Mizzou names Mack Rhoades its new athletic director

Mack Rhoades will be the new athletic director at the University of Missouri, the school announced Monday morning. Rhoades will be introduced at a 2 p.m. news conference on Tuesday at the MU Student Center.

Rhoades spent the last six years as the University of Houston athletic director. Prior to working in Texas, he was also the athletic director at Akron University.

Mizzou states Rhoades will assume his new position in late April.

“Mack Rhoades brings a wealth of experience as a Division I athletic director to Mizzou, and he has demonstrated a commitment to our core values of academic integrity, social responsibility and competitive excellence,” Mizzou chancellor R. Bowen Loftin said in a statement. “I am delighted to welcome a leader with a track record of enhancing the student-athlete experience and a proven record in fundraising and facility development. We found the right fit at the right time to take Mizzou Athletics to even greater heights.”

“The University of Missouri is a world-class institution, and I am honored to serve as its next director of athletics,” Rhoades said in a statement through the University of Missouri.”Success begins with great people and I look forward to working with our talented student-athletes, coaches and staff to keep the athletics program among the nation’s elite.”

Loftin and Rhoades reportedly have crossed paths before. According to CBS Sports, Loftin considered Rhoades for Texas A&M’s athletic director opening while Loftin was the Aggies’ president in 2012. He eventually hired South Carolina’s Eric Hyman to take over in College Station.

Rhoades oversaw the construction of a new $120 million football facility. He recently hired Kelvin Sampson to be the head coach of the Cougars’ men’s basketball program. He also hired Ohio State offensive coordinator Tom Herman to replace Tony Levine, who he fired after three seasons as Houston’s football coach.

He also helped the school move from Conference USA to the American Athletic Conference in 2013.

Details of Rhoades’ contract with Mizzou are not known at this time. However the UM Board of Curators approved his deal Monday morning in a closed executive session. According to USA Today, Rhoades makes $537,600 annually at Houston.

Rhoades and his wife, Amy, have three daughters. He earned his bachelors degree at the University of Arizona and obtained his graduate degree from the Indiana University in sports management and marketing.

“Amy andthe girls and I are extremely excited to become members of the Mizzou family, and I am grateful for the opportunity to work with Chancellor Loftin and President Wolfe,” Rhoades said in his statement. ” I look forward to traveling the state to meet the fans who are the heartbeat of the Tigers.”

Rhoades replaces Mike Alden, who announced in February he will step down from his post. Alden will be an instructor at the College of Education.