The University of Oklahoma announced that athletic director Joe Castiglione will retire during the 2025-26 school year, ending a 27-year tenure as one of college sports’ most successful administrators.
Castiglione, 67, has served as OU’s athletic director since 1998 and is currently the longest-tenured AD at one institution in the country. He’ll transition to an athletic director emeritus role once his successor is hired, according to multiple sources.
A press conference is scheduled for Tuesday at 9 a.m. CT where Castiglione will formally announce his retirement.
During his time at Oklahoma, the Sooners have captured 26 national championships and 117 conference titles. He also guided the school’s transition from the Big 12 Conference to the Southeastern Conference, which became official on July 1, 2024.
According to a report on ESPN.com, Castiglione approached university officials about retiring within the past month. In his reduced role, he’ll continue working on special projects for the university.
NEWS: Oklahoma athletic director Joe Castiglione will retire during the upcoming school year, ESPN reports.
He’s the longest-tenured AD in the country.
Castiglione arrived at OU in 1998 after five years as athletic director at Missouri. His first major decision was firing football coach John Blake and hiring Bob Stoops.
That move paid off immediately. Stoops led the Sooners to the 2000 national championship in his second season and went on to win 10 Big 12 titles while becoming the school’s all-time winningest coach.
When Stoops retired before the 2017 season, Castiglione promoted offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley. Riley guided OU to multiple College Football Playoff appearances before leaving for USC late in the 2021 season.
Castiglione then hired Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables, a former Stoops assistant who was part of the 2000 championship staff.
Venables has struggled through three seasons with two losing records, including a 2-6 conference mark in OU’s SEC debut last season.
Another notable hire was bringing Lon Kruger as men’s basketball coach in 2011. Kruger led OU to the Final Four in 2016 and coached future NBA players Buddy Hield and Trae Young.
While Castiglione didn’t hire softball coach Patty Gasso, who was already at OU when he arrived, the program has won eight national titles since 2000 under his watch. The Sooners have also captured multiple national championships in men’s and women’s gymnastics during his tenure.
Potential Successors
Zac Selmon, Mississippi State’s current athletic director, is emerging as a potential replacement. Selmon previously served as a senior assistant AD under Castiglione and is related to the Selmon brothers who starred for OU football in the early 1970s.
Michael Alford, Florida State’s athletic director and another former OU assistant AD, is also expected to receive consideration.
Three names already surfacing as successors to Joe Castiglione:
Zac Selmon (Mississippi State)
Kirby Hocutt (Texas Tech)
Michael Alford (Florida State)All have deep OU ties. Whoever takes over will face a tall task—and a big legacy to honor.
During his combined tenure at Missouri and Oklahoma, Castiglione has mentored 32 individuals who went on to become athletic directors or commissioners.
He received the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics award for the nation’s top athletic director in both 2000 and 2018.
