Duke knows a good thing when it sees it.
President Richard Brodhead announced Wednesday that Vice President and Director of Athletics Kevin White has agreed to a contract extension through June 30, 2021.
“Duke is fortunate to have an athletic director of the caliber of Kevin White,” Brodhead said in the press release. “Kevin’s national leadership role in college athletics has earned him widespread respect and admiration."
White came to Duke in 2008 and has since presided over six national championship teams, 12 individual NCAA champions and 17 ACC titles. He previously served as the Athletic Director at Notre Dame from 2000-2008.
"At Duke, we appreciate Kevin’s deep understanding of Duke’s values, his vision for collegiate athletics, and his commitment to building excellence in our student-athletes, both on the field and in the classroom,” Brodhead said.
White was named one of four recipients of the Under Armour AD of the Year Award presented by NACDA in 2013 and followed it up this year with Sport Business Journal’s Athletic Director of the Year award.
"It is an absolute honor to continue my career at Duke University,” White said. “Certainly, this is a rare institution that represents the very best of both academics and athletics. The unwavering support and trust of the University leadership, specifically Dr. Brodhead and the Board of Trustees, are overwhelmingly appreciated by our family, coaches, and staff."
Duke finished ninth in the 2014 Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup standings, marking the 11th year in a row that Duke finished the year in the top 20, although White points to 2014 as a year that could end with the Blue Devils atop the rankings.
"This was a good year, a really good year maybe" said White to The Chronicle in June. "It had a chance to be a historic year. I think we’ve got our sights set on 2014-15 to be that historic year. I think next year can be an, ‘Oh my god,’ year. That makes us really excited. It’s what we do for a living."
Duke posted a 98 percent Graduation Success Rate, with 16 teams achieving a 100 percent GSR. The Blue Devils also led the ACC with 15 squads ranked in the top 10 percent of their sport in APR.
White succeeded Joe Alleva as Athletic Director, who served at the position from 1998-2008.
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