OU athletic director Joe Castiglione to announce future retirement plans
OU athletic director Joe Castiglione announces future retirement plans
Wow, I don’t know what y’all are here for, but, um. Good morning. Thank you so much for being here. I, um I stand here today in my 28th year. Serving this great university. Feeling both humbled and honored. Sort of like that spring afternoon. In 1998 when I was standing on the steps of Evans Hall, being introduced as the 11th director of athletics in Oklahoma’s history. You can only imagine the rush of emotions that might be going through. So, um, usually I’m more of an extemporaneous type speaker. But there are *** lot of emotions today, and I want to I want to make sure we stay on point. And I’m going to use some prepared remarks, so indulge me because Um, just seeing you all even evokes emotions. We’re in an emotional business and I’ve never ever shied away from shying, uh, sharing my passion or showing it. So why are we here? In the past couple of months, I’ve moved from *** fleeting thought to some deep life reflections we all do that from time to time thinking about my career, my life journey, my family, my faith. I guess you could say life itself. In 1979. Just before I was. Graduating from the University of Maryland, I was offered *** full-time job at Rice University. Obviously excited. I accepted the full-time role. It was the first step in my life where I was going to bet on myself. And show that you could take something that no one has ever heard about. Back then Now it was *** different story, but sports marketing at the collegiate level. No one was doing that. And I took that full-time job and I have been working full time ever since. No breaks No time, just being part of *** journey that is really not work. It’s ***, it’s *** privilege to do what I do. So here I am in my thirty-3rd year as director of athletics. Simply put, I love what I do. I love being able to serve the University of Oklahoma in so many ways as I mentioned, it’s just not work work as people would think it’s really *** privilege. However, from time to time one does. Take *** moment to ponder one’s path, one’s future. It’s *** decision making kind of rubric. When is the right time? When is the right time to pass the baton? When is the best time to make an announcement like this? Not sure it’s ever perfect or predictable. But they always say you’ll know. Well, I see *** friend of mine here, multi Emmy Award winner, producer for CBS, and it just made me think of uh. *** certain kind of moment. There’s this iconic moment if you’ve ever watched the Masters on CBS, um. Where after the tournament is concluded, um, Jim Nance, the previous Masters champion, the new Masters champion, goes to Butler Cabin. They have *** few moments of conversation and then just almost punctual. Jim Nance turns to the chairman. And says, Mr. Chairman, It’s that time. So, now is that time. And I’m I mixed emotions like you would expect, but I’m really excited about the future. So today it’s more appropriate like Madam Chairman, Mr. President, it’s that time. But I also want to do what’s right for everyone involved. That’s just the way I am. He helping facilitate *** smooth transition over this upcoming academic year. I wanted to give the university plenty of runway to facilitate *** search. As I enter my final year as AD. I’m really grateful they’ve asked that I’d stay on in *** role for *** couple of years not only to help with the transition, but there’s some really special and key projects for our future here at Oklahoma that I’m gonna be very proud to help the whole staff in the university at large see to fruition. So I technically won’t officially retire until July 28, yeah, July 28, and that’ll mark 30 years of me serving the University of Oklahoma. Although amongst all the emotions that you have for making *** decision like this. Um, above all, It’s *** profound sense of eternal gratitude. And pride in everything that we have done all together, everybody, it’s never about one person it’s about the collective efforts and I remember we stood on those same steps at Evans Hall and introduced the the brightest and greatest new coach in college football and become one of the greats of all time in college football history, Bob Stoops, and he said those exact words and they have always remained true. From the academic achievements to the numerous. Championships, the development of all kinds of new resources for student athletes to massive growth of fan engagement, it proves that when sooners look for the magic and everything we do. Great things and success will follow. Anything we’ve done. Is due to working with. And for great people. You have so many people to thank and recognize. Don’t worry. I’m not gonna start thanking them all right here. I have uh. The next weeks and months, you know, to do that, and you can rest assured I certainly will. But for the purposes of today, I want to start by thanking the most important people. In my life, and that’s my family. Everyone knows it’s absolutely impossible to be successful in the roles like people like me have without the support of one’s family and especially one spouse. OK, y’all, let’s just get this out there. It’s many. Examples like this. Where you just can’t avoid your life and personal milestones intersecting with work and business and it’s just what we do you just have to know if you’re in this world it’s going to be intertwined. So I’ve apologized profusely to my wife, but today is our 30th wedding anniversary. So, of course. So of course we had to make an announcement like this. No, it just worked out as *** total coincidence. It’s also coincidentally my um son Jonathan and our daughter-in-law Jenna’s second anniversary, they didn’t plan that either. That was *** serendipitous moment. They said July 8th, is that somebody’s birthday? No. You need to