Northwestern dug out of its administration drama and hired its new athletic director, Derrick Gragg.
Gragg is the school’s second AD hire in two months. Their first selection, Mike Polisky, a longtime deputy AD at the university, was promoted to athletic director on May 3rd. But he quickly stepped down when he was named in a sexual harassment lawsuit against Northwestern by a former Wildcats cheerleader.
A former NCAA executive, Gragg’s lengthy resume is complete with collegiate experience.
He played football for Vanderbilt University and then moved on to a collegiate athletics career that spans over two decades. He was an administrator at Missouri, Michigan and Arkansas. From 2006 to 2013, he was the athletic director at Eastern Michigan. There he was the recipient of the 2008-09 Black Coaches and Administrators, Administrator of the Year award. Then Gragg moved to Tulsa in the same role until 2020, when he left to join the NCAA as senior vice president for inclusion, education and community engagement.
While at Tulsa, Gragg accomplished many things. He was instrumental in securing the largest planned gift to athletics in school history and ushered in the school’s first all-sport apparel agreement with Adidas. But most interestingly, he helped create the Tulsa Legacy Game. The game was a tribute to the survivors and descendants of the 1921 Tulsa Massacre, the 100th anniversary of which took place last week on May 31st and June 1st.
The first Tulsa Legacy Game took place on October 30th, 2020 and Tulsa beat East Carolina, 34-30.
“I am thrilled and humbled to join the Northwestern University family at this pivotal moment in college athletics,” said Gragg in a statement. “My career has been shaped by an unwavering belief in the potential of student-athletes to excel in all areas. These young people need more support than ever in the midst of challenging, changing and exciting times. I look forward to joining an incredible roster of coaches and staff in Evanston on this collaborative mission to help our Wildcats achieve at the highest level as students, as athletes and as people.”
Northwestern president Morton Schapiro knew he had to get this hire right after the Polisky fiasco.
“It was essential for us to find the right leader for the next chapter at Northwestern — someone who can build both academic and athletic excellence at a time of rapid change in the intercollegiate sports landscape, and also someone who can create the best possible environment for students, staff and coaches,” said Schapiro. “After talking extensively with Derrick, it was clear that he was the ideal person for the job.”
Even those outside of Northwestern sing the praises of Gragg.
“Derrick Gragg is an extremely talented, professional and visionary leader who operates with passion and integrity,” said Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren. “Derrick will lead the Northwestern University athletic department in a collaborative manner that will properly focus on the well-being of all Northwestern student-athletes. Derrick understands the critical components of what is required to embrace and empower student-athletes, coaches, administrators and the entire Northwestern community.”
Gragg adds another Black athletic director to list of Black FBS ADs. He follows in the footsteps of Nina King, who became the first woman of color athletic director at Duke two weeks ago.
