It’s official: Teague to take over for Sander

Hurricane-force winds of change swept through the VCU athletics world this past week, and it all started with the search for the new director of athletics.

That search officially came to an end Monday when University President Eugene P. Trani announced Norwood Teague would take over for current director of athletics Richard L. Sander when he retires July 1.

A press conference was held in the Founders Room at the Stuart C. Siegel Center to announce Teague, the associate athletic director for marketing at the University of North Carolina.

Teague was chosen from the three candidates who came to VCU last week for a series of on-campus interviews and address session.

“We did bring three candidates for on-campus interviews and the overwhelming choice of everybody was that Norwood become athletic director of Virginia Commonwealth University,” Trani said.

Teague has a background in fundraising and marketing. His experience includes having been head of marketing for the 28 Tar Heel sports teams and clubs at UNC. He also oversaw the athletic department’s licensing operations. Before that he spent six years at U.Va. There he worked in the marketing office, working on television and publications for men’s basketball, women’s basketball and football. He later headed operations with the basketball program. He also was the general manager for Arizona State’s Sun Devil Sports Network.

He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science and communication from the University of UNC in 1988. He later received a Master of Arts degree in sports administration from Ohio University in 1992.

Teague was excited for the position, he said, and thanked Trani for the opportunity. He also highlighted Sander’s accomplishments over his 20 years as director of athletics, and said if he could contribute half of what Sander had done, he would be a success.

One of the things Teague brought up about Sander was that Sander had developed VCU’s facilities in such a way that it was easy for Teague to step in and transition as the new director of athletics.

“There’s an extremely solid foundation, which is very attractive for an athletic director,” Teague said. “A lot of people inherit programs that are a mess. This is not by any means whatsoever.”

The tools necessary for the job, he said, fit his personality. In his on-campus interview last Tuesday, April 11, at the University Student Commons, he said he would be more of an external director, focusing his team-oriented strengths on marketing, fundraising and friend-raising.

“I feel what VCU needs fits my skill set,” he said. “I really want to be the one that champions VCU out in the community.”

Along with his r