During Van De Velde’s tenure as athletics director, Louisiana Tech has enjoyed success both athletically and academically. He led the hiring of head football coach Sonny ***** in 2010 and head men’s basketball coach Mike White in 2011, both of who coached their respective teams to top 25 national rankings this past season and selections as WAC Coach of the Year. Most recently, he hired new head football coach Skip Holtz, who replaced ***** following his departure last December.
Van De Velde has also led a program that has had no major NCAA rules infractions during his tenure as AD and achieved a student-athlete graduate success rate of 76 percent in 2012 – the highest in Louisiana Tech history and one of the top graduation rates in the nation. All 16 men’s and women’s programs are currently penalty free with several having achieved their highest APR scores within the past few years.
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From a facilities standpoint, Van De Velde led improvements to the soccer, baseball and softball complexes, and helped to initiate the Quest for Excellence campaign to raise private funds for the construction of a multi-purpose facility at the south end of Joe Aillet Stadium. The facility will provide student-athletes and coaches as well as members of the campus community with access to athletic training and wellness facilities, and office, conference and hospitality space.
