Duke Athletics Director Kevin White to Retire

Plans to step down in August

For the first time since 2008, Duke will be looking for someone new to run the athletics department.

Kevin White, Duke's vice president and director of athletics, will retire in August, university officials announced. White has been in the position since 2008, during which time Duke basketball has won two NCAA titles and the football team has seen a historic rebuild, winning the ACC Coastal Division and being selected for multiple bowl games.

“College athletics will miss Kevin White,” ACC Commissioner John Swofford said. “He has been a North Star his entire career and has proven to be one of the best athletic directors in the country for decades. Kevin is a tremendous friend and colleague who I have relied on for counsel on numerous occasions over the years. Simply put, there is no one I respect more. I congratulate Kevin on a truly extraordinary career. Nora and I wish he and Jane all the best in their next chapter.”

White will continue to serve as an adjunct professor at Duke's Fuqua School of Business, where he teaches a popular course on sports business.

"This unequivocally represents the most difficult professional decision that I have ever made," said White. "As I look forward to completing my 47th year in higher education, including teaching, coaching, and administration, it is simply the right time to step aside and provide a distinct opportunity for both new and different voices, and a more contemporary vision."

"To be sure, I have been so lucky to serve a number of world class institutions, a zillion terribly gifted student-athletes, the very best coaches in the business, amazing administrative teams and highly successful departments, as well as countless of the most committed benefactors and fans, while being most graciously supported by fellow administrative and faculty colleagues, and specifically, eight college and university presidents," White said. "Given that, I must convey a very special thank you to Dick Brodhead, who very generously invited me to serve Duke University, and to Vince Price, who inherited a senior citizen Vice President/Director of Athletics and could not have been more supportive and personally accommodating.

"Finally, I must convey a public thank you to my spouse, Jane, with whom I began athletics career back in 1973 as a highly enthusiastic teaching and coaching duo! And, I also want to thank our kids, all five of whom have become esteemed educators in their own rights. Given that, this journey has been extremely gratifying, as well as deeply rewarding."

White came to Duke after leading the University of Notre Dame's athletics program for eight years. He previously served as athletics director at Arizona State University, Tulane University, the University of Maine and Loras College in Iowa. He is currently a member of the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) Board of Directors and has served in nearly every major leadership role in intercollegiate athletics, including as president of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA), president of the Division I-A Athletic Directors Association, and chair of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Committee.

His awards and honors include the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision Under Armour AD of the Year Award, the National Football Foundation's John L. Toner Award, Sports Business Journal's Athletic Director of the Year Award, Bobby Dodd AD of the Year, and the Carl Maddox Sports Management Award

A graduate of St. Joseph's College in Rensselaer, Ind., where he competed as a sprinter, White earned a master's degree in athletics administration from Central Michigan University and a Ph.D. higher education administration from Southern Illinois University. He completed postdoctoral work at Harvard University's Institute for Educational Management. White began his coaching career at Gulf High School in New Port Richey, Fla., coaching cross country and track and assisting in football and wrestling.

White's commitment to academic success is reflected in the strong performance of Duke student-athletes in the classroom and in national measures. In the 2019-20 academic year, 24 of 27 Blue Devil varsity teams earned grade point averages of 3.0 or better during the fall and spring semesters, and Duke established a new league record with 570 ACC Honor Roll selections. Duke has also consistently been at or near the top of the NCAA's Graduation Success Rate and Academic Performance Rate reports, which measure achievement at all NCAA schools, and Duke student-athletes have won Rhodes, Marshall and Fulbright scholarships.

“Kevin White has been, throughout his extraordinary career, a dynamic and impactful leader in intercollegiate athletics and higher education," said Duke University President Vincent Price. "His magnificent accomplishments as vice president and director of athletics at Duke built upon an already-secure legacy as a luminary in the world of sport. Kevin has been a treasured member of our senior leadership team, remarkable for his unwavering commitment to our scholar-athletes and to the collaborative pursuit of excellence on and off the field of competition."

Price said that the university would soon begin a national search for White's successor.