Louisiana Tech Announces Hire of Former FCS Athletic Director

Entering Louisiana Tech football's third season under head Sonny Cumbie, the athletic department will have a new leader. LA Tech announced the hire of Stephen

© Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports

Entering Louisiana Tech football's third season under head Sonny Cumbie, the athletic department will have a new leader. LA Tech announced the hire of Stephen F. Austin University Director of Athletics Ryan Ivey for their own AD vacancy on Friday.

Ivey replaces Eric Wood, who accepted a Senior Deputy AD position at Ole Miss in January.

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"Our goal will be to build a nationally prominent athletics department with individuals that excel in everything that we do. We will be relentless in our pursuit of excellence, respecting those that have come before us, but building and charting our own path and successes," Ivey said in a statement released by the university on Friday.

The new Bulldogs AD had been with Stephen F. Austin since 2018. Ivey has also previously served as the AD at Austin Peay and Texas A&M University-Commerce. 

Notably, at Austin Peay, Ivey hired head football coach Will Healy, who won FCS Coach of the Year two years later in 2017. Ivey also hired head coach Colby Carthel at TAMU-Commerce, who led the Lions to a Division II NCAA championship. Ivey later hired Carthel at Stephen F. Austin. 

As a student-athlete, Ivey played football at Memphis as a punter and was the holder for future Super Bowl champion (New England) kicker Stephen Gostowski in the early 2000's.

Ivey will address local media for the first time at 10 a.m. Thursday, February 29th in the Davison Athletics Complex at Joe Aillet Stadium, home of the Bulldogs football program.