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ECU alum Baird in line for
Auburn AD opening?
From Bonesville.net Staff and Wire Reports
Auburn director of athletics
David Housel said Tuesday that he will resign from his post in
January of 2005 and will retire from the university in 2006.
Housel, who has been the school's AD for the past 10 years,
indicated he had decided it would be beneficial for him to step
down earlier than the conclusion date in his current contract,
which runs through June of 2008.
"I have planned to retire in 2006 for some time," Housel said.
"That is less than two years away, and it doesn't make sense to
have a contract longer than I plan to work. By finalizing my
plans now, there will be plenty of time for a search and plenty
to ensure a smooth transition."
After relinquishing the AD position, Housel
plans to remain with the university for another year to assist in the
changeover to the new regime.
Auburn associate AD Hal Baird, an East Carolina alumnus, is likely to be
among the candidates to receive serious consideration to succeed Housel. An
All-America pitcher for the Pirates in the 'seventies, Baird had a
successful run as ECU's baseball coach before being lured to take over the
Tigers baseball program by Auburn icon Pat Dye, a former Pirate football
coach.
Baird made the Tigers a perennial powerhouse during a tenure that began in
1985 and lasted until he stepped down to become a full-time athletic
department administrator in 2000.
Last year, during the behind-the-scenes maneuvering at ECU that led to the
administration-encouraged departure of former Pirate athletic director Mike
Hamrick for UNLV, Baird was approached through unofficial channels to gauge
his interest in the AD job at his alma mater.
Baird, who has consistently expressed his fondness for East Carolina over
the years, was offered an enhanced contract at Auburn at about that same
time and apparently decided to finish his career in the Tigers athletics
department.
Housel, a fixture on the Auburn campus for decades, first came to the school
as a student in 1965. He would go on to slowly ascend up the athletic
department ladder to become AD in 1994.
"I have been truly blessed to be a part of Auburn for these 39 years,"
Housel said.
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02/23/2007 11:20:29 AM
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