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TENNESSEE NAMES DAVE HART VICE CHANCELLOR AND DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS
The University of
Tennessee today named Dave Hart as the school’s vice chancellor and
director of athletics. Hart, who was the director of athletics at
Florida State University for 12 years (1995-2007), currently serves as
the Executive Director of Athletics at the University of Alabama, where
he leads the day-to-day operations of the department.
“I
am very pleased to have Dave as our new vice chancellor and director of
athletics,” University of Tennessee Chancellor Jimmy Cheek said. “He
has extensive experience as an athletics director, and he has the
passion and drive to lead our great athletics program.”
Comprehensive
athletic success exemplified Hart’s tenure as the Florida State
athletic director, as a combined 35 ACC Championships were won by 10
different Seminole athletic programs during his tenure.
Additionally, the Seminole football team won nine ACC titles and
appeared in four national championship games, winning the 1999 BCS
National Championship with a Sugar Bowl victory over Virginia Tech.
The
men’s outdoor track and field also claimed two national championships
during that time, while the baseball program appeared in the College
World Series five times and the softball program won nine ACC titles
while playing the 2002 Women’s College World Series. During
Hart’s last full year at Florida State, the Seminoles finished 15th in
the Directors’ Cup, an all-time high for the institution.
Additionally,
during Hart’s three years at Alabama, the Crimson Tide claimed the 2009
BCS National Championship and the individual athletic teams posted a
combined eight top three finishes nationally over the last three
years. He has 20 years of service as a director of athletics,
including eight at East Carolina (1987-95), an athletic program he
joined in 1983 after coaching and teaching at the high school following
his graduation from Alabama.
“It is a privilege to be
named Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics at the University of
Tennessee,” Hart said. “To be entrusted to lead one of the nation’s
elite athletic programs is an exciting opportunity.
“I
want to thank Chancellor Cheek, and all of those involved in this
process for their confidence and commitment. I am anxious to
demonstrate my passion for Tennessee and the Volunteer Nation.”
Highly
respected as a visionary and industry leader, Hart’s career has
featured service as the president of both the National Association of
Collegiate Directors of Athletics and the Division 1A Athletics
Directors’ Association. A former recipient of the Robert R. Neyland
Award honoring lifetime achievement, Hart has also been named by his
colleagues as the Athletic Director of the Year for the Southeast
Region in both 2000 and 2005, one of a few select individual to receive
the honor multiple times.
During his 13 years at Florida
State, Hart negotiated unprecedented, multi-million dollar contracts
for the department totaling in excess of $175 million. He also
devised and executed an extensive and comprehensive facilities master
plan for athletics that eclipsed the $150 million mark. Hart
initiated a multi-faceted Student Development/Life Skills program for
all student-athletes at FSU, an endeavor recognized nationally as a
“Program of Excellence” by the Division I-A Athletics Directors’
Association. He spearheaded the rewriting of the department’s
mission statement to put the student-athlete at the core of athletic
department priorities in its goal to build comprehensive excellence
throughout all components of the department.
“Dave is as
good an athletic director as there is in the country,” legendary
Florida State Head Football Coach Bobby Bowden said. “He’s as
sharp of an AD as I’ve been around in 57 years. He knows what’s
important, and he’s a builder.”
Hart took a leadership
role in FSU athletics department’s first major Capital Campaign, in
concert with Seminole Boosters, which raised more than $75 million for
athletics facilities and served as the catalyst for a subsequent
effort. Within the Facilities Master Plan, there were several
state-of-the-art facilities constructed, including a soccer/softball
facility, a state-of-the-art Golf Facility and Teaching Center, a
Basketball Training Center, and major renovations to the tennis and
volleyball facilities.
Additionally, the Moore Athletics
Center and Dick Howser Baseball Stadium are among the nation’s best,
while a new aquatics facility and a renovation to the track building
were finalized in 2008.
In recognizing Hart’s position
within intercollegiate athletics, ACC Commissioner John Swofford said,
“Dave Hart is one of the best and most respected athletics
administrators in the business. He thoroughly understands the nuances
of major college athletics, and he has superb values to go along with
his vast experience in the field. He is a proven leader at the
conference and national levels.”
While at FSU, Hart made
many key head coaching hires, including the hiring of FSU’s first
African-American basketball coach in Leonard Hamilton. Under
Hart’s direction, FSU formalized a varsity club to encourage the
participation of former student-athletes in athletic department
activities. He also placed a significant focus on the growth of
women’s athletics at FSU, a commitment reflected in increased funding,
competitive success and facility upgrades.
Academic
success also accompanied Hart’s time at FSU, as the school became home
to the inaugural National Student-Athlete of the Year, a State of
Florida Woman of the Year recipient and a Rhodes Scholar. A
record number of FSU student-athletes made the ACC Academic Honor Roll,
were recipients of NCAA post-graduate scholarship awards and obtained
degrees. Student-athlete community service involvement became a
priority under Hart with student-athletes contributing more than 5,000
hours in community outreach projects.
Hart has also earned
the Athletics Directors’ Award for advancing the quality and progress
of student-athletes and the athletics program while at Florida State,
and in 2008, he received the James J. Corbett Award, the highest honor
bestowed by NACDA.
Hart’s commitment to service includes
considerable time on numerous national and conference committees,
including the NCAA Council, the NCAA Honors and Awards Committee and
the NCAA Special Events and Postseason Bowls Committee, and he has
consulted to the NCAA Student-Athlete Advisory Council.
Hart
was one of 11 athletic directors nationally who worked as an advisory
group to presidents and conference commissioners in ongoing meetings
and discussions regarding Bowl Championship Series (BCS) format options
and similar issues related to the football postseason. In
addition to his prominent leadership roles nationally, Hart had direct
involvement with the renegotiations of both of the ACC’s football and
basketball television contracts and chaired the ACC Television
Committee as well as the ACC Men’s Basketball and Football committees.
Hart
also played an integral role in the ACC expansion process that resulted
in the addition of three new members in Miami, Virginia Tech and Boston
College. He also served as Vice Chairman of the NCAA Football Board of
Directors where he represented NACDA and served with commissioners of
Division I-A conferences as well as past NCAA President Myles Brand.
Hart
has served as Executive Director of Athletics at Alabama since August
of 2008. Hart joined the UA Athletic Department after serving as
an advisor to the Atlantic Coast Conference and ACC Commissioner John
Swofford. A 1971 Alabama graduate, Hart played basketball for the
Crimson Tide under legendary head coach C.M. Newton and earned a
master’s degree from UA in 1972 while working as a graduate assistant
basketball coach.
A popular speaker at the national level,
Hart has made numerous speaking presentations nationally and presented
seminars on such topics as student-athlete welfare, marketing, gender
equity, facility master planning, negotiation skills and personnel
transition. He was an instructor at the National Association of
Collegiate Directors of Athletics Management Institute for 10 years and
currently is an annual presenter at the Division I-A Athletics
Directors’ Institute sharing with peers his knowledge and experiences
relating to athletics administration.
Hart met his wife,
the former Pam Humble, while at Alabama. Pam is a 1970 graduate of The
University of Alabama, and the couple has three children: Rick, who
serves currently as the athletic director at UT Chattanooga, Jamie and
Kelly. The Harts are the grandparents of five grandchildren: Trevor,
Caroline, McKinley, Olivia and Kingsley.
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