Jeremy McClain Named Troy University Director of Athletics

TROY, Alabama – Jeremy McClain was introduced as Troy University's new Director of Athletics by Chancellor Dr. Jack Hawkins, Jr., at a press conference Friday morning. McClain, who has served as the Deputy Director of Athletics at Southern Miss for the past three years, succeeds John Hartwell, who was named Vice President and Director of Athletics at Utah State in July.

"We selected Jeremy McClain from a deep pool of applicants that included senior administrators from every major athletic conference in the nation," Dr. Hawkins said. "He has the right combination of experience, passion and leadership skills that we were seeking in our new AD. I am certain Jeremy will build on an already solid foundation and take TROY's program to an unprecedented level of success."

At Southern Miss, McClain oversaw the day-to-day operations of the Athletics Department, which featured over 100 employees and a $24 million budget. Additionally, McClain was responsible for revenue generation, which included licensing, corporate development, fundraising and ticket sales.

"I am honored to have the opportunity to serve Troy University as Director of Athletics," McClain said. "There is a great history and foundation of success here, and we plan to build on that as we continue to move toward a bright future for Troy Athletics.

"My family and I are eager to get here and connect with the community and the fan base. It is exciting time to be a Troy Trojan."

As the primary fundraiser for the Golden Eagles, McClain led a staff that set records in 2013 for the annual fund ($2 million) and the overall Southern Miss Athletic Foundation ($8 million). He was also responsible for securing funding and supervising several major facility projects – track renovation, football turf replacement, baseball weight room project, a golf practice facility and the basketball arena renovation project.

McClain, 39, also oversaw Southern Miss' football scheduling and secured future home games against Mississippi State, Kentucky and BYU. He headed the search committee that tabbed Todd Monken to lead the Southern Miss football team and assisted in the search process for men's basketball head coach Doc Sadler in 2014.

Prior to his time at Southern Miss, McClain served as Director of Athletics at Delta State University for five-plus years, beginning in 2007. While at Delta State, McClain developed a plan to increase student-athlete services and assist in personal development of the school's 350 student-athletes through the expansion of the CHAMPS/Life Skills Program and the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.

McClain also increased donations to the school's athletic department, securing funding for the first phase of DSU's Athletic Master Plan, as well as for a scoreboard renovations at the football, baseball, softball and basketball facilities.

Delta State's on-field successes also increased under McClain. During his tenure, the Statesmen and Lady Statesmen claimed seven Gulf South Conference championships, five NCAA Regional crowns and 21 NCAA postseason appearances. In 2010, the football team appeared in the NCAA Division II National Championship Game and in 2012 the baseball team earned a runner-up finish at the NCAA Division II College World Series.

Prior to becoming Director of Athletics, McClain was the Director of Development for the Delta State University Foundation, where he was responsible for the annual fund, as well as soliciting major gifts.

McClain earned his bachelor's degree in business administration from Delta State in 1999, where he was a Division II All-American in baseball. He also earned his M.B.A. from Delta State in 2002. After graduation, he played five years of professional baseball.

He is married to the former Christie Cannon of Calhoun City, Miss., and the couple has three children, son Cannon (10), and daughters Kate (7) and Piper (4).

Troy University Director of Athletics History (Since 1950)
2015                        Jeremy McClain
2012-15                 John Hartwell
2005-12                 Steve Dennis
1994-05                 Johnny Williams
1992-94                 Kennith Blankenship
1974-91                 Robert Earl Stewart
1972-74                 Tom Jones
1969-72                 Billy Atkins
1950-69                 Earl Watson

What Others Are Saying About Jeremy McClain

Southern Miss Director of Athletics Bill McGillis
"What a hire! Jeremy McClain is one of the most outstanding athletic administrators in the country. First and foremost, I've never met a finer man. Jeremy will bring to Troy great integrity, rare leadership qualities, tremendous experience, talent and wisdom. He is truly a servant leader who will inspire Trojan coaches, student-athletes and fans with his infectious personality and commitment to building and maintaining a model intercollegiate athletics program. The Troy community will realize what a special leader he is, and that their program is in great hands, the moment they meet him. We will miss him immensely at Southern Miss, but I could not be happier for Jeremy, Christie and their beautiful children."

Southern Miss Football Head Coach Todd Monken
"Troy couldn't have made a better hire. It was just a matter of time before Jeremy moved on and got a chance to become a Division I athletics director. He is one of those rare guys who has the ability to communicate and get things done. Jeremy doesn't believe in 'That's the way it's always been done,' he believes in getting things done. We will miss him at Southern Miss."

