Former WSU AD Darron Boatright finalist for Alabama HS executive director: report
Former Wichita State athletic director Darron Boatright has surfaced as a candidate to lead the Alabama High School Athletic Association.
According to Simone Eli, a television reporter in Mobile, Alabama, Boatright is one of two finalists for the AHSAA executive director position and will interview for the job on Thursday. The other finalist, per Eli, was Heath Harmon, Oxford (Ala.) High School principal.
Boatright has plenty of experience in the state of Alabama, albeit at the NCAA level. He earned his master’s in higher education administration from the University of Alabama in 2004, served as director of men’s basketball operations under coach Mark Gottfried from 1999-2005. He also was a special campaigns director in the athletic department.
After being fired without cause by WSU in May 2022, Boatright received a total settlement of $300,000 in payments that concluded last June.
In a six-year run as WSU athletic director, spanning from 2016 to 2022, Boatright’s crowning achievement was leading the athletic department through the transition of leaving the Missouri Valley Conference to join the American Athletic Conference.
But Boatright’s tenure ended amid criticism, primarily due to WSU’s delayed response to the rapidly evolving world of name, image and likeness.
This story was originally published June 4, 2024 at 5:02 AM.
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