Oklahoma Sooners AD Joe Castiglione Set to Retire

The longest-tenured collegiate athletic director in the nation is stepping down.

Oklahoma Sooners AD Joe Castiglione will retire in the upcoming school year, according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel.

Castiglione, 67, reportedly informed the University of Oklahoma of his decision one month ago, and the two sides have since been working on forming an exit plan.

Castiglione will remain with the program after hiring a full-time successor. In his part-time role, he will help the athletic department ensure a smooth transition.

During his tenure, the Sooners have won 26 national titles. Castiglione’s successor will have a high bar. Thankfully, the long-tenured AD will be on campus to aid the program.

While OU athletics faces a major shakeup, Castiglione will continue to live locally around the Norman area. He arrived in Norman in July of 1998 after a five-year run as the athletic director at Missouri.

After landing in Norman, Castiglione hired Bob Stoops as the football coach, which began a remarkable run as a decision-maker for the Sooners.

The university didn’t just see immense football success under Castiglione’s tenure, but the softball program had a four-year run of national titles, the men’s basketball program made the Final Four twice and the women’s basketball program reached the Final Four three times.

Castiglione’s decision comes at a unique time. Revenue sharing, NIL and the transfer portal have shaken up the collegiate sports scene heavily. Oklahoma’s football program is in a slump, too, as his recent hire, Brent Venables, has had losing seasons in two of his three years with the Sooners.

Now in the SEC, Oklahoma has an uphill battle, navigating on NIL, revenue sharing, the transfer portal, a difficult conference and, now, a vacant athletic director position.

If the current state of college has proven one thing, it’s that change is inevitable. Oklahoma now faces that sentiment as the athletic department will have a new leader after 28 years of continuity.