know your mom and dad’s anniversary. It’s just, again, how life paints the pictures. Incredible. Perhaps though that’s fitting because. My decision to move on from the full-time role in the next year. is truly about, you know, the next step in. Our lives journey. I want to spend more time with them. Undoubtedly, you know, this job like coaches and staff and anybody around the country that do do this like we all do presidents, it takes you away from *** lot of what your family does we’ve. Been lucky we’ve captured every moment we could, but my wife Kristen, woo, she. She is the unsung hero of these past 27 years. We moved away from her home in Missouri to come here. She has been the one who has lifted up our family, and there are all kinds of stories that I could tell about that. But she also recognized that athletics is more of *** calling. It’s, it’s *** vocation it’s not *** job really you are called to do this. You were called to help people and we choose this path and we’ve had *** lot of fun doing it. She was amazing at finding the ways to uh adjust can’t tell you how many. Dinners, we had up in the stands watching events. The kids were running the stairs, had no idea what was going on, but we were there, wanted to be there for all of our athletes over the years. Um, and that’s not even counting when they were. Um, involved in their own activities, sports or whatever, growing up, we just had ***. *** lot of blessings because she was the one charting the course. And uh I’d be remiss if I just didn’t ask her to stand up right now and I can thank the love of my life, Kristen. Of course, I’m equally proud of my two sons and now my daughter-in-law. Joe Junior and Jonathan. Joe was just *** year and *** half old when we came here. He, he didn’t really, she’s just kind of figuring out things. Um, so both of them and Jonathan born here, sooner, born sooner bred, as they say, they’ve only, only known being *** sinner. And they’ve lived it to its fullest and will always be proud to be *** sooner, um. It’s also not easy for kids to grow up in the environment we’re in, um, father’s the athletic director and people being who they are stopping them it didn’t matter what age. There it could be 4th grade, 6th grade, high school, it didn’t matter their peers talking to them about what’s going on, you know, you’d be amazed at what some of the kids would say, where did they hear it probably from their parents, you know, but they’d say it to them. And um they were always passing on suggestions for coaches hires, even the teachers were doing that. So, um, I know, I know it was challenging. And uh we talked about it. You can prepare for it and our coaches do the same thing with their kids. But um I’m just really proud of the way they handled all of those moments with class and dignity. It’s not easy, um. It was so gratifying when both of them chose to come to be the um Sooners again by attending the University of Oklahoma. And so between the 4 or 5 of us. We have 5 and soon to be 6 degrees from the University of Oklahoma, including one that I. Earned um master’s degree while I was here. That was *** fun experience we could talk about another time. So I love you all. I just, again, you have no. True understanding what *** family goes through unless like coaches you live it so can I just ask my family to stand up and I want to publicly thank you for all your patience, all your sacrifice, and for living what’s best and serving our university too, even though you weren’t working, but you represent the best of the best of what *** sooner is all about thank you please guys for standing up my family. OK, thank you guys. I love it. So everyone knows the story of you recruiting me away uh from Missouri. I was in my 5th year as athletics director there. We really had things rolling. I was happy. But David Boren and Chuck Ninus were really persistent. They kept calling. I told them no, actually twice. But the 3rd time was the charm and uh boy am I blessed it happened. I will be eternally grateful to them. The general counsel at the time, Joe Harris, the board, everybody that was involved in bringing me to Oklahoma. I’ve been so fortunate to work here, work for *** great university and state leadership, many of which I’ve known personally throughout this time. I want to thank all the members of the board of regents, those that were in place then, and all those that I’ve served with and served themselves, and I’m so proud that 4 of them and thankful for you all that you’re here today, um, I appreciate you. Madam Chair, the vice chair, Bob, Rick. McKenzie Wong, another one of my fellow executive officers, which by the way I want to thank them as well. There are *** lot of those that, uh, you don’t just do anything by yourself here. I told you at the beginning this is *** moment of expressing gratitude. I thank you all because it’s been *** partnership, um, through all this time I mentioned, you know, the general counsel at the time when I arrived, my good friend. Joe Harris, so say for about 2 years, we have worked together. And he is in the 6th year of just executing bold vision, amazing leadership, uniting this um university with people throughout the state, this region, this country we have *** specific path. I know we’re gonna get to the goals that we set for ourselves. He’s relentless in pushing everybody, which definitely great leaders do. And I couldn’t be more thankful to have served with you, my friend Joe thank you so so much to the faculty, to the university community, everybody intersects, believe me they do so thank you for the great relationships that we have and and enjoy throughout the years. I want to express my sincere appreciation to the amazing donors for the transformative power that they have in investing in our university along with the greatest fan base in the world, Sooner Nation. Um, look, we live in times