Vanderbilt Names Athletic Director

David Williams, photo via Vanderbilt News

Nine years after Vanderbilt University garnered national headlines for essentially disbanding its athletic department, the job description for the man in charge of the school’s sports teams is taking a step back towards a more traditional model.

David Williams was named Thursday as Vanderbilt’s Athletic Director. That’s a title that hasn’t been used since the restructuring. Williams has been in charge of sports at Vanderbilt during that time, but the law professor also served as university secretary and general counsel. Those jobs will now go to someone new so that Williams can focus on athletics.

But despite reviving the job of Athletic Director, a press release from the university stresses that the concept behind the original restructuring still stands. It says Williams will continue to work at keeping athletes fully integrated into the rest of campus life.