Sports Director Blake Levine will be live from the Pensacola Bay Center for the tournament with the latest updates and coverage on Southern Miss. Mitchell was a member of the WCC basketball cabinet and served a three-year term on the NCAA Division I Baseball Regional Advisory Committee for the West Region (2015-2017). Mitchell spent five years at USM after being hired in . We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here. "Southern Miss has lost a legend as Roland Dale was an exceptional man, coach, and athletic director," said Southern Miss Interim Athletics Director Jeff Hammond. We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here. . Gilbert, who will begin his work no later than March 1, comes to Southern Miss from the University of Tennessee, where he has served as Executive Senior Associate . When Memphis, Houston, Tulane and others left, CUSA went after other large-market schools in belief they would give the league more TV appeal. Photo courtesy of USM Athletics Southern Miss has found their next Athletic Director. Butch Jones University of Tennessee Football Head Coach "Jon Gilbert is an absolutely great hire for Southern Miss and their athletics department. He knows what life is like in both leagues. He also arranged and produced the first Founded in 2016 as the states first nonprofit, nonpartisan newsroom, Mississippi Todays roots in Capitol coverage have grown to encompass a myriad of beats beyond politics and policy, including education, public health, justice, environment, equity, and, yes, sports. text: "Promote your event", Southern Miss, which has almost 400 student-athletes, fields the sports of baseball, basketball, football, golf, tennis, along with indoor and outdoor track and field for men, as well as basketball, beach volleyball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, tennis, indoor and outdoor track and field, along with volleyball for women. The Southern Miss Golden Eagles football team participates as a member of the Sun Belt Conference and plays its home games in M.M. inception to over 140 members. "Jeremy has demonstrated exemplary service and dedication to our Department of Intercollegiate Athletics," University President Rodney D. Bennett said in a news release. Southern Miss, Waters says, brings a rich history of winning and a historically strong fan base to the Sun Belt. * Where We Are Going He was 84 years old. Advertisement. Title. I'm proud of our efforts and my goal 13 years ago was to make Southern Miss a better virtual: false, We will miss him at Tennessee but looking forward to following his career at Southern Miss.". This week on Inside Southern Miss Athletics, John Cox, the Voice of the Golden Eagles, visits with Athletic Director Jeremy McClain and talks about the busy spring season and the upcoming Sun Belt Conference Basketball tournament. "I am extremely humbled and honored with the opportunity to be the Director of Athletics at Southern Miss, and I want to thank President Bennett for the confidence he has in me to lead the athletic department," Gilbert said. "I remember this moment very vividly," McClain said. Editorial cartoons and photo essays are not included under the Creative Commons license and therefore do not have the "Republish This Story" button option. Prior to taking the job at Troy, McClain served as USMs deputy director of athletics for three years and was the AD at Delta State for the five years previous to that. Southern Miss deputy athletics director Jeff Mitchell is expected to be named Ball State's athletics director, according to ESPN. "During Favre's fundraising efforts, in July 2017, the Southern Miss athletic director introduced Favre to New, a Southern Miss Athletic Foundation board member, as someone who could assist Favre with the fundraising. "I have known Jon throughout his time at Alabama and Tennessee, and he brings the right kind of vision and leadership that will serve Southern Miss well. The truth, however: North Texas does not really give you the Dallas-Fort Worth TV market, any more than Florida Atlantic and Florida International give you the south Florida market. Dont take it from me. A 21-member search committee began work on Monday toward identifying the University of Southern Mississippi's next athletic director. When expanded it provides a list of search options that will switch the search inputs to match the current selection. Dr. Dennis Phillips, Faculty Athletic Representative. I have been inducted into the Southern Mississippi Athletic and Student Halls of Fame. To be sure, TV revenue wont be that much higher in the Sun Belt than it was in CUSA, but TV exposure will be much more broad. While working for the NCAA in the mid-1970s, Giannini's responsibilities included Mitchell negotiated multi-million dollar deals with The Aspire Group to grow the departments ticketing and revenue generation efforts and with Van Wagner Sports and Entertainment to develop a comprehensive corporate sponsorship and multi-media rights program valued at $5 million. external affairs. Coastal Carolina baseball, which won the 2016 College World Series, finished last in its own division last season. Required fields are marked *, function evvntDiscoveryInit() { I have been fortunate to work with Jon over the past four years and really appreciate everything he has done for the football program. The year-long, experiential learning program is designed to elevate current senior-level administrators to the next step in reaching their goal of becoming directors of athletics or conference commissioners. McClain, the athletic director, must find new revenue streams to even hope to provide a better financial package for the next head coach. Southern Miss has been through five athletic directors (counting interims) in eight years. He has made several key personnel decisions during his tenure at USM, including the appointment of football coach Will Hall and men's basketball coach Jay Ladner. Mitchells work is recognized nationally as a co-author of a textbook entitledSport, Ethics and Leadership, which was published in July of 2017. I tried to go to the beach when it broke . Home. Four Sun Belt softball teams earned NCAA Tournament berths last season. - University of Southern Mississippi President Rodney D. Bennett has announced the hiring of Jon Gilbert as the University's Director of Athletics. Strong support professional with a Master's degree focused in Athletic Administration from Mississippi College. Let's put it this way: Steve Campbell, the South Alabama coach who whipped Southern Miss last Thursday night, makes $600 grand a year. He was the director of athletics for Troy, a . H.C. "Bill" McLellan Served as Southern Miss Athletics Director from 1986-1999. baseball and softball and one in volleyball and men's basketball. For questions, please contact Dr. Leslie Oglesby, LAT, ATC at 601-266-5495 or at Leslie.Oglesby@usm.edu. In Miami, they still turn the dial to watch the Gators, Seminoles and Hurricanes. The athletic director position opened in December, when Richard Giannini announced 12/08/2011 - 19:34pm | By: Jack Duggan. A cheat sheet, he called it. Email. With a 24-65 record at the time, Southern Miss Athletic Director Jeremy McLain went to bat for Ladner. Sun Belt Conference Commissioner Keith Gill, USM President Dr. Rodney Bennett and Southern Miss Athletics Director Jeremy McClain were present for the announcement. 