Scoop27
09-30-2013, 04:59 PM
By Kirk Bohls and Ralph K.M. Haurwitz
Texas athletic director DeLoss Dodds will announce Tuesday afternoon that he will step down next August after 32 years in the position, three well-connected sources told the American-Statesman on Monday.
Dodds, 76, will announce his retirement after vigorously denying a report earlier this month that he would leave his job before the end of this year. Dodds will stay on through Aug. 31, 2014, and will remain on as a consultant through 2015. Dodds could not be reached for comment. He will receive a $1 million annuity in August.
"He's going to announce it tomorrow," one of the well-placed sources said. "They were going to do it today but decided to wait because they didn't want to detract from the passing of (legendary former Longhorn quarterback) James Street."
Under Dodds' time, the school has soared into national prominence. Texas has made more than $400 million worth of facility upgrades. Dodds hired Mack Brown and Augie Garrido who produced one football and two baseball national championships. And he engineered a 20-year, $300 million agreement with ESPN to form the Longhorn Network for the school's third-tier television rights. What's more, he helped build Texas' athletic program into the largest in the nation with an annual budget of $163 million.
The source said Texas President Bill Powers will lead the search for a successor and would very much like to have the position filled possibly before Dec. 1 although that's probably overly optimistic. The source added that West Virginia athletic director Oliver Luck, a graduate of the Texas Law School, would be an important candidate "to keep an eye on."
Another rumored candidate, Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby, has repeatedly denied that he would be interested in the Texas job.
Texas athletic director DeLoss Dodds will announce Tuesday afternoon that he will step down next August after 32 years in the position, three well-connected sources told the American-Statesman on Monday.
Dodds, 76, will announce his retirement after vigorously denying a report earlier this month that he would leave his job before the end of this year. Dodds will stay on through Aug. 31, 2014, and will remain on as a consultant through 2015. Dodds could not be reached for comment. He will receive a $1 million annuity in August.
"He's going to announce it tomorrow," one of the well-placed sources said. "They were going to do it today but decided to wait because they didn't want to detract from the passing of (legendary former Longhorn quarterback) James Street."
Under Dodds' time, the school has soared into national prominence. Texas has made more than $400 million worth of facility upgrades. Dodds hired Mack Brown and Augie Garrido who produced one football and two baseball national championships. And he engineered a 20-year, $300 million agreement with ESPN to form the Longhorn Network for the school's third-tier television rights. What's more, he helped build Texas' athletic program into the largest in the nation with an annual budget of $163 million.
The source said Texas President Bill Powers will lead the search for a successor and would very much like to have the position filled possibly before Dec. 1 although that's probably overly optimistic. The source added that West Virginia athletic director Oliver Luck, a graduate of the Texas Law School, would be an important candidate "to keep an eye on."
Another rumored candidate, Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby, has repeatedly denied that he would be interested in the Texas job.