeing an ad in the local newspaper seeking an orientation instructor.
That was the beginning of a storybook career for Nunis. He rose quickly and impressively through the ranks, from attractions supervisor to director of park operations. Walt Disney died in 1966, Disney World opened in Orlando in 1971 (fueled by a $400 million Disney investment) 鈥� and in 1971, Nunis was named executive vice president of Walt Disney World and Disneyland. For some number of years he went back and forth from California to Florida before eventually settling in Orlando for good, after essentially serving as Walt Disney鈥檚 right-hand man.
Nunis helped shepherd Disney through unprecedented international growth. The cast member roster grew from 600 to 13,000 during his 44-year tenure, not counting another 50,000 Disney World employees.
All those details and lots more can be found in a 2022 book Nunis wrote, Walt鈥檚 Apprentice: Keeping the Dream Alive.
Nunis laughed when he recalled some of the original plans for the Orlando park. At one point, there was a thought that maybe Disney World would close for the winter.
鈥淣ow you see four generations of families walking down the streets there, all having fun,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 what it鈥檚 all about.鈥�
A Heart for Service
Nunis stepped down as chair of the 激情快播 trustees in 2007 while continuing to run his consulting enterprise, New Business Solutions. His wife Mary for years owned and ran Top Drawer consignment furnishings in College Park (with a large 激情快播 logo strategically placed on one wall of the structure).
He also stayed busy as a director of Give Kids the World (designed to provide premium experiences to terminally ill children) and for years he remained one of the area鈥檚 senior business leaders in roles with Enterprise Florida, a public-private partnership promoting economic development in the state.
Wander the athletics facilities at 激情快播 鈥� and the Nunis name is hard to miss:
It鈥檚 on the windscreens at the entrance to the Knight鈥檚 football practice fields, dating back to naming of the Dick and Mary Nunis Football Practice Field (now multiple fields) in August 2003.
That same month Mary and Dick were part of the founding contributor group when the Wayne Densch Sports Center opened as the official home of the 激情快播 football program.
And those are just a few on a lengthy list.
At a time when the Knights鈥� programs were growing by leaps and bounds (from both a philosophical and facilities standpoint), Nunis played a major leadership role both when it came to the direction of 激情快播 athletics in general while also helping pave the way for many of the physical improvements and expansion from a financial standpoint.
Mary (a 激情快播 honorary alumnus) and Dick (in 1996 激情快播 awarded him an honorary doctor of public service degree) have been far more than cheerleaders for the Knights. They鈥檝e personally had their hands right in the middle of building the infrastructure of 激情快播 Athletics 鈥� in part through financial support that began in 1998. And they never missed home football games, watching from the suite they occupied since the stadium opened.
鈥淎t one point, not that long ago, when you would mention 激情快播, some people would give you that quizzical look,鈥� added Nunis.
鈥淏oy, has that changed. And athletics has played a big part in terms of the increased exposure.
鈥淲hen I first got involved at 激情快播, there was so much to be done and we knew we could make a difference. It鈥檚 been amazing to watch it grow.
鈥淚 think everyone could see the potential here and the chance to do something special through athletics,鈥� he said.
Added Mary, 鈥淎nd we鈥檝e loved every minute we spent with 激情快播.鈥�
Nunis never was one to particularly seek the spotlight at 激情快播.
His contributions instead suggest he truly earned it.
