RICHMOND (WTVR) – VCU is set to name a new athletic director Tuesday morning. WIVB, the CBS affiliate in Buffalo confirms to CBS 6 sports that it will be Ed McLaughlin, the now-outgoing AD at Niagara University.
WIVB spoke with McLaughlin directly and while he would not go on the record, confirmed to WIVB that he will be taking the job with the Rams.
McLaughlin replaces Norwood Teague who left VCU earlier this year to assume the same position at the University of Minnesota.
The following is from McLaughlin’s bio page on the Niagara University website:
Ed McLaughlin, whose vision has elevated Niagara University Athletics to its highest level, is committed to preparing the program for greater success in the future as he enters his sixth year as Director of Athletics. McLaughlin oversees a Division I athletics program with 18 sports, 320 student-athletes and a 50-member staff.
McLaughlin’s leadership has led him to numerous national positions in college athletics administration. McLaughlin was elected to the Division I-AAA Athletics Director Association Executive Committee for the 2011-12 term, is the chair of the College Hockey America (CHA) Directors Committee and the Chairman of the NCAA Hockey Rules Committee. In 2010, McLaughlin completed a two-year stint as the Commissioner of the College Hockey America conference, while becoming the chair of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Committee on Athletic Administration.
Niagara student-athletes are performing well in the classroom, with 66 percent of student-athletes earning a 3.0 grade-point average or higher. The student-athletes posted the highest overall grade-point average in school history (3.30) in 2007-08, and 70 percent of the student-athletes achieved a 3.0 or higher during the 2010-11 season.
McLaughlin was at the helm of the department that won the 2008 men’s CHA Tournament on home ice and clinched its third berth into the NCAA Tournament. In his first year, McLaughlin led a department that won Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Championships in women’s soccer and men’s basketball, as well as a College Hockey America regular-season title in men’s ice hockey. Also, the men’s basketball team won an NCAA Tournament game for the first time in 37 years. In 2009, the women’s volleyball team won its first-ever MAAC title and earned its first ever NCAA Tournament berth and followed that feat by claiming the conference championship and second straight NCAA Tournament bid in 2010
Under McLaughlin’s leadership, renewed efforts in the external areas of the department led to more than a half-million dollar increase in revenue, two-straight single-season attendance record in men’s hockey, the best attendance totals in men’s basketball history (2009-10), a video web streaming package for all men’s and women’s basketball and hockey home games and numerous national television appearances. He also created the Niagara Sports Network, a television network that broadcasts men’s basketball and hockey contests to millions of homes throughout the country. McLaughlin spearheaded multi-million dollar facility projects with renovations to Dwyer Arena and the Gallagher Center and the addition of Niagara Field, created a Student-Athlete Code of Conduct and hired nine head coaches. In the summer of 2011, McLaughlin initiated the Gallagher Center renovation project which included new offices, locker rooms and lounges for the men’s and women’s basketball teams and a new athletic training room.
McLaughlin, who served as Associate Athletic Director for External Affairs at American University from 2004-06, was named Director of Athletics at Niagara University in July 2006. Prior to coming to Monteagle Ridge, McLaughlin was promoted to Associate Director of Athletics for External Affairs at American University in November 2003. In September 2004, he gained additional duties as the Executive Director of the Eagles Club. He started at American in May 2000 as the Assistant AD for Facilities and Operations and was promoted to Associate AD for Facilities and Operations in October 2002.
McLaughlin’s responsibilities at American consisted of spearheading the external unit for athletics, including development, alumni relations, marketing, sports information and tickets. His primary focus was on development and alumni relations, running the fundraising arm of the athletics department, the Eagles Club, as well as the athletic department’s capital campaign, part of the University’s AnewAU campaign. Alumni participation and giving increased in each year since McLaughlin took over, and each sport program started an affinity group to promote fund-raising and participation. He also supervised the men’s soccer program.
In his previous position, McLaughlin’s responsibilities at American included oversight of all of facilities and operations, game entertainment and presentation and game operations. In addition, he had administrative oversight of the men’s soccer and the men’s and women’s swimming and diving programs and equipment. American’s Reeves Field was named the STMA College Soccer Field of the Year in 2002. McLaughlin led the university athletic department through $4.5 million in facility improvements to Bender Arena, Reeves Aquatic Center and Jacobs Recreation Complex.
The Natick, Mass., native came to American after three years at Merrimack College in North Andover, Mass. While there, McLaughlin’s responsibilities included scheduling intercollegiate athletic contests and practices, overseeing travel arrangements for the school’s intercollegiate teams and supervising and managing the budgets of nine of the Warriors’ varsity athletic teams.
Prior to his stint at Merrimack, McLaughlin spent two years as the Director of Media Relations for the Hockey East Conference, where he was in charge of the conference publications. McLaughlin’s duties also included organizing the conference’s championship tournament, scheduling and developing a marketing plan for the conference championship.
A 1995 graduate of Boston College with a bachelor of arts in political science and communications, McLaughlin served as the Sports Editor of the school’s independent weekly student newspaper, The Heights. McLaughlin graduated in May 2005 from American University with a master’s degree in health promotion management.
McLaughlin and his wife, Shelley, have a daughter, Hannah, and sons, Liam and Rian.
