Former Alabama Player Mario Morris Named NCAA's Chief Financial Officer

The executive deputy athletics director at Notre Dame hired to serve as vice president of administration beginning next month.

Former University of Alabama football player Mario Morris has been named senior vice president of administration and chief financial officer of the NCAA. 

The announcement was made Wednesday. He'll start his new job on Sept. 12. 

Morris received his law degree from Wisconsin in 2006 and his bachelor's degree in finance from Alabama in 1994. He was a starting linebacker on Alabama's football team, playing on the Crimson Tide's national championship team in 1992.

Morris is currently the executive deputy athletics director at Notre Dame, 

"We are fortunate to welcome a leader like Mario to the national office," NCAA President Mark Emmert said in a statement. "He brings a wealth of experience leading teams in financial operations and an expertise in the issues of college athletics. His insights will be invaluable as a strategic contributor and revenue generator working for member schools and conferences across the country."

As senior vice president of administration and chief financial officer at the NCAA, Morris will be responsible for providing strategic leadership and oversight of all financial activity and administrative operations.

"I would like to thank President Emmert for selecting me to join the NCAA in this critical role," Morris said. "We are in a time of tremendous change in college athletics, and I look forward to making an impact and contributing where I can. 

"I want to send a heartfelt 'thank you' to Father John Jenkins (Notre Dame president) and Jack Swarbrick (athletics director) for giving me the opportunity to serve and lead at Notre Dame. The experience has changed my life, and I will forever be grateful to the Notre Dame family."

Before joining Notre Dame, Morris held a variety of financial management roles at Wisconsin. As CFO, Morris had primary oversight of Wisconsin's $150 million financial and operations budget. He was responsible for guiding the athletics business office, ticket office and data analytics staff in support of revenue generation, purchasing, accounting, finance and budget.

Before joining Wisconsin, Morris worked for several years in the financial services industry. He is currently pursuing his Ph.D. in educational leadership and policy analysis at Wisconsin.

In 2021, he was selected as the College Athletic Business Management Association's manager of the year. In 2020, Morris was chosen for the NCAA Pathway Program, which is designed to elevate senior-level athletics administrators to the next step in their careers. In 2019, he was selected as member of NEXT UP by CollegeAD.