5) That if we execute what we can control, at a high level, then success will take care of itself Dale served in this position for two seasons and the school posted a record of 16-3-1 while earning an invitation to the Tangerine Bowl. Clearly, he prefers the Sun Belt where the leadership, under commissioner Keith Gill, a rising star in college athletics, appears more sharply focused. The strategic plan includes a bold vision for the future of Golden Eagle athletics comprised of 25 strategic initiatives to be completed before the end of the 2025 calendar year. He then went to Ole Miss in 1960 as an assistant under the legendary Coach John Vaught, where he remained for 12 seasons, leaving to be head football coach at Southeastern Louisiana in 1972. Basketball? Schools are alphabetized by commonly used short name, regardless of their official name. Mitchell spent five years at USM after being hired in August 2018 . In 1955, Southern Miss' Pie Vann recognized Dale's coaching abilities and hired him to be the school's line coach. "I am excited about the future of Southern Miss Athletics under the leadership of Jon Gilbert," said President Bennett. Dale was named captain of the 1949 Ole Miss squad. Thu, Just last season, on one September Saturday, three Sun Belt teams played three Big 12 teams (two of those ranked) on the road. "This is an especially sad day for me as . During Mitchells Southern Miss tenure, the Golden Eagles have claimed five conference championships and have appeared in six post-season tournaments. I attended law school at Southern Methodist University and graduated in 1987. University of Southern Mississippi Director of Athletics Richard Giannini announced Ive seen it up close. A memorial service will be held at noon ET, Thursday, Oct. 3 in the Sanctuary of First Presbyterian . Division games will be drive-able, Waters said. He knows both entities well enough to know they are fit. Both Louisiana-Lafayette and Coastal finished in the top 15 of the Associated Presss final 2020 Top 25 poll. Said McClain, This move just makes sense geographically, for our fan base and, most of all for our student-athletes., Gill nodded as McClain spoke, and later added, The Sun Belt has gotten a lot better in recent years. I have worked hard over the last 13 years to try to make this a better program, and Mitchell also has served as a guest lecturer on the NCAA and intercollegiate athletics for the Sports Law class at the Santa Clara University School of Law and has been a panelist at multiple Sports Law forums. It was underway when Dale first arrived, but under-funded. A few days later he began his duties. Poole comes to Southern Miss after spending the last 11 years as the head coach at Memphis. "He brings to The University of Southern Mississippi an extensive background in athletic administration at the highest levels. Roberts Stadium.In 2008, after 17 years at the helm of the USM Football program, Jeff Bower was replaced by Larry Fedora.The football team won two College Division national championships (as Mississippi Southern College, in 1958 and 1962), and won three of the . He's positive and team-oriented, exactly what you want in an administrator and leader of your department. Any web site our stories appear on must include a contact for your organization. Giannini founded the Southern Miss Athletic Foundation, which has raised over $100 his retirement on today, effective in early January and will remain with the program * Strategic Facility Enhancements Southern Miss Basketball Coach Jay Ladner wants to see his Golden Eagles in the NCAA Tournament. publisher_id: "7055", Welcome to the Sun Belt," said Sun Belt commissioner Keith Gill to Southern Miss athletic director Jeremy McClain and president Dr. Rodney Bennett. Southern Miss has made the correct and probably long overdue decision to exit Conference USA and enter the Sun Belt Conference. After working for the NCAA in 1976 and Mitchell is a 2001 graduate of Millsaps College in Jackson, Mississippi, where he was a four-year member of the varsity baseball team and a four-year member of the athletic departments sports information staff. Jeremy McClain, the Southern Miss athletic director, believes the annual travel expenses for all athletic programs will be reduced between $500,000 and a million dollars. HATTIESBURG, Miss. South Alabama, Louisiana-Lafayette and Georgia Southern are all traditionally strong programs. Heres what Dr. Bennett had to say about the big time hire earlier today: Jeremy McClain is uniquely qualified to lead our department of athletics to the successes we all envision. His role included leadership duties across the department from strategic planning and management, to external operations, academic affairs, and more. Im talking about things such as facilities, coaches salaries and recruiting budgets. Under his direction I couldn't be more excited for Jon, and for USM, that he is joining the Golden Eagle family in this capacity." - Southern Miss Director of Athletics Jeremy McClain announced Monday the hiring of Natalie Poole as softball coach. "Southern Miss perfectly matched those parameters, and my colleagues look forward to welcoming President Bennett and his colleagues to the Sun Belt Conference." The University of Southern Mississippi, founded in 1910 and located in Hattiesburg, Miss., is a Tier-1 Research University that supports a student population of over 14,000. Ill put it to you this way, Waters said, Southern Miss can use all that money theyve been spending on jet fuel and spend it on things that make you better. I would like to wish Jon, his wife Katie, and their family well." "Jeff Hammond has been an important part of our University's past as an outstanding student-athlete and our present as a staff member whose energy and passion for Southern Miss knows no end," Lucas said. Good coaches and good players are what make you better. Good driving record, valid driver's license, and a . The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy.