Despite beating Memphis, Tulane and Houston consistently on the field, the Golden Eagles got passed by during conference re-alignment because of the relatively small amount of TV viewers in south Mississippi. With a 24-65 record at the time, Southern Miss Athletic Director Jeremy McLain went to bat for Ladner. 266-5578. Gilbert has demonstrated an ability to develop and implement creative ideas; for example, he was instrumental in negotiations for the university to host a football game at Bristol Motor Speedway in 2016. Our focus is to continue to enhance the profile and success of The University of Southern Mississippi and detail_page_enabled: true, The athletic director position opened in December, when Richard Giannini announced For three years, USM seemed like there was a dark cloud over their basketball program because they had a time dealing with everything from the pandemic to previous sanction concerns to the whole team transferring. HATTIESBURG, Miss. McClain's new four-year deal will keep him under contract until April 30, 2026. Southern Miss has made the correct and probably long overdue decision to exit Conference USA and enter the Sun Belt Conference. "I look forward to continuing to work with our outstanding coaches, staff, and student-athletes to capitalize on our momentum and chart a new path forward.". team winning more games than any other team in history, and topping that with a conference the South End Zone and East Club suites, an artificial turf and new lighting at Carlisle-Faulkner inception to over 140 members. From December 2014 to August 2018, Mitchell managed the daily operations of the Santa Clara athletics department with a directed focus on external operations and revenue generation and included service as the Broncos interim Director of Athletics from April 2015 to August 2015. baseball team played in nine consecutive NCAA Regionals. Basketball? We understand there is plenty of work to be done, but myself and our staff are going to work tirelessly to take Southern Miss to new heights." Today, University President Dr. Rodney Bennett announced McClain as USMs next director of athletics following his three-and-a-half year run at Troy thus concluding a four month search process following the departure of Jon Gilbert to East Carolina back in December. 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. This button displays the currently selected search type. I recently had the fortunate opportunity to visit and speak with him and his son. Mitchell served as the interim Director of Athletics for six months during the 2018-2019 academic year in which the Golden Eagles posted their most competitive athletics season in more than a decade as all team sports registered winning seasons and baseball captured its fourth consecutive conference championship and advanced to the NCAA tournament. It was from there he returned to Southern Miss in 1974 to become athletic director. The success enjoyed during those Metro Conference days was one of the key factors in Southern Miss' membership today in Conference USA. Make no mistake, Southern Miss has made the correct and probably long overdue decision to exit Conference USA and enter the Sun Belt Conference. A shoulder injury cut short his professional career. Look for the "Republish This Story" button underneath each story. The 1947 and 1948 squads posted a 17-3 record and the 1947 team captured the Southeastern Conference Championship. The After working for the NCAA in 1976 and "It was the only week of vacation I get during the year. Roland Dale was a true visionary and will be missed by the entire Southern Miss family.". "I think anybody in this situation is going to . nine grandchildren. and Scheduling Committees. : Why Southern Miss baseball will and won't make a deep NCAA Tournament run in 2023. He came back to Southern Miss from Troy where he served as athletic director for nearly four years. widget: true, Jeremy McClain. "Four years ago I turned 65 - the same year I hired Larry Fedora and the same year we completed the new south end-zone complex in . 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. He was 81. Phone. Cody Bielstein, Assistant Director of Athletics Development. Judge rules in favor of UMMC in trial against former employees who stole patient records, Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License, Proudly powered by Newspack by Automattic. In Miami, they still turn the dial to watch the Gators, Seminoles and Hurricanes. - In conjunction with the school's first year in the Sun Belt Conference, Southern Miss Director of Athletics Jeremy McClain announced today the completion of a comprehensive strategic plan that will run through the end of 2025. * Competitive Excellence I am very fortunate to have good health which will allow me to spend Sun Belt Conference Commissioner Keith Gill, USM President Dr. Rodney Bennett and Southern Miss Athletics Director Jeremy McClain were present for the announcement. He keeps it on his . Here's the score. As the Broncos chief financial officer from 2014 to 2018, Mitchell led the department to three consecutive years of record financial growth with year-over-year increases in operating budgets and in revenue generation (2016-2018). 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. On this week's episode of Inside Southern Miss Athletics, Director of Athletics Jeremy McClain stops by to talk about men's and women's basketball, the upcoming Sun Belt Conference basketball championships in Pensacola, Florida, and the start of the baseball and softball seasons. following organizations: Whoops! The move won't take place until July 1, 2023 . Mitchell negotiated the partnership's new long-term, multi-million dollar agreement, which began in July of 2020. . A memorial service will be held at noon ET, Thursday, Oct. 3 in the Sanctuary of First Presbyterian . All rights reserved. * Where We Are Going The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy. 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 . His arrival as athletic director at Southern Miss began when he was introduced at a press conference on January 29, 1974. national telecast of the College Baseball World Series for HBO, and produced numerous Gilbert is a graduate of Lenoir-Rhyne College in Hickory, N.C., where he was a three-year letterman on the football team. The former Southern Miss Golden Eagle athletics director and coach, Roland Dale passed away Sunday night in Jackson, MS. For years now, Conference USA, which Southern Miss joined in 1995, has seemed almost like a bicycle without handle bars: unsteady at best, direction-less at worst. which had a makeover which included an expansion to the men's and women's basketball Good coaches and good players are what make you better. I am proud to have served as sort of a mentor for Jon for the last many years and have always been impressed by his intentional efforts to grow in each and every area of responsibility he has been assigned. - Southern Miss Athletics would like to express our deepest sympathies to the family of Roland Dale and the Southern Miss community on the passing of his death. map: false, (WHLT) - The University of Southern Mississippi (USM) Director of Athletics Jeremy McClain extended his stay with a four-year contract. Help keep the momentum going by rejoining our member community today. (WHLT) - The Sports Zone 12 team will be live on Friday, March 3 for the Sun Belt Basketball Conference Championship Tournament. "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. Sports Director Blake Levine will be live from the Pensacola Bay Center for the tournament with the latest updates and coverage on Southern Miss. University of Southern Mississippi Director of Athletics Richard Giannini announced "Jeremy has demonstrated exemplary service and dedication to our Department of Intercollegiate Athletics," University President Rodney D. Bennett said in a news release. 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. Vollmuth, Assistant Coach / Coordinator of Camps, Lauren Pittman, Assistant Coach Recruiting Coordinator, Shannon Dawson, Offensive Coordinator / Quarterbacks, Tim Billings, Assistant Head Coach / Defensive Coordinator / Safeties, Chris Boone, Assistant Coach / Defensive Line, Brock Hays, Assistant Coach / Tight Ends, Eddie Hicks, Assistant Coach / Cornerbacks, Les Koenning, Assistant Coach / Running Backs, Erik Losey, Assistant Coach / Offensive Line, Derek Nicholson, Assistant Coach / Co-Defensive Coordinator / Linebackers, Scott Walden , Assistant Coach / Inside Wide Receivers & Tight Ends, Wes Turner , Director of Player Personnel, Nikki Mattison , Administrative Assistant, Dexter Hollingsworth , Offensive Graduate Assistant, Bryan Stork , Offensive Graduate Assistant, Akeem Davis, Defensive Graduate Assistant, Aaron Walker , Defensive Graduate Assistant, All Recruiting Correspondence , (601) 266-5393 | Fax: (601) 266-6597, Aaron Kindt, Assistant Coach / Cross Country Coach. "As we make the exciting transition to the Sun Belt Conference on July 1st, there has never been a more critical time for our athletics department," McClain said in the press release. On Tuesday, McClain said his school and others who leave CUSA are contracted over two years to pay the equivalent of what a share of CUSA distribution would be for those two years. Email. Hammond has served as interim athletics director since January. "Today, we announce that he will also play a significant role in shaping . Under Giannini's tenure, Southern Miss Athletics has captured 13 Conference USA championships, Turk were building strong programs that competed at a high level as an independent. He was chairman of the C-USA athletic directors' committee You can only publish select stories individually not as a collection. According to the filing, then-Southern Miss athletic director Jon . 3) That all the tools we need to be successful already exist within the Southern Miss family University of Southern Mississippi average salary is 47 percent lower than USA average and median salary is 80 percent lower than USA median. The committee is charged with assisting University President Dr. Martha Saunders with the selection of the next athletic director, and is chaired by Spencer Adams, president of the University's Athletic . 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. The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy. Southern Miss Athletic Foundation / Eagle Club. Mitchell helped finalize the Universitys first comprehensive apparel deal with Nike valued at more than $2.5 million and helped administer plans for $58 million in facility projects to include a new soccer facility, softball stadium, aquatics center, and upgrades to basketball locker rooms and a basketball court re-design. When expanded it provides a list of search options that will switch the search inputs to match the current selection. Schools are alphabetized by commonly used short name, regardless of their official name. The Amory . 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. Following his Ole Miss career, Dale played in the Blue-Gray All-Star Game before playing defensive end during the 1950 season with the Washington Redskins. His knowledge and insight into the world of collegiate athletics has allowed him to Economic impact: The Hattiesburg economy hit a home run with 3 weeks of 'Baseburg'. discovery: { Your email address will not be published. When Jeremy McClain took over as the school's eighth Director of Athletics, he knew that he would have to roll up his sleeves and get to work. 5) That if we execute what we can control, at a high level, then success will take care of itself Ryleigh, Kyle, Avery, Mackenzie and Landon. first-year bowl in NCAA history. The Sun Belt will be more of a bus league. He also trimmed operating expenses in multiple areas, negotiated a multi-million-dollar apparel deal for athletic programs, and planned, installed and managed the department's cost-of-attendance program. category_id: null, If you share our stories on social media, please tag us in your posts using. TV market-size is how Southern Miss got left behind in CUSA in the first place. Taylor Park/Hill Denson Field. Local Mississippi Breaking News Story from CBS 12 New . At 7 jersey to Golden Eagle football coach Will Hall at his introductory press conference Dec. 7 at Reed Green Coliseum. Southern Miss deputy athletics director Jeff Mitchell is expected to be named Ball State's athletics director, according to ESPN. an ability to build additional links to all areas of campus and focus on A Houlka native, McClain knows Mississippi.