Athletic director, director of student activities, assistant principal for athletics, dean of athletics, and athletic program manager are just a few of the many titles associated with a position in interscholastic athletic administrator. But titles can be deceiving, and it can be a mistake to generalize the job or the work by just the title. If considering a move into administration, do your homework so you can be confident the move is the right decision for you.

Last summer, Coach & Athletic Director invited four athletic administrators to an on-demand webinar to discuss creative ways to raise funds amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, a year later, as we emerge from that tumultuous tunnel, it is still important to carry out the ideas we thought of in a post-pandemic world.

I used to think being an athletic director was easy. From my point of view, it looked like the sort of dream job former athletes could thrive in and still stay close to sports.

The recent interim adoption of name, image, and likeness (NIL) rules by the NCAA has already muddied the waters for soon-to-be collegiate student-athletes on whether they can earn NIL profits at the high school level.

With the news of Big 12 perennial powers like the University of Texas and Oklahoma University trying to leave the conference in favor of the SEC, the Pac-12 Conference has also been in talks with the Big 12 about a possible merger or re-alignment.

{Sponsored} Coaches are unique among other teachers. Coaches get to influence players’ skills on and off the football field. They teach life lessons other faculty may not have the opportunity to teach. Coaches forge their student-athletes with a sense of purpose, a positive view of continued physical fitness for life and build relationships that last past the students’ final seasons on the team.