Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith announces he will retire in 2024

cleveland.com
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith announced Wednesday he will retire effective June 30, 2024.
Smith enters his 19th year at Ohio State and has been the Big Ten’s longest-tenured AD. The Cleveland native previously served as athletic director at Arizona State, Iowa State and Eastern Michigan.
During his tenure at Ohio State, Smith became an influential voice both within the Big Ten and across the country. When he steps away from the job in 11 months, the B1G and college sports in general will still be dealing with major issues and seismic change.
Smith, though, said he and his wife, Sheila, decided over the summer that this was the right point to move on.
“The changes in the industry is not what caused me to say I needed to step away,” Smith said. “I always felt and my mentors have always said you’ll know when it’s time.”
Smith succeeded Andy Geiger in 2005. During his tenure, OSU teams have won 32 team and 117 individual national championships — including the 2014 College Football Playoff national championship. His is the third-longest tenure among OSU’s eight athletic directors.
Smith said the search for his successor will not begin until Ohio State names a new president. Kristina M Johnson’s tenure as president ended in May, and no successor or interim has been named.
Ohio State’s 36-sport athletic department is the largest in the Big Ten and one of the largest in the nation. Smith said he hoped his successor will maintain that status. However, he acknowledge that is harder than ever with rising costs.
On a national level, Smith served on the College Football Playoff selection committee, as chair of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Committee and was a member of the negotiating advisory team for the 2010 Turner/CBS contract with the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. He also served on the Rice Commission — an NCAA endeavor related to basketball issues — and co-chaired the NCAA Federal & State Legislative Working Group to Study Name, Image & Likeness (NIL).
Along the way his voice and influence helped shape college sports. He brought that up again Wednesday when discussing a recent suggestion that Football Bowl Subdivision should perhaps be split off from the NCAA.
“Some people in the industry can throw things out there and take the heat, and I’m one of those people,” Smith said.
Smith said he considered retiring several years ago, but felt he should stay in place to help Ohio State through college sports’ changing landscape. HIs successor will also deal with issues such as name, image and likeness rights, the transfer portal and conference expansion.
“Those years, I felt new leadership couldn’t handle those things,” Smith said. “I have historical knowledge. I have experience. I need to help my teammates get through those times. It was right for me to be here during those times.
“But where we are now, none of us can see around the corner. At the end of the day, we feel comfortable this team and this culture and everything are right to not have a whole lot of bumps.”