Mack Rhoades Named New Missouri AD

Photo Credit: Justin Tijerina-The Daily Cougar 

The University of Missouri Board of Curators announced today the hiring of University of Houston athletic director Mack Rhoades. Rhoades will replace current MU athletic director Mike Alden effective Aug. 31.

Alden announced his impending resignation at the end of January and will take a different role within the university in the MU College of Education.

Rhoades, who has been the athletic director at Houston since 2009, has had great success with the athletic program. Since his hire Rhoades like Alden successfully helped move Houston from Conference USA to the American Athletic conference in 2011.

Also in his time at Houston Rhoades hired a pair of championship winning coaches in Kelvin Sampson (basketball) and Tom Herman (football) that helped propel the basketball and football programs to new heights.

Rhoades will have the luxury of having more funds to work with at his new job, his first in a power-five conference. The funding from the SEC and the recent launch of the SEC Network are expected to increase revenue for Missouri in the coming years.

Since joining the conference Missouri has become a strong player in football winning back-to-back division titles in the SEC East under the school’s all time winningest coach Gary Pinkel, an Alden hire.

Rhoades will look to continue the success when he takes office at the end of August as the Missouri athletics program continues to grow within the conference.

Rhoades was selected to become the new athletic director after other notable athletic directors including Ole Miss’ Ross Bjork and Texas A&M’s Jason Cook took their names out of the running.

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