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unusual facts about Athletic Director



1993 UCF Golden Knights football team

The name change was proposed in 1993 by then athletic director Steve Sloan as a way to boost the popularity of the program and to boost merchandise sales.

1996–97 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team

On March 21, 1996, a new era in Illinois basketball began when Director of Athletics Ron Guenther introduced

2007 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team

On January 15, 2007 it was reported on ESPN.com that Tim Brewster was the choice of University of Minnesota athletic director Joel Maturi to replace Glen Mason as the Gophers head coach.

2012 Colorado Buffaloes football team

On November 25, 2012, the university announced that Athletic Director Mike Bohn had fired head coach Jon Embree.

Al Groh

While Groh acknowledged that the year would be a rebuilding experience and a slow start upset some fans, Virginia athletic director Craig Littlepage stated that, "Al will be our head coach" through at least the 2007 season.

Alan Haller

In 2006, Haller (along with Athletic Director Mark Hollis, men's basketball coach Tom Izzo, and former athletic director Ron Mason) was a member of the Selection Team that brought Head Football Coach Mark Dantonio to Michigan State.

Bobby Cremins

Cremins's performance at Appalachian State gathered him some national attention in the NCAA coaching ranks, including catching the eye of Georgia Tech athletic director Homer Rice.

C. M. Newton

In 1968 legendary football coach and athletic director Paul "Bear" Bryant, who had been the coach for the University of Kentucky's football team during Newton's playing days, called Rupp looking for someone to turn around the University of Alabama's basketball program.

Cliff Hagan Stadium

The stadium was renamed in 1993 in honor of Cliff Hagan, the Basketball Hall of Famer who had played at Kentucky during the 1950s under Adolph Rupp and returned to Kentucky as athletic director after his professional basketball playing days.

Dale Steele

After East Carolina, Steele was the head coach and athletic director at Northern Nash High School in Nashville, North Carolina for four years (1995–1998).

Douglas R. Mills

Mills served as Athletic Director for the University of Illinois from 1941 to 1966, responsible for football coaches Ray Eliot and Pete Elliott and basketball coach Harry Combes.

Frank Leahy

Leahy was also the athletic director at Notre Dame from 1947 until 1949 when he passed the role to the Fighting Irish basketball coach, Moose Krause, so that he could focus on football coaching.

Frank Solich

After winning the final game of the regular season, Solich was fired by new athletic director Steve Pederson.

John Papuchis

Pelini stayed on at LSU through the championship game with the permission of Nebraska's Athletic Director, Tom Osborne, and then took several of his defensive staff members with him to Nebraska, including Papuchis.

Ron Zook

Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley sought to replace him with either Denver Broncos coach Mike Shanahan or Oklahoma's Bob Stoops, but after a media frenzy surrounding Foley's personal visits to both men, they each decided to remain with their respective teams.

Sunshine State Conference

The Sunshine State Conference was founded in 1975 by St. Leo University (then a college) Basketball Coach & Athletic Director Norm Kaye.


see also

1962 Ole Miss Rebels football team

In September 2012, Ole Miss athletic director Ross Bjork announced that the team would be receiving new national championship rings to honor their accomplishments from the 1962 season.

2010–13 NCAA conference realignment

Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick stated in an interview with Pat Forde, then of ESPN.com, that at most schools, realignment was being driven primarily by university administrators who saw an opportunity to improve the academic image of their schools—not by athletic directors.

2011 Pittsburgh Panthers football team

Less than one year from his hiring, on the evening of December 13, Graham informed Athletic Director Steve Pederson that he had discussed coaching opportunity at Arizona State.

Bill Frieder

Michigan athletic director Bo Schembechler ordered Frieder to leave immediately, and named top assistant Steve Fisher as the interim coach for the tournament.

Bob Polk

Polk recovered quickly from his heart attack and accepted the head coaching and athletic director position at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas.

Carl Pelini

At the conclusion of the regular season, despite posting a 9–3 record, Solich was fired by new Nebraska athletic director Steve Pederson.

Ceal Barry

She is concurrently the Associate Athletic Director for Student Services and Senior Woman Administrator, and previously served as the head coach of the Colorado Buffaloes Women's Basketball Team from 1983-2005.

Charlie Ane

Now known as Kale Ane, he is currently the head football coach and assistant athletic director at the Punahou School in Honolulu, Hawaii, where both he and his father attended high school and played football.

Cleo A. O'Donnell

In April 1935, O'Donnell was hired as the head football coach and athletic director at Saint Anselm College in Goffstown, New Hampshire.

Craver

Forrest Craver (1875–1958), college football player and coach and athletic director

Davenport Field

"This will increase the opportunity for television game coverage," said Craig Littlepage, UVa athletic director.

David Claerbaut

During his time at North Park, Claerbaut served as the school’s athletic director in 1986.

Donald Rowe

He spoke to Warde Manuel, the Connecticut athletic director, and proposed that Rowe be named a university ambassador.

Doug West

After the NBA, West spent two years coaching at a high school in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, and two years as an athletic director at a high school in Wheeling, West Virginia.

Downtown Athletic Club

It was most famous for its annual awarding of the Heisman Trophy in its building, given every year to the most outstanding college football player, and named after John Heisman, the club's first athletic director.

Eric Ramsey

Auburn's new President, William Muse, hired a new athletic director to help with the investigation upon Dye's resignation as A.D. Meanwhile, both Eric Ramsey and his wife, Twilitta, graduated from Auburn wearing bulletproof vests during commencement.