Press Conference Transcript
Dr. Jack Hawkins

Thank you Sandy. I reiterate that welcome to all of you as special friends of this university and supporters. To the trustees, the foundation directors and public officials, it's certainly an honor and a pleasure to join you in making this announcement. I would hasten to say there are at least two other people here that I want to recognize. Mrs. Anne Williams, her husband Red, thought he was the athletic director, but Mrs. Anne was actually the athletic director. I think I heard this morning from Dr. Ken Blankenship, who is now the Executive Director of the Central Alabama Sports Commission and was instrumental in bringing the Camellia Bowl to Alabama. Also Johnny Williams. I had a text this morning, he sends his regards. He is in north Alabama, but he would be here with us today. What an interesting process we just completed and I want to thank the members of the selection committee who participated. I wanted you to know who those people are; Mr. Allen Owen is the chairman of our athletic policy committee, Mr. Jeff Coleman, Mr. Randall Moore, Randall was coming up from New Orleans and he participated as a member, Commissioner Karl Benson was so helpful, the commissioner of the Sun Belt Conference and of course Dr. Doug Patterson. Not only was Dr. Patterson a member of the committee, but he coordinated this process and did just an extraordinary job as he always does and I want to thank him.

I need not tell you the great tradition of this athletics program. It was born 106 years ago and our first athletics director was Vergil Parks McKinley and he was actually the first head football coach at Troy. We played our first ball game in 1909 and we learned a long time ago that great tradition deserves and demands great leadership. It's my pleasure today to announce the appointment of the ninth athletic director in the history of this institution. Before I do that, I want to say all of you are special, but our alumni association is such an integral part of this fabric. I want Dr. Bob Booth to know that we appreciate him, he's the president of our alumni association. I would be quick to say to Sandy, thank you for her leadership as interim athletics director. She is solid. Regardless of her title, you can always count on Sandy and our staff. I ask you to join me in saying thank you for the role they play.

Our applicant pool was the deepest, the widest and filled with the most quality that we've seen in athletics at Troy University. It ranged from sitting ADs at the FCS, Division II and other levels to senior associate ADs from every major FBS conference. In fact almost all those conferences were represented through the top 10 FBS conferences, and we had executives that represented pro teams as well. The talent pool in so many ways reflects the progress of our athletics program because of that level of interest. I'd be quick to say too, thank you to John Hartwell. I heard from John via text this morning and he has certainly been involved in this process, was very helpful and did a great job as AD.

But it's my honor to introduce the next leader of Troy Athletics. It was great committee work, we were dedicated to finding, and we talked about it a lot - fit. It's really important to have the proper fit in a situation like this, because leadership is so critical and the skills that we looked for were leadership and integrity as the cornerstone of that leader. We looked for vision, not only what was demonstrated in the past, but also what was expressed about carrying us to the next level in Trojan Athletics. We agreed unanimously on one man, that's Jeremy McClain, who will begin with us September 1st. We're on a fast track in terms of making this move and I appreciate him being integral and I know that he'll have some comments about some of our guests from the University of Southern Mississippi, and I really want to thank them for joining us this morning.

Jeremy is a native of Mississippi, he holds an M.B.A from Delta State and he was an All-American baseball player. Then, he joined the professional ranks and played professional baseball for five years. Then, he began his business career in athletics when he was an account executive with the Jackson Senators, that's a minor league team. He was drawn back to his alma mater in 2006 where he served as Director of Development of Athletics and he did a great job in a short period of time and was elevated in 2007 as the Director of Athletics at Delta State, being one of the youngest ever to serve in that role at a Division II institution.

Since 2012 Jeremy has served as Deputy Director of Athletics at the University of Southern Miss and in that role has been responsible for day-to-day operations and he had a staff of over 100 employees. Under his leadership, and together with the leadership team of the department of athletics at Southern Miss, they set fundraising records and we know that he will at least duplicate that at Troy University.

The committee was impressed by all that we had learned about Jeremy and I wanted to share with you. Now, I could share with you a hundred things that we did learn about him and quotes made, but I thought three or four comments were particularly relevant; 'zero ego', 'It's about team', 'Great people skills', 'Has a presence about him that generates respect and confidence' and I'll disclose one comment that the head football coach (at Southern Miss) made, 'If he goes to Troy, it will be a big loss to Southern Miss', I'm sorry.

Jeremy is joined by his wonderful wife Christie. Christie, thank you for your presence and we know you bring your own level of energy to this program and we're excited about that. His son Cannon, daughters Kate and Piper and we're thrilled that they're here today, and particularly welcome Jimmy and Ginger McClain, Jeremy's parents. Ladies and gentlemen, it's my privilege to introduce to you the newest athletic director in Division I, Mr. Jeremy McClain.

