It's never easy to follow a living legend in any position in life. Yet, that is the job awaiting Joe Castiglione's replacement as the next athletic director at Oklahoma.
At a press conference on Tuesday, Oklahoma's longtime athletic director officially announced his plans to retire from the position he has held since April 1998. The upcoming academic year will be his last before stepping into a role as Emeritus Athletics Director before fully retiring on June 30, 2028.
Names have already surfaced as top candidates to follow Castiglione at Oklahoma. We've noted a few that potentially are at the top of the list for an opening as big as the one at Oklahoma.
The athletic director that follows Castiglione will be the 12th in the school's history. The next Oklahoma athletic director doesn't need to have personal ties to the Sooner State or to the athletic department in a past capacity. That precedent has been set with Castiglione, who graduated from Maryland and came from a job as Missouri's AD.
What are the major qualifications for the next OU athletic director?
So what are the prime qualifications that Oklahoma should be looking for in its next athletic director. Dari Nowkhah, SEC Network lead anchor and host of his own radio show on KREF "The Ref" in Norman, suggested three that I believe should be absolutely mandatory.
1. A passion and strong understanding of Oklahoma football, which as everyone knows is the king and driving force behind all of Oklahoma's athletic programs. What happens in football fuels the revenue for all the other athletic programs, as well as the perception of the athletic department in general. Without this firm understanding, there is little chance for success in the position. It's that important.
2. Proven hands-on experience running a major college athletic department in this new era of college athletics (i.e., transfer portal, NIL, revenue share). This is almost a no-brainer. Understanding what makes an athletic program successful in this new world order of college sports and experience dealing in a positive way with the challenges and issues impacting college athletics today.
3. Come to Oklahoma with the vision and understanding that it will be your final stop in your athletic director career progression. In other words, don't consider the Oklahoma job as a stepping stone for a bigger and better job. Oklahoma is one of the premier athletic administrative jobs in the country and should viewed and respected as such.
I would add the importance of building and maintaining good relationships and earning the respect of the coaches, players and employees who work in the athletic department, as well as establishing good fan relations and support. The AD also serves as the chief fundraising officer, so skills and experience in this area are paramount.
Oklahoma has a long history of hiring people in the athletic director's position who have ties to the university as either a coach or player or the state, and in at least one case all three. Six of the 11 OU athletic directors served as head football coach. One (Lawrence "Jap" Haskell) was both a Sooner player and later head coach. Two (Wade Walker and Steve Owens) played for OU before becoming Sooner ADs.
Interestingly, Castiglione broke that mold. He is the only Oklahoma athletic director not to have a prior tie to the university or to the state of Oklahoma.
The next Oklahoma athletic director doesn't need to have personal ties to the Sooner State or to the athletic department in a past capacity. That precedent has been set with Castiglione.
This month, Castiglione begins his 28th year as the AD for the Oklahoma. He is the longest-tenured athletic director among Football Bowl Subdivision schools and also the longest-serving AD at Oklahoma. The search for Castiglione's replacement will be led by OU football chairman special adviser to the president and the director of athletics Randall Stephenson.
Once a replacement is hired and is on campus in Norman, Castiglione will assume the new role of athletic director emeritus and stay on in that capacity until 2028.
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