Hart was hired in the summer of 2012 and guided the Mustangs through an era of change in college athletics.
DALLAS — Longtime SMU athletics director Rick Hart – who guided the Mustangs through an era of stark change in college sports, including the school’s move to the Atlantic Coast Conference – is stepping down from the role.
SMU announced Hart’s departure on Friday, marking an end to Hart’s 12-plus years on the Hilltop. He’ll stay in the role until a new athletics director is hired and on campus, but this will be his last academic year at SMU, the announcement said.
“It is with tremendous pride, heartfelt love, and yes, mixed emotions, that I share I have made the decision that this academic year will be my last at SMU,” Hart said in a press release. “After the honor of leading the Department of Athletics for thirteen years, it is time for a new challenge for me and for a new voice to lead the Mustangs, allowing President-Elect Hartzell to move forward with his own vision and leader as SMU moves forward in this new landscape of collegiate athletics.”
Hart was hired in the summer of 2012 and guided the Mustangs through an era of change in college athletics, from conference realignments to the introduction of Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) payments.
For SMU, the biggest change happened when the university was accepted into the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) last year, the Mustangs’ first return to a major conference since their days in the Southwest Conference three decades ago.
The SMU football team took full advantage of the bump up in competition, nearly winning the ACC Championship Game and then earning a spot in the College Football Playoff. The Mustangs lost in the first round to Penn State, but it was still their most successful season since the program received the death penalty in the late 1980s.
Hart’s impact wasn’t just limited to the football program.
He also helped revitalize the SMU men’s basketball program, including the renovation of Moody Coliseum and the hiring of Hall of Fame coach Larry Brown, who led the Mustangs to their first NCAA tournament appearance in more than 20 years.
Hart also hired coveted coach Andy Enfield from Southern California this past offseason ahead of SMU’s entry into the basketball-heavy ACC.
Hart was previously the athletics director at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga before coming to SMU. He was a graduate of the University of North Carolina.
