San Diego State University's highly regarded athletic director, Jim Sterk, has been chosen to lead the athletic department at the University of Missouri, SDSU President Elliot Hirshman said Monday.
"He will be taking on the position of Director of Athletics for the University of Missouri September 1," Elliot said in an email sent to university staff.
Sterk, 60, joined SDSU in 2010 after spending a decade as the athletic director at Washington State. Since then, the Aztecs' football and men's basketball programs rank third in combined winning percentage, behind only Ohio State and Louisville.
He also stabilized athletic department fundraising and finances, and guided the program through the Big East saga, in which the school announced intentions to join the conference as a football-only member, only to back out later when that league lost its most prestigious members.
More recently, Sterk was named to the committee that selects teams for the NCAA men's basketball tournament and was honored as the 2016 National Athletic Director of the Year by his colleagues.
According to reports, Sterk would receive a large salary boost at well-heeled Missouri, a member of the Southeastern Conference.
He would replace Mack Rhoades, who resigned after a year on the job to lead the athletic program at scandal-plagued Baylor.
