Sandy Barbour will retire after 8 years with Penn State. Here are 8 moments from her career
Penn State Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Sandy Barbour announced Wednesday that she will retire this summer.
The Nittany Lions have won six NCAA championships in women’s soccer, women’s volleyball and wrestling, along with one National Invitational Tournament championship and 39 conference championships since Barbour’s tenure began in August 2014. Thirty-four Penn State athletes have won individual NCAA championships, according to a news release from the university.
Here are eight key moments from Barbour’s tenure at Penn State:
2014: In August 2014, Barbour was named athletic director by Penn State President Eric J. Barron, following her 10-year stint in the same position at California. She was the first woman AD in Penn State’s history.
2016: Penn State football won the Big Ten Championship and appeared in the Rose Bowl, losing to USC 52-49.
2017: Barbour was named the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics Under Armour AD of the Year Award winner for 2016-2017. Penn State won nine conference championships and one national championship in wrestling.
2017: In July 2017, Panzer Stadium was approved by the Penn State Board of Trustees. It was constructed on the same site as the Penn State Lacrosse Field, seating 1,300 people. Ken Panzer, a 1982 Penn State graduate and former lacrosse co-captain, and his business partner Jordan Kaplan donated $3.55 million to build the stadium.
2019: In February 2019, she became one of the Big Ten’s highest-paid athletic directors when she received a contract extension through Aug. 31, 2023 and was given the title of Penn State Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics.
2021: Barbour hired Penn State men’s basketball head coach Micah Shrewsberry. Shrewsberry led the Nittany Lions to two wins in the 2022 Big Ten Tournament over Minnesota and Ohio State, prior to ending their season with a loss to Purdue.
2021: Penn State football head coach James Franklin received a 10-year, $70 million extension. During his time at Penn State, the Nittany Lions have compiled a 67-34 overall record and are 42-28 in the Big Ten play.
2022: Barbour hired Penn State alumna Katie Schumacher-Cawley as women’s volleyball head coach on Jan. 10, 2022 to succeed Russ Rose. Rose finished as the winningest head coach in Division I volleyball history with a 1,330-229 overall record during the course of his 42-year tenure.
