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Athletics: Dr. Bryan Maggard Introduced As Louisiana Director Of AthleticsLAFAYETTE – Dr. Bryan Maggard, who spent the past 21 years in athletics administration at the University of Missouri, was officially introduced on Wednesday as Director of Athletics for the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns.
The hiring of Maggard, a native of Dexter, Kan., and Executive Associate Athletic Director at Mizzou, is subject to approval by the University of Louisiana Board of Supervisors.
"It had been 33 years since we’ve conducted such a comprehensive national search for an athletics director," University President Dr. Joseph Savoie said. "With the recent growth in our budget, in our fundraising, in our facilities, in our student-athlete academic rankings, in our athletic success, in our brand recognition and in our fan support, we needed to ensure furthering our momentum. I think our search proved effective."
Maggard takes over an Athletics Department at Louisiana that has seen tremendous success over the years. Louisiana released a three-tiered Athletic Facilities Master Plan in 2013, which has included upgrades to Cajun Field, new-and-improved facilities for soccer, track and field, and golf, plus the renovation of M.L. "Tigue" Moore Field at Russo Park.
"I am tremendously excited and very honored to be given this opportunity to help lead such a quality program at the University of Louisiana," Maggard said. "I’m humbled and I know I’m blessed, and I look forward to working with the great people who are here. I am grateful to Dr. (Joseph) Savoie for giving me this opportunity and I look forward to working with him in leading this University and athletic program to great success in the future."
In his role as Executive Associate Athletic Director, Maggard assisted the Director of Athletics in sport oversight of football, scheduling, facility design and construction, administrative and personnel management and holds leadership positions on the executive and senior management teams.
During his tenure at Missouri, Maggard provided leadership for numerous areas within the Department of Athletics to include academic services, athletic dining, athletic performance, equipment operations, sport and counseling psychological services, sports medicine, student-athlete development as well as the revenue-generating units of development, marketing, ticketing and multi-media rights. Additionally, Maggard was very involved in assisting the athletic department with its transition into the Southeastern Conference.
In 2012, Maggard began to assist with the design and construction of $100 million in facility projects that greatly enhanced the stadiums of the Tiger Football, Baseball, and Softball programs as well as the facilities for the Tiger Tennis and Golf teams.
Maggard taught Sport Management courses at Mizzou, as an adjunct professor, where he assisted campus leaders in establishing a Sport Management degree program. Maggard was also a member of the University of Missouri Graduate Faculty and served on doctoral examination and dissertation committees.
Prior to his stint at Missouri, Maggard had stops at Florida State University and Kansas State University, overseeing the academic support services for the Seminole and Wildcat football programs respectively.
Maggard has served his profession and community over the past several years. He is a certified APR consultant with the NCAA/N4A and has served has a facilitator for various student-athlete leadership summits. In 2005, Maggard was invited to serve on a NFL Continuing Education Program Advisory Committee and did so through 2009. He has served as an accreditation consultant in the for-profit education industry and provides program certification consulting for athletic academic support programs through the N4A. Maggard is a Past Board President for the Boys and Girls Club of Columbia.
Maggard received a bachelor’s degree in journalism and a master’s degree in health and physical education, both from Kansas State University. He received a Ph.D. in Educational and Counseling Psychology from the University of Missouri. He and his wife, Kerry, are proud parents of three children, Dalton, Aubrey, and Kaylin.
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