Jim Jarrett Position: Director of Athletics Institution: Old Dominion University

When Jim Jarrett arrived on the campus of Old Dominion University in the fall of 1967 as a Health and Physical Education professor, he had little idea that his tenure would be counted in decades. During that time span, he has led the program from a well respected NCAA Division II member to a nationally respected Division I power that has captured 25 national championships. Jarrett began his 39th year as athletic director in 2008, taking over the reigns in 1970 when Bud Metheny stepped down from that position. As one of the youngest athletic directors in the nation at that time, Jarrett quickly began to make a name for himself and ODU. In 1974, Jarrett became the first athletic director in the state of Virginia to award grant-in-aids to women student-athletes. It was a bold move at the time for a young athletic director and equally young University, but one that paid great dividends. Just five years later, in 1979, the Lady Monarchs won the first of three national championships in women's basketball, and led the nation in attendance. Under his leadership, the department's athletic venues have tripled and are considered state of the art facilities. They include the construction of the, the ODU Sailing Center, the Athletic Administration Building, the ODU Soccer Complex, the 8,500 seat Constant Convocation Center, the Folkes-Stevens Indoor Tennis Center, the Powhatan Sports Center and renovations to the Athletic Administration Building. Currrently, Jarrett is overseeing Foreman Field renovations that will support the addition of a football program at Old Dominion. For all his efforts, Jarrett's has been honored many times by national and local groups. Most recently, Jarrett was given Lifetime Achievement awards from NACDA and VaSID. In 2003, he was named the Southeast Regional Athletic Director of the Year by NACDA. Other awards he's received include the Collegiate Director's Award from the Women's Basketball Coaches Association, and the Norfolk Sports Club Man of the Year. He served as a member of the NCAA Women's Basketball Committee and is a past president of the Colonial Athletic Association and the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame. An avid golfer, Jarrett and his wife Sugie reside in Norfolk.