Ex-Bear Chris Zorich eager to tackle challenges as Chicago State AD: 'I didn't take this blindly'

CHICAGO, Illinois -- As of Tuesday morning, Chris Zorich had not yet seen his Chicago State athletic director’s office. He hadn’t been given keys or the figures in the athletic budget.

Once he found the office, he would also find a stack of applications for the men’s and women’s basketball coach openings — hires he needs to make soon.

The challenges are not small, but Zorich said he’s ready to tackle the job.

“I consider this on par with when I was drafted by the Bears,” said Zorich, 49, a Chicago native and defensive tackle on Notre Dame’s 1988 national championship team who played for the Bears from 1991 to ’96.

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“Folks had enough confidence in me that I could run an athletic program in Chicago, not too far from where I grew up — that’s awesome. I’m so excited and so honored.”

After serving as athletic director at Prairie State — a community college in Chicago Heights — since 2015, Zorich was hired last week to replace interim AD Tracy Dildy at the South Side university.

Chicago State is in a state of flux as it attempts to hire a new president and find solid financial footing. The school was among the hardest-hit public institutions during the state’s budget crisis, and trustees declared a state of financial emergency in 2016.

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