Director of Athletic Jeremy McClain – Introductory Press Conference

Opening Statement
Thank you guys so much. I am so incredibly humble. Wow is not a strong enough adjective to use to describe how I feel about today, how I felt about this process. So incredibly humbled to be before you here today.

(Troy Chancellor) Dr. Hawkins, I appreciate the kind words. Thank you very much. I appreciate your confidence in me. Like I said, I couldn't be more excited about this opportunity and about the opportunity to lead Troy Athletics as we move forward. I do want to take a few minutes to say a few additional thank yous. First of all, I would also like to thank the search committee – what a great group. Anybody who has ever been a process like this knows you learn really quickly what the institution is about based on the people who are on that committee. I knew about Troy. I've known about Troy for a long time, but my feelings about how special of a place it was solidified when I walked into the room and had the opportunity to meet that search committee. Thank you guys so much. I'm so very thankful for your time and investment into the program and I'm looking forward to working with you down the road. The Board of Trustees, thank you guys for being here today and for all that you do. I've heard some pretty special things, and I'm very excited for the opportunity to work with you moving forward, making Troy a better place. Sandy Atkins – thank you for your leadership during a time of transition. I've been in that role before. I know how that interim role works and I know it's a demanding position when you're trying to juggle several responsibilities. Thank you so much. I look forward to working with you. I've heard nothing but outstanding things about you and I look forward to working with you and entire staff. I think I'd be remiss if I didn't say thank you to (former Troy Director of Athletics) John Hartwell. I've known John for several years. I know what he's about. I know from watching and listening to the people here that he did an amazing job while he was here. We look forward to building on what John did here at Troy.

I do want to thank some people from the University of Southern Mississippi. First of all I want to thank (Special Assistant to the President for Military and Veterans Student Affairs) General Jeff Hammond who hired me at Southern Miss. He took a chance on me, put me in a leadership position there and I want to thank him for that opportunity. Bill McGillis, Athletics Director at Southern Miss. I have been with him the last couple of years and I walked up this morning and he was standing at the front door. He and Daniel Feig (Senior Associate Director of Athletics for Administration), both got in the vehicle this morning and drove about 4.5-5 hours. So, I cannot express to you guys how much that means to me. Thank you so much. University of Southern Mississippi President Rodney Bennett, I want to thank him for having the confidence in me during my time there. For really being a mentor for me, I really cannot thank him enough for his time and how he treated us during our time there, and of course, my family. My parents, who made the trip over, thank you so much for always being supportive, for setting the bar when it comes to compassion and selflessness. You guys mean more to us than you can imagine. My two brothers who aren't here today, Sidney and David, and their families. I have been blessed with a great support system and those guys I can always count on and that has meant a lot to me over the years and I just want to thank them for that. Last, but definitely not least, my family, my kids; my wife Christie, to say she is my rock is a gross understatement. She is an amazing woman, an amazing wife, amazing mother and thank you for who you are and what you do.

As you can see, the Lord has blessed me tremendously, and that includes the opportunity to be here today. So when this process started, a couple months ago, it started as many of them do. I got a text message from somebody who is close to the program, maybe the day John (Hartwell) announced he was leaving. I had not even had time to read about it yet. (The text) said hey I hope you'd be interested in the opportunity. It's a great fit, a great place. That started the ball on me doing my own research, but I really didn't have to do much. I've known Troy for many years. From the time in the GSC, to winning national championships there, to moving to FCS level and then to the FBS level, having success at all of those levels. So I didn't have to be sold on anything. I knew what Troy was and what it was about. Those feelings were only solidified throughout this process. There were a lot of reasons, as we talked through this, that I was, and we were interested in Troy. I think the first thing was the community, Troy as a community. Christie and I were both from small, close-knit, communities in Mississippi. We know what kind of impact that had on us growing up and we were anxious to be in a community like that, to raise our children in a community like that. We have been in great communities throughout our careers: Cleveland, Hattiesburg, but we knew Troy was a good fit for us. That has really been solidified. We actually, a few weeks back, snuck over one weekend into town when no one was looking. We just felt like, as a family, this was important to us and we wanted to make sure that we knew what it was and that we had checked all the boxes and felt comfortable – and we did.

