Longtime Athletic Director Jim Jarrett To Retire

Jim Jarrett, Old Dominion’s athletic director for the past 40 years, has announced that he will retire in June 2010.

Jarrett came to ODU in 1967 as an associate professor of health and physical education and was named athletic director in 1970, succeeding Bud Metheny. Under his leadership, Monarch teams have won 28 national championships and maintained a 91 percent exhausted graduation rate.

Old Dominion was competing on the NCAA Division II level when Jarrett took the reins in 1970, winning the school’s first national crown in 1975 in men’s basketball. The following year the Monarch athletic program made the leap to NCAA Division I.

Jarrett’s “selective excellence” philosophy of fielding teams in sports where ODU could be nationally competitive played a huge role in the program’s success. The athletic program has won the Virginia Sports Information Directors Cup a record 12 times for posting the highest, collective team-winning percentage among all of the state’s NCAA Division I universities.

A pioneer in intercollegiate women’s athletics, Jarrett became one of the first athletic directors in the nation to provide scholarships to female student-athletes in 1974. Of the 28 national team titles ODU has won on his watch, 18 of those have been achieved by women’s teams, with three in basketball, nine in field hockey and six in sailing.

In announcing his retirement, Jarrett recognized the university’s Board of Visitors, administrators and coaches for their support, adding, “I take great pride in the Monarchs’ success and appreciate the contributions that our many alumni and fans, the student body and our Big Blue Club have provided toward winning, graduation and championships.”

ODU President John Broderick said, “Jim Jarrett is highly respected by Old Dominion University fans and the collegiate athletic community as a whole. His creation and leadership of a well-regarded and successful Division I athletic program at Old Dominion stands as a model for programs across the country.”