Dave Maggard joins OSU athletic department

What are the odds that a retired seasoned athletic administrator would follow his recently relocated children to settle in Corvallis? Long odds for sure. And, that same administrator would contact Oregon State Director of Athletics Bob De Carolis to express his desire to volunteer to help the Beavers.                                                                 

That seasoned athletic administrator is highly respected Dave Maggard.                                                       

For those that are unfamiliar with Maggard, he has served as an athletic director at the University of California (1972-91), the University of Miami (1991-93) and the University of Houston (2002-09). In addition to many other positions, Maggard was the Managing Director of Sports for the Atlanta Committee for the 1996 Summer Olympics. The '96 games aren't his only connection to the Olympics; he actually was a competitor and flagbearer for the United States in the 1968 Mexico City Games in the shot put, where he finished fifth.                                                  

"To say it was quite a surprise to get a call from Dave is an understatement, and then to find out he was looking for something to keep busy in a small college town was even more shocking and intriguing," De Carolis said. "He is volunteering his time to work on some special projects for Athletics. With his wealth of experience in many different facets of college and professional athletics, as well as the private sector, he is a tremendous asset for our leadership team."

Maggard also has a bit of history with current Beaver head football coach Mike Riley, as he was the athletic director at Cal when Riley had his first college coaching job as a graduate assistant in 1975.

 Maggard's resume sparkles with achievements, among the many are personal awards that include being inducted into the National Association of College Directors of Athletics (NACDA) Hall of Fame in 2010, the University of California Hall of Fame in 1996, he received the General Robert Reese Nyeland Athletic Director Lifetime Achievement Award in 1997, the U.S. Sports Academy's Carl Maddox Sports Management Award in 1995, the International Olympic Committee's Olympic Order and served on over 20 athletics national governing bodies.

He assumes the role of special assistant to the athletic director and begins this week.