Frank W. Milburn

He retired from military service in April 1952 and worked briefly as the athletic director at Montana State University.

George Corneal

For three academic years from 1914 to 1917, Corneal was the athletic director and head basketball, track and football coach at the Stevens Point State Normal School, now known as the University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point.

George Kenneally

In 1939, Kenneally accepted the position of athletic director, head coach, and history teacher at Revere High School.

Grace High School Athletics Program

Track and field is coached by high school English/P.E. teacher and school athletic director Richard Condie, high school teacher James Sant, and also by elementary school teacher David Sotutu, who is the son of Fijian Olympic runner Usaia Sotutu.

Jack Curley

As a result, Curley became the manager for “Doc” Benjamin Roller, one of the era’s premier grapplers; and in 1909, he was named the athletic director for the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition in Seattle, where he emerged victorious in a promotional war against Joe Carroll.

James Horne

James H. Horne (1874–after 1917), American athletic director and coach

Jimmye Laycock Football Center

The JLFC was dedicated on June 21, 2008, and among those in attendance were former William & Mary wide receiver and present Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin (Class of 1994), former Buffalo Bills head coach Marv Levy, current Virginia Tech Hokies football head coach Frank Beamer, and former William & Mary athletic director (1981-85) Jim Copeland.

Joe Dean

He served from April 1987 through the end of the 2000 calendar year, with the LSU's 2000 Peach Bowl victory over Georgia Tech being his last official event as athletic director.

John David Crow

Later that year, after Arkansas left the Southwest Conference, Crow and DeLoss Dodds, the athletic director at the University of Texas, met with officials from the Pac-10 Conference about aligning with that conference.

John Toner

Toner was responsible for several momentous decisions in his time as athletic director at UConn, including UConn becoming a founding member of the Big East Conference in 1979, as well as the hiring of future Hall of Fame coaches Geno Auriemma and Jim Calhoun.

Joker Phillips

Kentucky athletic director Mitch Barnhart announced on November 4, 2012 that Phillips would not return as coach in 2013 after a 1–9 start to the season.

Kevin R. Wilson

Indiana athletic director Fred Glass announced the dismissal of Bill Lynch and the rest of the coaching staff on November 28, 2010, following a third straight season with only one conference victory.

Lamar Cardinals football

Former Basketball Coach Billy Tubbs was hired as the Athletic Director in 2006 and has had a significant role in bringing back the Cardinals football team.

Lyle Smith

At the final regular season home game before his retirement as athletic director, the playing field at Bronco Stadium was dedicated in Smith's honor on November 8, 1980.

Mike Stoops

After a loss on the road to previously-winless Oregon State, Stoops was relieved of his duties on October 10, 2011 with the announcement made by athletic director Gregory Byrne.

Mimi Ryan

University of Florida athletic director Ray Graves and associate athletic director Ruth Alexander had made the strategic decision to embrace Title IX, the new federal law requiring equal opportunities for women in U.S. college sports.

Montana Grizzlies and Lady Griz

In 1967, then football coach and athletic director Jack Swarthout, who personally preferred the maroon and silver used by the football team, sought to make the schools colors more consistent and held a vote among UM coaches.

New York City FC

The club made their first recruitment dealing in off-field matters on September 6, 2013, when they hired former Rutgers University Athletic Director Tim Pernetti to serve as Chief Business Officer.

Nippert Stadium

On December 18, 2012, President Santa J. Ono and Athletic Director Whit Babcock unveiled long-anticipated plans to update and expand Nippert Stadium.

Ohio State Buckeyes men's basketball

Controversy erupted when Ohio State athletic director Andy Geiger fired O'Brien over alleged NCAA rules violations.

Paddy Ryan

After opening a saloon in 1874, he caught the attention of the athletic director of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Jim Killoran.

Patrick Edwards

Houston athletic director Dave Maggard declined to comment substantively about the situation, but confirmed he would discuss the matter with Marshall officials.

R. C. Johnson

Prior to that, he was Athletic Director for the RedHawks of Miami University, after serving as AD at Eastern Illinois University.

Ralph W. Aigler

Aigler's contributions included leading Michigan back into the Big Ten Conference, leading the effort to construct Michigan Stadium, Yost Fieldhouse and other facilities, negotiating the Big Ten's exclusive contract with the Rose Bowl starting in 1946, hiring Fritz Crisler as football coach and athletic director, and acting as a spokesman for the University and Big Ten for many years on NCAA rules and eligibility issues.

Robert Burton, Sr.

In January, 2011, Burton demanded that three million dollars worth of donations to the football program be returned over a perceived slight by Athletic Director Jeff Hathaway, as Burton alleges he was not consulted regarding the university's choice of hiring Paul Pasqualoni as the new football coach.

Robertson Memorial Field House

The Field House was dedicated on December 17, 1949, and named in honor of Alfred J. Robertson, usually known as "Robbie" or "A.J.", who served as Bradley's coach and athletic director for 28 years.

Thomas Trueblood

Trueblood continued as golf coach until he was 80, when athletic director Fielding H. Yost named him emeritus coach.

Todd Graham

At Rice, athletic director Chris Del Conte helped Graham raise $5.5 million for renovating Rice Stadium and replacing the dated AstroTurf with FieldTurf.

Tom Goss

One month after taking over as athletic director, Goss fired the school's head basketball coach, Steve Fisher, for his involvement in violations relating to the scandal.

Winfrey Sanderson

Watts' lawsuit against Sanderson, the university and then-athletic director Hootie Ingram, was settled out of court, days before it was scheduled to go to trial.