Penn State’s Sandy Barbour to retire after 8 years at the helm of athletic department
Sandy Barbour, Penn State’s vice president for intercollegiate athletics, will step down from that position this summer, this university announced Wednesday morning.
Barbour, 62, has served in the role since 2019, after coming to Penn State in 2014 as the university’s ninth athletic director.
In announcing her retirement, Barbour said that last eight years “have been the most incredible and satisfying of my career.”
“The passion, the commitment and the purpose with which the Penn State community pursues excellence is like nothing I’ve ever experienced, and I am honored and privileged to have had the opportunity to serve Penn State students, coaches, faculty, staff and our incredible community,” Barbour said in a written statement.
“Thanks to Penn State, I’ve had the opportunity to develop amazing relationships, work with the best coaches and staff in all of college sports, and most importantly, been surrounded by the most remarkable student-athletes in the country. Penn State and the Happy Valley community have captured my heart and will always hold a treasured place.”
Barbour has compiled a 40-year career in sports administration, beginning as the director of recruiting services with Northwestern (1982-1984) and then serving as the Wildcats’ assistant athletic director (1984-1989). Since then, she’s made stops at Tulane (1991-1996 as associate athletic director and 1996-1999 as athletic director), Notre Dame (2000-2002 as associate athletic director and 2002-2004 as the deputy athletic director). She took on her first role as an athletic director in a Power 5 conference by taking over the reigns at California from 2004-2014.
In a written statement, Penn State President Eric J. Barron thanked Barbour for her time with the university.
“We are incredibly grateful for Sandy’s leadership and dedication to Penn State’s athletics program, student-athletes, coaches and staff, and fans across the commonwealth and beyond. It’s been an honor to work with her,” Barron said. “Through her forward thinking, competitive spirit, and passion for people and sports, Sandy has built a collegiate model to aspire to and has helped the Nittany Lions thrive as one of the nation’s most successful athletics departments. Above all, her commitment to supporting our student-athletes is commendable and will have a lasting impact on their lives both on and off the field.”
During Barbour’s tenure, Penn State has won 39 conference championships.
In 2019, Barbour was given a contract extension through the 2022-2023 academic year and a promotion from athletic director to vice president for intercollegiate athletics. That contract extension set her average base salary of $1.27 million.
Penn State plans to conduct a national search for Barbour’s replacement, according to a news release.
This story was originally published March 16, 2022 at 9:42 AM.
