New Northwestern AD Jackson aims to help school navigate evolving landscape, heal wounds

EVANSTON, Ill. (AP) — Mark Jackson had never visited Northwestern. By the time he first stepped foot on campus, he had already agreed to leave Villanova and take over as the school’s new athletic director.

“My wife, she was like, ‘Aren’t you gonna go visit the campus?’” Jackson said Tuesday, less than a week after he left Villanova to take the job sight unseen. “I was like I don’t need to, I’ve talked to enough people that said this place is just off the charts.”

Jackson, 51, had been athletic director at Villanova since 2015, overseeing a department that won 34 Big East championships in various sports and two men’s basketball NCAA Tournament titles.

The Boston-area product was an administrator at Southern California during the dominant run its football team had under coach Pete Carroll and at Syracuse before taking over at Villanova. He also worked in the NFL for the Oakland Raiders and New England Patriots, and has been around some of the most successful coaches from Bill Belichick to Carroll to Jay Wright.

Jackson wasn’t necessarily looking to leave Villanova. But Northwestern clearly has plenty going for it besides its Big Ten membership and sterling academic reputation.

The school just north of Chicago has in recent years invested heavily in its athletic facilities, building the sparkling $270 million Walter Athletics Center and Ryan Fieldhouse indoor practice facility located along Lake Michigan. The basketball arena got a major overhaul. The biggest project of all is happening at the moment, with a new Ryan Field being constructed on the sight of the old one.

The football team will play most of its home games the next two years at a temporary lakefront stadium that opened Saturday to rave reviews, with its views of the water and the Chicago skyline. The Wildcats broke in their temporary home by beating Miami (Ohio) 13-6.

The program was one of the country’s biggest surprises last year, winning eight games and a bowl in coach David Braun’s first season….

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/northwestern-ad-jackson-aims-help-223706508.html

Author : Associated Press

Publish date : 2024-09-03 22:37:06

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