RENO, Nev. – The University of Nevada, Reno is moving in a new direction with Intercollegiate Athletics and has announced there will be a change in the athletic director position.
University President Brian Sandoval has appointed Bill Johnson, vice president for advancement, to serve in an acting capacity as athletic director, effective May 1, 2022, until a fulltime successor can be chosen. Johnson, a former collegiate basketball player at the University of Nebraska, has extensive previous intercollegiate athletic administration and coaching experience.
Johnson, who holds a master’s degree in Education Administration/Athletic Administration, has more than 31 years of experience in higher education, including 14 years of experience in intercollegiate athletics. He has served in roles in intercollegiate athletic administration, development and coaching in the Big 12 Conference, the Big East Conference, the West Coast Conference and the Ivy League.
The University plans to begin a national search for a new athletic director immediately.
“I wish to thank Doug Knuth for the many positive steps he made as our athletic director for the past 10 years,” Sandoval said. “Wolf Pack athletics is embraced by our community. Doug’s leadership was instrumental in achieving many program milestones.”
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The University of Nevada, Reno is a public research university that is committed to the promise of a future powered by knowledge. Nevada’s land-grant university founded in 1874, the University serves 21,000 students. The University is a comprehensive, doctoral university, classified as an R1 institution with very high research activity by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. Additionally, it has attained the prestigious “Carnegie Engaged” classification, reflecting its student and institutional impact on civic engagement and service, fostered by extensive community and statewide collaborations. More than $800 million in advanced labs, residence halls and facilities has been invested on campus since 2009. It is home to the University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine and Wolf Pack Athletics, maintains a statewide outreach mission and presence through programs such as the University of Nevada, Reno Extension, Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology, Small Business Development Center, Nevada Seismological Laboratory, and is part of the Nevada System of Higher Education. Through a commitment to world-improving research, student success and outreach benefiting the communities and businesses of Nevada, the University has impact across the state and around the world.
