Ian McCaw "incredibly excited" to be named Athletic Director at Liberty University
Lynchburg, VA (PRWEB) November 28, 2016 -- Ian McCaw has a vision for Liberty University athletics, and he is very eager to see it through.
“My vision for Liberty is to position it as a pre-eminent Christian athletic program in America and garner the same type of appeal among the Christian community as Notre Dame achieves among the Catholic community and BYU garners from the Mormons,” McCaw said.
McCaw comes to Liberty after spending the last 13 years as athletic director at Baylor University. During that time, Baylor captured five national team championships and 58 Big 12 Conference titles. Baylor’s football team reached bowl games in six consecutive years for the first time in school history, winning the 2013 and 2014 Big 12 championships, and the school’s combined record in football and men’s and women’s basketball of 350-84 over the last five years is best in the nation.
Now, he says, he’s ready to oversee big growth at Liberty: “Liberty to me represents a pinnacle of professional and personal opportunity where we’re going to be able to develop champions for Christ, develop a world-class student athlete experience, and achieve victory with integrity. We certainly want Christian student athletes to grow up dreaming of competing for Liberty University.”
Jerry Falwell, President, Liberty University, is confident McCaw’s experience and past success make him an ideal candidate for the job.
“Ian’s success really speaks for itself,” Falwell said. “You look at what Baylor was able to do during his tenure, it fits perfectly with where we see our sports programs going. This is an exciting time for us.”
McCaw agrees, and he’s ready to get to work. One of his top priorities is to move Liberty football to a top-tier division and compete regularly against the elite teams in the nation: “While we’re proud members of the Big South, we want to build this program to compete at the highest level nationally and the goal of FBS football is very much at the forefront.”
Those in Waco who knew McCaw’s Baylor track record were quick to endorse the choice, even though they wished he had opted to stay at Baylor.
Legendary former Baylor Head Coach and Athletic Director Grant Teaff said, “Ian’s high level of accomplishment as an athletic director is recognized nationwide and well appreciated by the various university constituencies at Baylor. His character and integrity also make him a great fit for Liberty University.” Teaff served as Executive Director of the American Football Coaches Association for 22 years and is currently its Emeritus Executive Director.
Current Baylor Regent Jay Allison added, “Ian McCaw is a fine man with a record of success during his time here at Baylor. I am confident he will prove to be an outstanding athletic director for Liberty.”
Watch the news conference with McCaw on Liberty's Facebook page.
About Liberty University
Liberty University, founded in 1971, is the largest private, nonprofit university in the nation, the largest university in Virginia, and the largest Christian university in the world. Located near the Blue Ridge Mountains on more than 7,000 acres in Lynchburg, Va., Liberty offers more than 500 unique programs of study from the certificate to the doctoral level. More than 250 programs are offered online. Liberty’s mission is to train Champions for Christ with the values, knowledge, and skills essential for impacting tomorrow’s world.
Len Stevens. Liberty University External Communications Office, Liberty University, +1 (434) 582-7751, [email protected]
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