Another deep run? Entering the 2022-23 academic calendar, Jeff Mitchell begins his fifth year at Southern Miss. He earned a master's degree in Sport Administration at Eastern Kentucky University. Golden Eagle Basketball Hotline Continues Monday, Feb. 6 at Walk-On's, Southern Miss Athletics Honors Kinlock Bell, Golden Eagle Basketball Hotline Continues Monday, Jan. 23 at Walk-On's, Golden Eagle Basketball Hotline Returns Monday at Walk-On's, Golden Eagle Basketball Hotline Continues on Monday, Dec. 19, Video Platform powered by CBS Sports Digital. HATTIESBURG Southern Miss announced a contract extension Wednesday for Athletic Director Jeremy McClain. There was an error and we couldn't process your subscription. Coach Sadler was formally introduced at a press conference today, May 1 at the Trent Lott Center on the Hattiesburg campus. Jeff.Mitchell@usm.edu. Experienced Assistant Athletic Director for Marketing And Promotions with a demonstrated history of working in college athletics. Mobile App | Weather App | WXXV25 Email Sign Up. He was also director of licensing for the NCAA. Jeremy McClain is a Southern Miss guy who shares the values and ambitions of the University of Southern Mississippi., Your email address will not be published. Roland Dale was a true visionary and will be missed by the entire Southern Miss family.". During his tenure as athletics director, Dale engineered the school's membership in the Metro Conference. We live, work and play right here in South Mississippi. that time, I promised Larry I would stay four more years and help the football program Mitchell also has assisted in the planning and development of $7.5 million in facility upgrades at Southern Miss including a new 18,000 square foot student-athlete academic center, a new synthetic turf baseball field and state-of-the-art LED lighting system, a new basketball court re-design and state-of-the art LED lighting system, and enhancements to the baseball locker room, the M-Club lounge and kitchen, and the athletics administration building. The success enjoyed during those Metro Conference days was one of the key factors in Southern Miss' membership today in Conference USA. 4) Everyone has a role to play That year, GHS posted an 8-3 record and Dale was voted the Big Eight Coach of the Year. Dale began his football career as a player at Ole Miss, where he played tackle from 1947-49. That might sound like chump change to Southeastern Conference fans, but it is a huge deal to athletic programs that dont collect millions upon millions of dollars from their leagues TV and bowl revenue. Southern Miss, Waters says, brings a rich history of winning and a historically strong fan base to the Sun Belt. Four Sun Belt softball teams earned NCAA Tournament berths last season. Mitchell serves as the Deputy Director of Athletics with a directed focus on managing the daily operations of the Golden Eagle athletics department and providing leadership . place when I left than when I arrived.. Southern Miss athletic director Jeremy McClain kept a notecard with him at all times during the coaching search this past fall. Ive seen it up close. I couldn't be more excited for Jon, and for USM, that he is joining the Golden Eagle family in this capacity." }, "It was the only week of vacation I get during the year. athletic experience to Hattiesburg. The university is a member of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund and classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities - High research activity". 1977, Giannini returned to Florida as senior associate athletics director to oversee Other duties as assigned by the Senior Associate Athletic Director for External Operations. Dale, who was inducted into the Southern Miss M-Club Hall of Fame on April 12, 1996, was one of the architects of the Southern Miss athletic program as both an assistant coach and as athletic director. its Department of Athletics. McClain is a Mississippi native, and he returns to Hattiesburg after serving as the AD at Troy since 2015. New construction also included a new tennis facility He . The strategic plan includes a bold vision for the future of Golden Eagle athletics comprised of 25 strategic initiatives to be completed before . While working for the NCAA in the mid-1970s, Giannini's responsibilities included Also visiting on the show this week are head men's basketball coach Jay Ladner and Brad Smith the athletic . The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy. Athletic director Jeremy McClain told the Sun Herald he would not rule out early entry. map: false, During his time at Santa Clara, the Broncos secured 22 team NCAA tournament bids, 11 individual NCAA postseason invitations across eight different sports, and 7 WCC championships. 4/24/2012 12:00:00 AM. Giannini was officially hired on April 21, 1999. McClain is well aware of all that. Other national honors for Mitchell include his participation in the LEAD 1 Institute (2019) which identifies and educates top NCAA FBS administrators and participation in the inaugural TopConnect Leadership Institute (2021) which pairs leading Division I administrators and assistant basketball coaches in a 12-week leadership forum culminating in a leadership certificate presented by East Tennessee State University. University of Southern Mississippi Director of Athletics Richard Giannini announced his retirement on today, effective in early January and will remain with the program through the coaching search process. Mitchell also helped negotiate a new long-term agreement with ticketing partner Paciolan, which, with enhanced technology infrastructure, will lead to $100 million in revenue generation over the term of the deal. as well as a new stadium construction at the Softball field and Reed Green Coliseum Im talking about things such as facilities, coaches salaries and recruiting budgets. Mitchell is a respected veteran administrator who . The search firm has assisted in 40 athletic director searches nationwide, We are your neighbors. 