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Oklahoma Sooners Athletic Department Takes Major Hit After Recent Retirement Announcement

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Toran Flores | Last updated Jul 7, 2025 2:20 PM ET

NCAA athletics is losing another one of its greats, as the Oklahoma Sooners' Joe Castiglione has announced his retirement from his full-time role as OU's athletic director and will officially step down sometime in the upcoming school year.

He was the current longest-tenured athletic director in major college sports.

"The timing of the announcement prior to this season, sources said, will give Oklahoma officials adequate runway to hire a replacement during the upcoming school year. The timing of the move will allow OU to make a hire in the upcoming months and transition with Castiglione on campus," According to ESPN's Pete Thamel.

Sources: Oklahoma AD Joe Castiglione will retire from his full-time role during the upcoming school year, bringing an end to the longest-tenured run for a current AD in major college sports. Upon the hiring of his successor, he will stay on as athletic director emeritus. pic.twitter.com/ZHHgMEiITT
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) July 7, 2025

After retiring, he plans on continuing to work on projects with the university while still living nearby.

Castiglione, 67, came into Oklahoma in 1998 after serving as the University of Missouri's AD from 1993 to 1998.

His successes as Oklahoma's athletic director started early, and in 2000, the school won its first national championships under Castiglione in football and softball.

This would be the start of Oklahoma emerging as one NCAA's most dominant schools in college athletics and would win 24 other national titles under Castiglione in football, softball, men's golf, men's gymnastics and women's gymnastics.

He was also the driving force for Oklahoma's move to the SEC in 2024, and he he helped hire some of the school's most prominent head coaches, including names like Bob Stoops, Lincoln Riley, and Brent Venables in football, as well as Jeff Capel, Lon Kruger, and Porter Moser in basketball.

Castiglione would also win the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics award as the nation's top athletic director in 2000 and 2018.

The timing of the move was somewhat awkward for the school, as Oklahoma's football program has posted losing records in two of the past three seasons, while the basketball team just returned to the NCAA Tournament in 2025 after missing it three years in a row.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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