Oklahoma athletic director Joe Castiglione will retire this upcoming school year, he announced Monday, ending the longest active tenure for an AD in major college sports. It will also end the run for one of the most successful and respected administrative voices in college sports.
Castiglione is entering his 28th year at the helm of the Sooners’ athletic department. He plans to stay on as athletic director emeritus and help with special projects.
Under Castiglione’s watch, Oklahoma has won 26 national championships (of the school’s 45 total) and 117 conference championships. Castiglione oversaw the football program’s return to glory when he hired former coach Bob Stoops before the 1999 season, and he led the school’s move into the SEC.
Before Oklahoma, Castiglione spent five years as the athletic director at Missouri, and 32 of his former employees have gone on to become athletic directors or commissioners, according to ESPN.
Castiglione is also the only AD to serve on the selection committees for the College Football Playoff, men’s basketball tournament and baseball tournament.
The move comes at a tenuous time for the Oklahoma football program. Brent Venables has posted two 6-7 records over three seasons as head coach, but the program has invested heavily to get back on track this fall. The school hired offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle from Washington State, added Senior Bowl director Jim Nagy as general manager and brought in top transfers in quarterback John Mateer (Washington State) and running back Jaydn Ott (Cal).
Castiglione’s departure also comes at a changing time in college sports with the implementation of the House settlement. The OU Daily reported in May that the athletic department would lay off 5 percent of staff in preparation for revenue-sharing with athletes.
(Photo: Bryan Terry / USA Today via Imagn)
Chris Vannini covers national college football issues and the coaching carousel for The Athletic. A co-winner of the FWAA's Beat Writer of the Year Award in 2018, he previously was managing editor of CoachingSearch.com. Follow Chris on Twitter @ChrisVannini
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