Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith announced Wednesday that he will retire next summer after two championship-filled decades on the job.
Since Smith took over the athletics department in March 2005, the Buckeyes have won 32 team and 117 individual NCAA championships and 115 team and 369 individual Big Ten titles.
Smith, 67, will finish the third-longest AD tenure in school history when he steps down at the end of the 2023-24 academic year. His last day will be June 30, 2024.
“I have always believed that a leader seeks to be the right person at the right time in the life of the institution,” Smith said at a press conference Wednesday. “I believe that July 2024 is the right time to welcome new leadership to build upon what we have achieved and continue to build upon the great tradition of excellence in athletics and business advancement at Ohio State.
“I am forever grateful.”
In addition to Ohio State’s success, including a football national championship in 2014, Smith has helped the Big Ten secure massive media rights deals and also spearheaded recent expansion efforts. Washington and Oregon announced last week that they will join fellow Pac-12 schools Southern California and UCLA in the Big Ten next fall.
Smith previously served as the athletic director at Arizona State (2000-05), Iowa State (1993-2000) and Eastern Michigan (1985-93).