ATHLETICS: Ball State introduces Bill Scholl as new athletic director

Live Blog for the 2 p.m. press conference to introduce the new Athletic Director.

UPDATE 4:00: Ball State's new athletic director Bill Scholl was introduced today by President Jo Ann Gora at a news conference in Worthen Arena.

Gora began by talking about the process of searching for the school's new athletic director and gave the credentials and experience Scholl had in his 22 years at Notre Dame. Her introduction included a joke on Notre Dame's athletic budget increasing from $13 million to $75 million this year and how she hopes to get that large of a budget.

Board of Trustees member Frank Hancock followed Gora with an introduction of his own. He said the search process included the school talking to people from across the country on what its needs were. That's when Ball State was directed towards Bill Scholl. 

After introductions by  Gora and Hancock, Scholl took the podium as Ball State's athletic director for the first time.

Scholl began by thanking a variety of people within the athletic department, Gora and the person he is replacing, Tom Collins. Scholl will begin at Ball State on April 30. His contract is for 3-years with a salary of $235,000.

He said Ball State approached him about the job opening and that if he was interested in the job he should express it. He took a few days to think it over before expressing his interest in the position and was offered the job by Gora on Friday.

By Saturday, the two had reached a verbal agreement and had signed the contract on Monday morning.

For more on this story, continue to read bsudailynews.com and pick up a copy of Tuesday's edition of The Ball State Daily News.

UPDATE 12:30: A source tells the Ball State Daily News that Bill Scholl will be named the next Ball State Athletic Director at 2 p.m.

Scholl will replace Tom Collins, who announced in January he would step down as Ball State's athletic director at the end of the fiscal year at the end of June.

Scholl has worked for 22 years at Notre Dame, which is his alma mater. For the last three years, he has been deputy athletic director. At Notre Dame, Scholl works closely with the Fighting Irish football team and "focuses on external functions such as development, the Team Notre Dame program, marketing and ticketing operations," according to his Notre Dame biography.

This is the second time in the last 10 years Ball State has hired an athletic director from Notre Dame. In 2002, Ball State tabbed Bubba Cunningham, who served in the role from 2002-05.

EARLIER: The Ball State athletic department will introduce its new athletic director this afternoon.

A press release sent out by the university Monday morning said the announcement will come at 2 p.m. in Worthen Arena. The new athletic director will replace Tom Collins, who announced in January he would leave when his contract expires on June 30.

When Collins made the announcement, a search committee was formed to find the successor. The announcement comes after nearly three months of searching.

Check back at bsudailynews.com for updates on this story.


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