Arizona hires Desireé Reed-Francois as athletic director to navigate move to Big 12

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — Arizona has hired former Missouri athletic director Desireé Reed-Francois to guide the athletics department through financial difficulties prior to the school’s move to the Big 12. Reed-Francois agreed to terms on a five-year contract that will start at $1 million per year, pending approval by the Arizona Board of Regents. She replaces Dave Heeke, who was fired after seven years last month, and will become the first female to hold the full-time AD job at Arizona when she takes the reigns on March 3. Reed-Francois spent the past three years as Missouri’s AD, helping stabilize a department that had operated at a deficit for five years.