UH Names Mack Rhoades Director of Athletics

HOUSTON, TEXAS (June 11, 2009) University of Houston President Renu Khator todaynamed Mack B. Rhoades IV as the university’s new athletics director,succeeding Dave Maggard, who retired in May. Rhodes will assume his newduties this fall.

Rhoades, 43, has been the athletics director at the University of Akronsince 2006, overseeing a period of unprecedented growth in the Zipsathletics program that includes a new $54 million on-campus football stadiumscheduled to open in the fall, an indoor football practice facility andstudent center, and plans for basketball arena improvements to begin in thespring.

Under Rhoades’ leadership, Akron also made significant progressacademically. The Zips entered the 2008-2009 calendar year with 478 Deans’List honorees since Rhoades arrived to go along with 16 championships won,including 10 Mid-American Conference Players of the Year and nineAll-Americans.

Rhoades came to Akron from the University of Texas-El Paso, where he rose tothe position of executive senior associate athletics director. He also hasbeen on athletic staffs at Yale and Marquette universities.

In selecting Rhoades, Khator said, “First and foremost, I wanted someonewho is passionate about the University of Houston and UH athletics.”

Rhoades will be formally presented to the University of Houston communityand the media at 11:30 a.m., today at the Great Hall of the Athletics/AlumniCenter. He emerged as the selection of choice following an extensivenational search conducted by an 11-person committee appointed by Khator.

In evaluating the candidates, the committee focused on recommending acandidate with strong leadership qualities, the ability to engage the UHcommunity, ensure that the athletics program remains on sound financialfooting and someone who will take an active role in community relations andfundraising – particularly for stadium construction. Rhoades has thesequalities in abundance, the committee agreed.

“We are building a Tier One university, and we will build a Tier Oneathletics program,” Khator said. “Academics is the cornerstone of ourathletics program – we are training student-athletes, and that will remainour focus. Dave Maggard did a lot to advance our academic standards, and wewant an AD who will build on that and keep academics as the first priority.Winning games is important, but helping young people be winners in the gameof life is essential. Mack Rhoades understands that this is what I expect.”

In overseeing 16 intercollegiate sports offerings at UH, Rhoades will face anumber of significant challenges, many involving issues and initiativessimilar to those he successfully managed at Akron.

UH has been instrumental in the process that helped attract the NCAABasketball tournament to Houston. Reliant Stadium will host the SouthRegional in 2010 and the Final Four in 2011 and 2016. The university also isconsidering a bold proposal to upgrade its 32,000-seat Robertson Stadium –including increasing amenities and the seating capacity of the 68-year-oldcampus edifice. The Houston Cougar football team and the Houston Dynamo professional soccer team play their home games at Robertson.

Rhoades will be expected to build on the recent success of the footballteam, which last year earned its first bowl victory in 28 years under theleadership of Kevin Sumlin, as well as ensure that all of the university’sintercollegiate sports remain competitive in Conference USA.

As Khator emphasized, a major thrust will be to oversee the continuedimprovement of graduation rates of UH student-athletes, which rose from 27percent to 59 percent during Maggard’s tenure. During Rhoades’ time atAkron, the graduation rate of student-athletes rose from 60 percent in 2006to 78 percent in 2007 and 68 percent a year ago.

Sumlin said he is excited about the hiring of Rhoades.

“He brings a wealth of experience to UH,” Sumlin said. “He knows Texas, andhe knows our conference. The experience he gained at UTEP will be invaluableto us. He did great things at Akron, including having success in fundraisingand building facilities.”

The university hired the Atlanta-based search firm of Parker ExecutiveSearch to assist the committee in the search, which produced a number ofcandidates with impressive credentials. The committee represents across-section of university life that typically interacts with universityathletics. Ken Bailey, an attorney, former UH quarterback and currentfundraising campaign chairman for athletics, and Carl Carlucci, executive
vice president for administration and finance at UH, served as co-chairs of
the committee.

Richard Scamell, a professor in the Bauer College of Business and thefaculty representative on the search committee, said he was highly impressedby Rhoades’ credentials.

“I consider him as clearly the best choice to lead the department ofathletics at the University of Houston at this time,” Scamell said. “Hecomes across as a ‘leads by example kind of person’: someone who is a teamplayer, a good listener, a hard worker and a most sincere person.

“He has initiated and been actively involved in academic programs at theUniversity of Akron that have led to increased success in the classroom.While at Akron, he implemented a class attendance policy forstudent-athletes and also a student-athlete code of conduct. Although thefederal graduation rate at the University of Akron is 35 percent, thefederal graduation rate for student-athletes is close to 70 percent. Ibelieve our student-athletes, coaches, staff and the university communitywill enjoy working with him.”

Other committee members are Jacob Monty, UH System Board of Regents;Wilhelmina E. “Beth” Robertson, UH donor and former chairwoman of the Boardof Regents; Beth Madison, UH alumna and donor; John O’Quinn, UH donor forwhom the football field at Robertson Stadium is named, and former UHSRegent; Michael Rierson, vice president for University Advancement; JudieLilie, chairwoman-elect, UH Alumni Association; Kenneth Fomunung, studentrepresentative; and Leroy Burrell, UH head coach, track and field, formerU.S. Olympian and gold medal winner, and staff representative.

Rhoades received a master’s degree in sport management/marketing fromIndiana University and a bachelor of science degree in health sciences fromthe University of Arizona. He and his wife, Amy, have three children: Nicolette M. Rhoades (15), Natalie M. Rhoades (13) and Noelle M. Rhoades (11).