Oklahoma athletic director Joe Castiglione, who has led the Sooners since 1998, will retire from his full-time responsibilities during the upcoming school year, the university announced Monday. Castiglione and other members of Oklahoma’s administration will hold a news conference Tuesday.
Castiglione will retain his title as athletic director emeritus whenever Oklahoma places his successor into office. ESPN notes that Castiglione intends to remain around Norman, and he still could be involved in special university projects.
Castiglione is the longest-tenured active athletic director in major college sports. A former defensive back at Maryland and administrator at Missouri, Castiglione helped usher in a modern golden era for Oklahoma’s football program.
Upon his arrival in 1998, he hired Bob Stoops to rejuvenate a faltering Sooners football program. Stoops led Oklahoma to a 13-0 season in 2000, capped by a Big 12 title and a win against Florida State in the BCS National Championship Game. Under Stoops’ direction, Oklahoma had 18 winning seasons, 10 Big 12 championships and 11 top-10 finishes. When Stoops announced his retirement from coaching in June 2017, Castiglione identified Lincoln Riley as his successor.
Riley won four straight Big 12 titles with the Sooners from 2017-20 with two appearances in the College Football Playoff. Riley won at least nine games in each of his five seasons at Oklahoma.
Though Castiglione did not hire Oklahoma softball coach Patty Gasso, the Sooners emerged as the sport’s preeminent power during Castiglione’s tenure. Oklahoma softball won its first national title under Gasso in 2000 and has since won seven more championships, including four straight from 2021-24.
Castiglione also presided over Oklahoma’s move from the Big 12 to the SEC in 2024. Oklahoma softball won both the SEC regular season title and the SEC Tournament in its first year with the conference.
Prior to his hiring at Oklahoma, Castiglione was the athletic director at Missouri from 1993-98. He also worked in the administrative offices at Rice and Georgetown.
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