Northwestern hired Villanova athletic director Mark Jackson on Thursday to fill the same position, two months after moving former AD Derrick Gragg into an advisory role with the university.
Jackson, 51, has been AD at Villanova since 2015, overseeing an athletic department that won 34 Big East championships in various sports and two NCAA titles in men’s basketball.
“Mark has been extraordinarily successful at Villanova in supporting students’ athletic and academic achievements,” NU president Michael Schill said in a statement. “After talking to him, I trust that he will prioritize the welfare of our student-athletes and give them the support they need to succeed. I am fully confident in Mark’s ability to lead Northwestern athletics to new heights and am excited to see how he will transform our program.”
Jackson was one of three finalists for the job, ESPN and the Chicago Sun-Times reported, along with Pittsburgh AD Heather Lyke and Jason Wright, a former NU running back who stepped down in July as president of the Washington Commanders.
In June, Gragg was bumped into a new role as vice president of athletic strategy after he became entangled in two coaching scandals.
The first involved the firing of longtime football coach Pat Fitzgerald after allegations of hazing. The university initially suspended Fitzgerald before Schill — facing public pressure — fired him. Gragg was on vacation at the time of the controversy and never addressed the team in person.
Fitzgerald is suing the school for wrongful termination.
The same week Fitzgerald was fired, the Tribune reported that an NU investigation substantiated accusations of bullying behavior by baseball coach Jim Foster, who was hired by Gragg. Foster was not fired until after the investigation became public.
Jackson steps in as Northwestern football is transitioning to a new home with Ryan Field being reconstructed over the next two seasons. The Wildcats will play most of their home games in a temporary lakeside stadium on campus this season and next.
“Northwestern University is world-class in all of its endeavors, and its mission, values and pursuit of excellence in academics and athletics are not only aligned with my beliefs and approach but are a model for intercollegiate athletics,” Jackson said. “I cannot wait to engage with Wildcat student-athletes, coaches, staff, faculty, alumni and fans, and my family and I look forward to wearing the Purple!”
Jackson was an administrator at USC during its football team’s dominant run under coach Pete Carroll and at Syracuse before taking over at Villanova.
The Boston native also worked for the Oakland Raiders as director of football development from 2007-08 and had an assistant coaching stint with the New England Patriots in the late 1990s under both Carroll and Bill Belichick.
