Photograph: John Quackenbos

Brad Bates, director of athletics at Miami (Ohio) University since 2002, was named Boston College’s director of athletics on October 9. Prior to his tenure at Miami, Bates served in the athletics department of Vanderbilt University for 17 years, including four as senior associate athletic director.

Under his leadership at Miami, the men’s ice hockey team earned two consecutive trips to the NCAA Frozen Four; 14 of 18 varsity teams won at least one conference championship (including two Mid-American Conference football titles); student-athlete graduation rates hovered around 89 percent; and the school raised funds for a new softball field, a new ice hockey arena, and the renovation of the Yager Football Stadium.

Bates earned his BA (1981) and an MA (1982) from the University of Michigan—where he played football as a defensive back. In 1998, he received an Ed.D. from Vanderbilt. At Miami, he taught undergraduate and graduate courses in sports administration, in addition to his work in the athletics department.

Announcing Bates’s appointment at a press conference in the Yawkey Center, University President William P. Leahy, SJ, described him as a “thoughtful, proven leader, and someone who understands and supports Boston College’s commitment to excellence in both academics and athletics.”

Bates succeeds Gene DeFilippo, who retired after serving as the University’s athletic director for 15 years.

Zak Jason

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