where we can express our passion no matter what people say it’s never gonna be perfect, all positive, but believe me, continue to express it because that’s what drives us in our program forward by people staying engaged and actively engaged so thank you. I thank the members of the media whether it’s local, regional, national, uh, I had many uh media related jobs earlier in my career I’ve had um opportunity to be behind the camera and do certain things that many of those that are here today and around have done. I always have great respect for you. um I’ve always tried to be accessible and approachable and try to help you with um. Right information because I know what you’re trying to do and what we’re trying to do and it’s best when we can find ways as awkward as it might be at times to be on the same page. So thank you for what you do and covering the University of Oklahoma and everything that goes with it. Um, And finally, I’ve been positively influenced and blessed to be around incredible leaders, be it here. Be it throughout our conference, um, around the country, the national, uh, committees in which I’ve been able to serve, um, so many different ways, um, had *** lot of mentors work with *** lot of great leaders, conference commissioners, my fellow AD colleagues. The wisdom that you can gain from them, the counsel, the willingness that they always have to share ideas, um, it really helps make everybody better and we need more of that in our world, and I hope that can continue to help support the best of the best with the future of college athletics needs. um, when I first accepted this role, I knew it would be challenged and demanding course. But that’s also what inspired me to seize the opportunity. Any new leader should and I did, brought *** bold vision, strong set of core values with me, but I knew I had to seek first to understand the situation so I could refine the plan and engage others in the process. I hope to have *** transformative effect on you. What I couldn’t fully understand and appreciate at the time. Is how much this job in this place wouldn’t actually transform me. As you athletics evolved. One Struggled and won again. I felt myself not only learning, growing. And wanting more. And I owe much of that to the amazing student athletes, the coaches, um, the staff that we work with day and night. Their hard work made me work harder. The determination made me more determined to help them be successful. Their commitment made me more committed to be there for them every step of the way. I’ve often said that the measure of program isn’t just the banners that hang on the walls or the trophies in the case. It’s in the journey. With the lives that we touch, that’s where the special sauce exists. Including in that is the values that we stand for over nearly 3 decades I’ve seen firsthand what amazing things can happen when *** group of people believes in something bigger than any one person. That’s been our mantra and it should always be the mantra of the University of Oklahoma. Together, we’ve weathered adversity. Which at times has paid paved I should say the way to celebrate historic achievements and unforgettable victories we’ve watched generations of student athletes grow into leaders on the field, on the court, wherever, and then into their careers and in their communities we’ve proven that excellence and character are never mutually exclusive. That is something that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. So to our coaches, past and present. You have set *** standard for what it takes and means to lead with purpose. To our staff, past and present. Your commitment has been the backbone of everything we do. And most importantly to our number one priority, our primary purpose for why we exist. Our student athletes, all of them, past and present. You are our why. The reason this entire program exists. And you have made every early morning, every late night, anything in between. All worth it and I also wanna thank the the people who support them behind the scenes, their families for believing in University of Oklahoma and trusting us with your son, daughter, grandson, granddaughter, brother, sister, whatever. You believed in this mission and you helped us carry it forward. So as I move into the new year I’m more committed than ever to finishing strong and ensuring *** smooth transition, the future of this program is really bright because of the people in this room and beyond. The people who show up every day with integrity, passion, and that unshakable belief that sports can really unite us and then change lives. That’s what we do that’s the power in what we do. So this is certainly not *** farewell or goodbye, but as I said at the beginning, I’m gonna spend all my time thanking people because without them I’m not standing before you. When the time comes for me to move out of this current role, I can assure you. That our family will continue to be proud Oklahomans. This is our home. This is our community. You will see us everywhere. You will see us in the stands. You will see us cheering for the program, the athletes, and anything this university does going forward. We want to celebrate those milestones with the university as well. And like I’ve been doing as an athletic director, you know, the, the role you have with athletes and coaches and staff never stops, so I’ll continue to take all those um calls and requests to uh write *** write *** letter of reference or make *** call to *** future employer it’s, it’s all good we’ll continue to do that, um. So even though we’re not done yet, I do want to thank you for giving me this true honor of leading this program. I thank you for your trust, your dedication. Your friendship We’ve accomplished so much and I’m excited about what this year has in store for us, and I look forward to sharing the journey with you, Boomer sooner.
