The resignation takes effect Jan. 31. Turner was in the middle of a five-year contract worth $325,000 in base salary and up to $420,000 annually with incentives.

Scott Woodward, Washington's vice president for external affairs, will become acting athletic director when Turner leaves, university president Mark Emmert said.

"After conferring with president Emmert over the last few weeks, it was determined that a change in leadership in the athletics program would be in the best interests of the university," Turner said in a statement.

The resignation comes six days after the school retained football coach Tyrone Willingham following a 4-9 season.

Turner had been having problems raising money to renovate 87-year-old Husky Stadium. He has said it will take hundreds of millions of dollars to update the Pac-10's oldest facility.

Emmert hired Turner from Vanderbilt in 2004, when Washington was dealing with an NCAA investigation of football coach Rick Neuheisel, who was fired after it was revealed he bet in college basketball tournament pools. There also was a federal investigation looking into the actions of a former softball team physician.

"When Todd was appointed, we needed a strong presence to restore integrity and confidence to the department and to bring to it a new level of management expertise," Emmert said. "In his time here, Todd accomplished both of these."

Before coming to Washington to oversee 23 sports programs, about 650 student athletes and an annual budget of $40 million, Turner was the Vanderbilt athletic director from 1996-03.