“The focus is on the student-athlete, President Scott really wants the student-athlete to be developed. And on top of that athletics can help brand; athletics gives a school an identity. She would like a viable athletic experience to bring some visibility to the school so people can start asking about Chicago State.” – Eric Hyman, Chicago State Interim AD
Chicago State has hired former Texas A&M athletic director Eric Hyman as interim athletic director, and he will help the university search for a permanent AD while temporarily overseeing the department. He spoke with CollegeAD and said he will rely on his decades of experience to steer the department until an AD can be found.
“After 28 years as an AD at five different schools, I’ve probably covered the gambit as far as experiences. I started at VMI with 1,300 students then ended up at Texas A&M with 65,000 students. Hopefully, I can draw on those experiences and help Chicago State University out,” he said.
Hyman signed a two-month contract with an option to stay on for a third month. Chicago State University President told CollegeAD that it says a lot about the University itself to be able to get a nationally known Athletic Director at the helm, even temporarily.
“As University President I am pleased we were able to attract someone as talented and as nationally known as Eric,” University President Zaldwaynaka Scott told CollegeAD. “We really connected over the task and vision ahead. He knew this was something he could do, that he could do it well, and that it would greatly benefit the University.”
Hyman has worked in college athletics for 43 years. He was Texas A&M’s athletic director when the school hired Kevin Sumlin as its football coach. The Aggies men’s and women’s track and field teams won national championships during his tenure, and the school also won SEC titles in women’s soccer, men’s tennis, women’s golf, and volleyball. Hyman also served as athletic director at Miami (Ohio) and Virginia Military Institute.
“Our athletics department is classified as DI and I want to make sure that student-athletes who choose Chicago State as their destination have the best experience possible,” explained Scott, “I want to make sure we have a leader that makes it possible to build a world-class athletics program.”
Hyman will be helping in the search for a new permanent AD but says the ultimate decision is up to the university.
“I’ll be helping out, along with a lot of other people. Ultimately they will choose the kind of person, with the kind of character they are looking for. I will help them try to find someone that matches up to what’s important to Chicago State.”
This story first appeared in The NightCap, CollegeAD’s evening newsletter. The NightCap delivers the day’s college athletics news in simple bullet points, giving you what you need to know in just a few lines. Get The NightCap today.