Frank Cuervo was named director of athletics at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock on March 25, 2024. Cuervo came into the position with 26 years of experience in intercollegiate athletics, including roles at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Southeast Missouri State University, Indiana University and the University of Missouri.
Cuervo holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Florida and a master’s degree from Ohio State University.
Before joining the Trojans, Cuervo was the deputy director of athletics and chief revenue officer at the University of Illinois Chicago.
Why did UA Little Rock decide to join the United Athletic Conference?
From a geographic standpoint, this is an excellent fit. We will now be positioned right in the heart of the conference footprint, which means shorter trips, less missed class time for our student-athletes, and reduced travel costs across all our sports. That’s a meaningful win for both our students and our program. Equally important, we’re now aligned with like-minded institutions, universities that share our commitment to athletic excellence, academic integrity and innovation. These are schools that want to compete and grow the right way, and together, we’ll push one another to new heights.
The new conference will have an innovative structure. Can you describe how that will work?
At its core, the United Athletic Consortium is two conferences in one, a groundbreaking merger of the Western Athletic Conference and the Atlantic Sun Conference, now joined by dynamic new members like Little Rock, with additional institutions expected to follow. This structure is designed to bring together like-minded universities that share a commitment to competitive excellence, student-athlete success, and forward-looking innovation in a rapidly changing collegiate landscape. What makes the consortium so exciting is its dual-structure model — the ability to operate as one unified entity when it strengthens our collective position, while maintaining the flexibility to function as two independent conferences when it’s strategically advantageous. For example, each conference will retain its own NCAA automatic qualifier status for postseason play, ensuring that our student-athletes continue to have multiple pathways to national competition and recognition.
How do you measure the success of UA Little Rock’s athletic department in this new college sports environment?
Success for Trojan Athletics is about far more than wins and losses; it’s about being the best promotional tool and ambassador for the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, shining a bright spotlight on everything that makes this a world-class institution. We want people across Arkansas and beyond to see what’s happening here, to see excellence, opportunity and pride reflected through Trojan Athletics. We measure that success through what we call our 3 Cs: classroom, community and competition. And each of those areas tells a story of tremendous momentum. In the classroom, for instance, our student-athletes continue to set new standards of excellence. This past year, Trojans achieved a 3.43 GPA, the highest in school history and a graduation success rate of nearly 90%. That speaks to the dedication of our student-athletes, coaches and academic support staff, and to our shared belief that excellence in athletics begins with excellence in academics.
How has “name, image, likeness” (NIL) impacted UA Little Rock?
We made the early and strategic decision to opt in on the historic House settlement. For us, it wasn’t a difficult choice. We want Little Rock Athletics to compete nationally, and to do that, we must operate with the same sophistication and support structures as our peers. Opting in positioned us to recruit and retain the very best student-athletes available, while also showing our commitment to doing things the right way and being forward-thinking in our approach. To make that possible, we fundamentally restructured the way our department operates. We’ve aligned our resources, staffing and strategy to meet the moment, to ensure that our programs have what they need to succeed in this new era.
What has been the impact of the Trojans’ run in the NCAA baseball tournament last year?
Quite honestly, the benefits are almost impossible to fully capture in words, because what happened went far beyond balls and strikes or wins and losses. It was a defining moment for Trojan Athletics and a clear signal that Little Rock belongs on the national stage. First and foremost, from a competitive standpoint, our student-athletes and coaches proved that we can go toe-to-toe with the very best in college baseball. To record our first three NCAA regional victories, including a signature win over Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, was incredible, a true milestone for the program and a sign of the great things ahead for Trojan baseball. During that five-day regional in Baton Rouge, more than 5 million viewers watched Little Rock compete on ESPN platforms, and we generated more than 9 million social media impressions. That’s national exposure you simply can’t buy.
What is the plan for the new baseball stadium?
At the heart of this vision is what I like to call the TED, the Trojan Entertainment District, a bold, imaginative development at the corner of Asher and University avenues. The new stadium will serve as the anchor and magnet for the TED, drawing people to the area not only when the Trojans are playing, but throughout the year. The Plaza Shopping Center, which sits at that intersection and is owned by the university, has been ripe for redevelopment for years. With strong support from our university administration, we are crafting a plan to turn that property into a thriving hub of activity and pride for Little Rock. The new 2,500-seat baseball stadium and training facility will serve as the home of Trojan baseball, providing a first-class venue for our student-athletes and fans.
What’s a favorite book you read recently?
Currently, I’m reading the new book by University of Connecticut men’s basketball coach Dan Hurley, “Never Stop: Life, Leadership, and What It Takes to Be Great.” I try to balance introducing new books into my reading lineup with revisiting several favorites on an annual basis. One of my all-time favorites is “Winning” by former General Electric CEO Jack Welch. I appreciate how he emphasizes accountability, candor and a relentless pursuit of excellence, principles that are essential for anyone striving to build successful teams and organizations, particularly in college athletics. On the fiction side, I’m a fan of Ernest Hemingway, especially “The Old Man and the Sea.” It offers timeless lessons on perseverance, pride and the resilience of the human spirit in the face of adversity.
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