266-5017. A veteran and proven administrator, Mitchell has enjoyed diverse experience in intercollegiate athletics as a student-athlete, graduate assistant, coach, and administrator, with stints in the Southeastern Conference, the West Coast Conference, Conference USA, and the Sun Belt Conference. nine grandchildren. You cant edit our stories, except to reflect relative changes in time, location and editorial style. Shortly after, athletic director Jerry Spell from a small Catholic school in Bay St. Louis . Assisting the committee in their work is search consultant Bob Beaudine of Eastman Phone. The Hattiesburg economy hit a home run with 3 weeks of 'Baseburg'. After a couple of years in private business, he returned to coaching at Tulane. Jackson State University (Jackson State or JSU) is a public historically black research university in Jackson, Mississippi.It is one of the largest HBCUs in the United States and the fourth largest university in Mississippi in terms of student enrollment. We do not sell or share your information with anyone. He was inducted into the University of Florida's College of Health and Human Performance Some stability is badly needed. Dont take it from me. Danny Hugh Freeze Jr. (born September 27, 1969) is an American football coach who is the head coach at Auburn University. Mitchell joined Southern Miss after a twelve-year stint at Santa Clara University where he most recently served as the Senior Associate Athletic Director for External Operations. Please reload the page and try again. Mitchell serves as an adjunct professor for undergraduate and graduate classes in the Southern Miss School of Business and Economic Development teaching classes on leadership and governance and policy in sport. including three football titles, two regular season and two tournament crowns in both 118 College DriveHattiesburg, MS 39406-0001, 730 East Beach BoulevardLong Beach, MS 39560. Mitchell and his wife, April, are college sweethearts and have been married for 17 years. Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license. General For the Golden Eagles, Mitchell serves as the sport administrator for mens basketball and baseball in addition to serving as the administrator for football scheduling. "I remember this moment very vividly," McClain said. Butch Jones University of Tennessee Football Head Coach "Jon Gilbert is an absolutely great hire for Southern Miss and their athletics department. "As we make the exciting transition to the Sun Belt Conference on July 1st, there has never been a more critical time for our athletics department," McClain said in the press release. Here's the score. Southern Miss Sport Management alumni opportunity #SMTTT. All three Sun Belt teams Arkansas State, Louisiana-Lafayette and Coastal Carolina collected huge checks for playing on the road. Borbash, Carlyn Linker, and DeLancey, and grandparents of Tori, Parker, Sara, Kelsey, About Us; Staff; Camps; Scuba. Early in his career, in the late 1970s, Waters worked in athletics at USM when Bobby Collins and M.K. Field at Roberts Stadium, a new press box and suites as well as an expansion at Pete In addition to the mens basketball appearance in the CBI, the football team qualified for bowl selection and women's basketball saw action in the post-season with an appearance in the WBI. Our focus is to continue to enhance the profile and success of The University of Southern Mississippi and You have to credit Mississippi Today. At Tennessee, Gilbert has been responsible for all facets of day-to-day Department of Athletics operations. At Southern Miss, Mitchell utilizes his extensive background in legal affairs, external relations, and revenue generation to manage the Universitys relationship with multi-media rights partner LEARFIELD. University of Southern Mississippi Director of Athletics Richard Giannini announced Mitchell is a 2001 graduate of Millsaps College in Jackson, Mississippi, where he was a four-year member of the varsity baseball team and a four-year member of the athletic departments sports information staff. 7 jersey to Golden Eagle football coach Will Hall at his introductory press conference Dec. 7 at Reed Green Coliseum. In return, the Sun Belt provides a much more comfortable and sensible home for Southern Miss. Turk were building strong programs that competed at a high level as an independent. HATTIESBURG, Miss. - University of Southern Mississippi President Rodney D. Bennett has announced the hiring of Jon Gilbert as the University's Director of Athletics. Southern Miss athletic director Jeremy McClain, left, presents a No. He also arranged and produced the first I recently had the fortunate opportunity to visit and speak with him and his son. All rights reserved. We believe that an informed Mississippi is a better Mississippi. Again, a game against, say, Louisiana-Lafayette or South Alabama is far more interesting for Southern Miss fans than, say, a game against UTEP or FIU. Mitchell spent five years at USM after being hired in . In addition, Giannini spearheaded a total makeover of the school's athletic facilities, Giannini and his wife, Gayle, are parents of four daughtersAnsley Stone, Brittney His work as a syndicated columnist and celebrated sports writer has appeared in numerous magazines, periodicals and newspapers. Prior to his experience at Tennessee, Gilbert worked for nearly 17 years at the University of Alabama, serving in multiple roles, including Associate Athletics Director from 2009 to 2011. Prior to taking the job at Troy, McClain served as USMs deputy director of athletics for three years and was the AD at Delta State for the five years previous to that. Schools are alphabetized by commonly used short name, regardless of their official name. For three years, USM seemed like there was a dark cloud over their basketball program because they had a time dealing with everything from the pandemic to previous sanction concerns to the whole team transferring. It makes no sense now when the competition is as far flung as El Paso, Miami and Coral Gables, Fla. Southern Miss already has a history with Sun Belt teams such as South Alabama, Troy, Arkansas State, Louisiana-Lafayette and Louisiana-Monroe. "This is an especially sad day for me as I knew Coach Dale personally as he was my athletic director during my football playing years at Southern Miss. following organizations: Whoops! From October 2006 to November 2014, Mitchell oversaw compliance, student services, and legal affairs at Santa Clara. Jeremy McClain has been selected as the new AD after Jon Gilbert left the role in December. Later on, from 1999 until 2012, Waters was the commissioner of the Sun Belt. through the coaching search process. H.C. "Bill" McLellan, who served as director of athletics at The University of Southern Mississippi from 1986-1999, died Monday after a brief illness.