Ole Miss Athletics has added strong leadership and championship experience with the appointment of Dr. Eric A. Wood as the Rebels’ Senior Deputy Athletics Director/External Relations and Business Development, announced Monday by Vice Chancellor for Intercollegiate Athletics Keith Carter.
Wood arrives in Oxford after more than three successful seasons as Vice President and Director of Athletics at Louisiana Tech. His 24-year career in collegiate athletics also includes stops at UCF, Arkansas, the Atlantic Coast Conference, Wake Forest, New Haven, the NCAA and Clemson.
“As we entered this search, Eric’s name immediately stood out as a great leader in our industry,” Carter said. “His impact at each of his previous institutions has led to brand growth and student-athlete success both in and out of competition. Ole Miss is experiencing unprecedented momentum, and we are thrilled to add an administrator with Eric’s energy, integrity and diverse experience to our already strong team.”
“I’m looking forward to working with the leadership team as we serve our student-athletes, coaches, staff and the community at an elite level,” Wood said. “Keith is known as one of the good guys and great leaders in college athletics, and Ole Miss is competing with excellence in the best conference in America. What a time to be headed to Oxford, as the Rebel brand has never been hotter!”
Under Wood’s guidance, LA Tech was the only Division I school in the country to have won a conference regular-season title in baseball, softball, men’s basketball and women’s basketball within the two-year span of 2021-22. The Bulldog and Lady Techster basketball teams also made it to the Conference USA Championship game in 2022, marking just the eighth time in C-USA history a school has had both programs advance to the finals, while the baseball squad captured the league’s tournament crown that season.
Other team highlights during Wood’s tenure include the seventh straight bowl appearance by Bulldog Football, back-to-back-to-back NCAA Regional appearances by the bowling program, Bulldog Basketball’s run to the 2021 NIT Final Four, individual NCAA postseason qualifiers in track & field and golf, and back-to-back NCAA Regional appearances by Bulldog Baseball (including the first ever host of an NCAA Regional in 2021).
LA Tech also had plenty of champions in the classroom with numerous academic records broken during Wood’s time as AD.
On the fundraising front, the University totaled nearly $20 million received in Athletics under Wood, including $6.18 million for FY23. A primary reason for the increase in commitments was due to the Aug. 1, 2022 launch of the Aillet Society, the first-ever major giving society with five-year commitments of $25,000 or more. In its first year, 60 shareholders across seven states joined the Aillet Society with the median gift being $50,000.
