Oklahoma Athletic Director Joe Casiglione will begin the process of entering retirement, ending the longest-tenured run for a current AD in major college sports.

 

Castiglione will remain as athletic director emeritus, upon the hiring of his successor. The timing of the decision allows Oklahoma officials the ability to hire a replacement during the upcoming school year, and transition with Castiglione still on campus.

 

He is entering his 28th year at Oklahoma, and has seen 26 national titles, 117 league titles, and was an integral part of the Sooners' move from the Big 12 conference to the SEC. He won Athletic Director of the Year from the Sports Business Journal in 2009, and shared the award in 2018. He was also named the nation's top AD by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics in both 2000 and 2018.

 

The longtime leader of the Sooners' athletic department also leaves a legacy of giving back, serving on the College Football Playoff committee, the men's basketball selection committee, and baseball selection committee, the only AD to ever serve on all three. Additionally, 32 of Castiglione's employees have gone on to become athletic directors or commissioners.