Dear Tulane Community:
We are pleased to announce that, following an extensive national search, we have named David Harris as Tulane’s new Athletic Director and the Ben Weiner Director of Athletics Chair. David, who was named an Athletics Director of the Year by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics in 2021, is currently Director of Athletics at the University of Northern Iowa. He will officially assume his new role at Tulane on January 3.
A native of Baton Rouge, David has more than 25 years of experience in Division I athletics administration, including at Iowa State University, the University of Wisconsin and the University of Mississippi, where he was a student-athlete on the Ole Miss football team.
With David’s arrival in 2016, the University of Northern Iowa continued gaining national recognition for besting Power Five programs across all sports, winning 20 conference championships, having 17 “Coaches of the Year,” 28 “Players of the Year” and earning 11 NCAA tournament bids. David has helped lead record-breaking fundraising efforts and facility development at UNI, including a major renovation of the UNI-Dome, the construction of a softball hitting facility, outdoor tennis courts, a football team meeting room, an outdoor football practice field and the replacement of the playing surfaces for football and basketball/volleyball.
David holds leadership roles at the NCAA and on national committees related to general athletics oversight, academic enhancement, equity and diversity, student-athlete transfers and more. He is a current member of the NCAA’s Division I Council, the NCAA’s Council Coordination Committee and Chair of the NCAA’s Women's Basketball Oversight Committee.
Under David’s leadership, student-athletes have consistently maintained GPAs and graduation rates that exceed the overall student body. Central to his long and deep experience in collegiate athletic administration is David’s passion for the success of student-athletes, the value and integrity of competition and the importance of sports in uniting and inspiring students, alumni, parents, faculty, staff and fans. During the interview process, David emphasized the attraction of joining a national research university with a stellar academic reputation located in his home state where he and his wife, Felicia, can continue raising their family. As David told us, “It has always been important to me to find a place that combines world-class academics with a pursuit of excellence in all its athletic endeavors.”
At Tulane, David will oversee an incredibly talented and dedicated group of student-athletes, coaches, administrators and staff who have elevated our athletics program to a high point in its long and storied history. Our student-athletes are enjoying remarkable success both academically and across the 17 sports in which they compete. Our athletic facilities are also undergoing major expansion and improvement while the Green Wave fan base is growing exponentially.
Over the past two years, Green Wave programs have posted remarkable results and combined for four American Athletic Conference titles including in football, women’s golf, baseball and women’s cross country. The Green Wave sailing team won national championships in 2022 and 2023 and the Cotton Bowl Champion Green Wave football team continues to be nationally ranked. Most importantly, 68 percent of student-athletes have posted GPAs of at least 3.0. Seven teams have earned a perfect Academic Progress Rate and the department’s Graduation Success Rate is 93 percent.
We have also launched the "Investing in Excellence" campaign, which supported a recent major upgrade of Tulane’s training facility in the Wilson Center, the installation of new turf in Yulman and Turchin stadiums and a new pool and other renovations to the natatorium. Looking ahead, the campaign will fund continued renovation of the Wilson Center, a new sports performance facility, a multipurpose indoor practice facility, a new tennis complex and a new multipurpose headquarters for Tulane’s varsity sailing program.
In a word, Tulane athletics is on the move and with the hiring of our new AD, the opportunities and potential are limitless. We extend our deepest gratitude to former Tulane Board Chair Doug Hertz and to the search committee he led, which was composed of board members, students, faculty, staff and administrators. They have helped bring us a truly remarkable leader during this era of incredible success and historic interest in Tulane athletics. Please join us in thanking the committee and giving David and his family a Helluva Hullabaloo welcome to Tulane and a heartfelt welcome back home.
Roll Wave!
Michael A. Fitts, President
Patrick Norton, Senior Vice President/Chief Operating Officer/Treasurer