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After almost 30 years leading the University of Oklahoma’s athletic department, Joe Castiglione announced that he plans to retire in the coming years. Castiglione, who became athletic director in 1998 and also serves as the university’s vice president, will retire effective June 2028.”Serving as the University of Oklahoma’s Athletics Director is the honor of my lifetime,” Castiglione said. “Nearly three decades ago, my family moved here, and Sooner Nation welcomed us home with open arms and hearts. In that time, my experience has been a collective one, achieving new heights of excellence with our student-athletes, coaches, staff, university administration, and of course, our fans. I’m filled with immense pride in all we’ve accomplished together, and I’m energized by what comes next.” Since Castiglione became athletic director, the Sooners have won 117 conference titles and 26 national championships – accounting for more than half of the university’s championships. OU also has produced 71 individual national champions and 97 academic championships. The announcement comes on a special day for Castiglione. He and his wife are celebrating their 30th wedding anniversary and their son and daughter-in-law are celebrating their second anniversary on Tuesday. Watch the funny moment he acknowledged it below. The search committee for Castiglione’s replacement will be led by OU football chair Randall Stephenson. Castiglione will serve as an advisor to the committee and will assume the role of emeritus athletics director once that person is named and arrives on campus. University officials said Castiglione will also support the athletics department in fundraising and provide counsel and assistance through the transition. Video Below: OU president Joseph Harroz Jr. speaks at AD Joe Castiglione’s retirement announcement Castiglione is a six-time national athletics director of the year and was inducted into the National Association of Collegiate Marketing Administrators Hall of Fame in 2003 and the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame in 2018. Video Below: Sooner fans say Joe Castiglione will leave lasting legacy as he announces retirement“There is a reason Joe has been called the best athletics director in the country: because no one has done it better,” OU President Joseph Harroz Jr. said. “Under his leadership, Sooner Magic has thrived with an incredible number of national championships and conference titles, transformation of our world-class athletics venues, a top-notch fan experience, and an abiding focus on our student-athletes. The University of Oklahoma, its legions of fans and the state of Oklahoma owe Joe a debt of gratitude for his more than 27 years of service.” Video Below: OU Board of Regents Officer Anita Holloway talks legacy of AD Joe CastiglioneTop HeadlinesOklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department closing state park restaurants until further noticeTIMELINE: Storms with risk of damaging wind, flash flooding possible Tuesday in OklahomaAmbulance and police respond after vehicle crashes into stone sign outside SW OKC neighborhoodAmazon Prime Day 2025 live updates: The best deals we’re finding on Day 1 of Prime DayHow to avoid scams during Amazon Prime Day
After almost 30 years leading the University of Oklahoma’s athletic department, Joe Castiglione announced that he plans to retire in the coming years.
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Castiglione, who became athletic director in 1998 and also serves as the university’s vice president, will retire effective June 2028.
“Serving as the University of Oklahoma’s Athletics Director is the honor of my lifetime,” Castiglione said. “Nearly three decades ago, my family moved here, and Sooner Nation welcomed us home with open arms and hearts. In that time, my experience has been a collective one, achieving new heights of excellence with our student-athletes, coaches, staff, university administration, and of course, our fans. I’m filled with immense pride in all we’ve accomplished together, and I’m energized by what comes next.”
Since Castiglione became athletic director, the Sooners have won 117 conference titles and 26 national championships – accounting for more than half of the university’s championships. OU also has produced 71 individual national champions and 97 academic championships.
The announcement comes on a special day for Castiglione. He and his wife are celebrating their 30th wedding anniversary and their son and daughter-in-law are celebrating their second anniversary on Tuesday. Watch the funny moment he acknowledged it below.
The search committee for Castiglione’s replacement will be led by OU football chair Randall Stephenson. Castiglione will serve as an advisor to the committee and will assume the role of emeritus athletics director once that person is named and arrives on campus.
University officials said Castiglione will also support the athletics department in fundraising and provide counsel and assistance through the transition.
Video Below: OU president Joseph Harroz Jr. speaks at AD Joe Castiglione’s retirement announcement
Castiglione is a six-time national athletics director of the year and was inducted into the National Association of Collegiate Marketing Administrators Hall of Fame in 2003 and the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame in 2018.
Video Below: Sooner fans say Joe Castiglione will leave lasting legacy as he announces retirement
“There is a reason Joe has been called the best athletics director in the country: because no one has done it better,” OU President Joseph Harroz Jr. said. “Under his leadership, Sooner Magic has thrived with an incredible number of national championships and conference titles, transformation of our world-class athletics venues, a top-notch fan experience, and an abiding focus on our student-athletes. The University of Oklahoma, its legions of fans and the state of Oklahoma owe Joe a debt of gratitude for his more than 27 years of service.”
Video Below: OU Board of Regents Officer Anita Holloway talks legacy of AD Joe Castiglione
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