We got here and just interacted with people around town – at restaurants, hotels, around town, whatever the case may be. It only solidified our thoughts about Troy being a very special place. The second piece of the puzzle for me was the quality of the facilities here on campus. I didn't know what to expect when I drove onto campus when we made the trip over, but we were blown away. I'll tell you, we were blown away. The facilities here are as good as anywhere - not as good as anywhere in the Sun Belt, but as good as anywhere. We have a great opportunity with those facilities to really build upon that from a recruiting perspective, exciting our fan base. So that was a thing that really drew my interest. I'll tell you, this north end zone project, is going to be a game changer. I could not be more excited to jump in the middle of that and being a part of the process. It is going to be a lot of fun. It's a game changer. It's going to excite our fan base, it's going to be a huge boost in recruiting. I'll tell you something from experience – it's going to change the atmosphere in the stadium. It's going to be a lot of fun and we are going to get to that finish line very soon.

Another big factor for us is Dr. Hawkins. I think that any athletic director will tell you that the success of the athletic department has a direct correlation to the campus leadership. It didn't take long talking to people and visiting with him that he gets it. He wants to make Troy better in every aspect, including athletics. He understands what athletics brings to the table and he is dedicated to seeing us be successful and that was a huge piece of the puzzle for us.

The biggest piece to me was that you take all of that together; you look at what is going on with the facilities, the leadership, the community, the coaching staff that's here, the athletic staff in place and I honestly feel, and I said this to the committee when we visited, I think Troy's best days lie in the future. Troy Athletics, the best days lie in the future. Every place can't say that, but I firmly believe that is the case here. We are headed in the right direction and the best days for this program are ahead.

First and foremost we are going to be focused on our student-athletes. We're blessed to do what we do for a living. It's cool to come to work at the football stadium or the basketball arena, that's pretty special. But, we're really blessed to have the opportunity to impact lives. That is what is most important to me. I told the (selection) committee that I take it personally because college athletics had such an impact on me. I would not be here today if it were not for the impact college athletics had on my life. It helped shape and mold me and prepare me for life, and that's our responsibility. When student-athletes leave here we want them to leave with three things – a diploma, a championship ring on their finger and the skill set and confidence to tackle the world that is waiting on them. That is where our focus will be. We will make decisions on a daily basis based on how it affects our student-athletes.

Integrity. We are going operate with the highest level of integrity. That is making the right decisions even when it is not the easiest decisions. It means following the rules, whether it be campus, conference or NCAA rules. We are going to do the right things and we are going to win the right way and I also think it means treating people the right way. That's a pretty important thing to me – that I do that and that our coaches do that – that we operate with the highest level of integrity.

We are going to be campus and community centered. We are going to be involved as a staff and as student-athletes in the community. You are going to see us out and about and that is the same thing on campus. That is such a big piece of the puzzle from a development standpoint and connecting with people. I want everyone to feel apart of Troy Athletics and that's about getting out and telling our stories and ingraining ourselves in the community.

We are going to maximize our resources. We are to explore and maximize every revenue opportunity we have, I think that is so vital. That's not a something we're going to pin up on the wall and look at when we walk by, that is going to be how we go about our daily activity. Nothing is more important to us than making sure we maximize those resources. That means asking everyone to join our annual fund, The Trojan Warrior Fund, that means asking everyone to buy season tickets, but it is so much more than that. We are going to explore every opportunity and uncover every rock and make sure that we are maximizing our resources and that we are being creative in stretching those resources as far as we can.

We are going to be focused on competition on the championship level, an elite championship level. I want us to be the premier program in the Sun Belt Conference across the board. I'm not saying I want us to win a championship; I want us to be the premier program. The Bubas Cup is given to the top program in the conference at the end of each year based on a point system on how you finish in the standings and that is where I want our focus to be. It's not about one sport, it is about us as a department being the best. We are going to handle ourselves that way and we are going to expect to be the best. Troy hasn't won that trophy and that is going to change. That is going to be an area of focus and we are going to be laser focused on the areas that we have to improve to make that happen.

I am a firm believer, and from what I've seen, that there are no barriers to success. One of my favorite football coaches always said that, "There are no barriers to success." I firmly believe that from what I've seen to what I've experienced; the only barriers are the ones we put on ourselves. So I expect us to compete at an elite level regionally and nationally, and I want us to think big. I want us to not only be the premier team in the Sun Belt, but I want us to be to the program that when other programs are looking for the model program and how you raise the bar and continue to move higher and higher they look at Troy and say that's how you do it. That's my dream. Some people draw a line in the sand and that's their finish line, we want to win a conference championship. We are going to draw that same line in the sand at the same place, but that is going to be our starting point. I couldn't be more excited for what the future holds and about the opportunity to lead this program.

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