Feb. 3, 2006
DALLAS (SMU) - SMU Athletic Director Jim Copeland announced today that he will retire effective May 31, 2006.
Copeland, who turns 61 in March, was named SMU's 11th director on Dec. 9, 1994, after an eight-year stint as A.D. at his alma mater, Virginia. He has just started his 12th year with the Mustangs. Only Matty Bell (1947-64) served longer as SMU's A.D.
"My wife Susan and I have always wanted to return to Charlottesville when I retired so we can be with our family," said Copeland. "I informed President Turner last fall that I was considering retiring in June of 2006, and after a few months of consideration, I recently decided to take that path." Two of Copeland's children and all four grandchildren live in Virginia.
"Serving at SMU has been a rewarding experience for me," Copeland said. "I have worked with outstanding coaches, student-athletes, administrators, faculty and supporters here. I am most appreciative, though, of the support of President Turner and our Board of Trustees."
"I think we have taken a number of important steps over the past decade. Of those, I'm most proud of bringing football back to campus, the added opportunities for female student-athletes, the continued academic successes of our student-athletes and our department's move to Conference USA."
"Jim Copeland has done an excellent job of leading SMU athletics with integrity and an unwavering dedication to the welfare of our student-athletes. He has led athletics during two conference alignments, has strengthened football, has broadened the program to add more women's sports, and has generated resources for the state-of-the-art Gerald J. Ford Stadium," said SMU President R. Gerald Turner. "He has forged a closer relationship between the athletics and academics, facilitating an impressive graduation rate among student athletes and programs to build career skills for success after graduation. We will miss his leadership, but we wish him well as he begins retirement. He leaves us well-positioned to move forward."
Since coming to the Hilltop, Copeland has overseen tremendous success and growth in Mustang athletics. Copeland directed efforts to fund and build SMU's 32,000-seat on-campus football facility, Gerald J. Ford Stadium, added three varsity women's sports (volleyball, equestrian and rowing) and brought in over $81 million in donations to the athletic department.
During Copeland's tenure, SMU teams have won 58 conference regular season and tournament championships and SMU student-athletes have been named academic All-Americans 19 times. Copeland also led SMU to a NACDA Cup ranking as high as 15th in the nation and guided SMU through two changes in conference affiliation.
His formula for success has involved graduation, integrity, winning, fiscal responsibility and the integration of the athletic department into the university. Under Copeland's guidance, SMU's student-athletes succeeded not only on the field, but also in the classroom. SMU posted an impressive 89% in the NCAA's initial institutional Graduation/Success Rates (GSR) released in January. On a team-by-team basis, all 14 of SMU's squads were at or above the national average and nine teams were at 100 percent in the GSR report. At 89%, SMU trailed only Rice (93%) among Conference USA schools and ranked third among in-state institutions behind Rice and Baylor (90%).
Another focus of Copeland's tenure at SMU has been the establishment of Life Skills and Community Outreach programs. The SMU PALS program (Preparing Achievers for Lifetime Success) established its goals of preparing Mustang student-athletes for future careers and for participation in community service. In the past 11 years, almost 1,000 SMU student-athletes who voluntarily enrolled in the PALS program have obtained full-time, part-time and summer jobs.
Copeland has also been a leader nationally in collegiate athletics, having served on the board of directors of the College Football Association, the NCAA Football Issues Committee, the NCAA Committee for Restructuring of Division I and the NCAA Division I Management Council. Copeland served as the president of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics in 1996.
While Copeland served as athletic director at Virginia, the Cavalier teams graduated their student-athletes at a rate (89 percent) comparable to the graduation rate of the University's entire student body. Additionally, the UVA men's basketball team participated in the NCAA Tournament six times and won the 1992 National Invitational Tournament. The football team played in six postseason bowl games. The men's soccer team won an unprecedented four consecutive NCAA titles and the women's lacrosse team won two national championships.
Virginia's athletic endowment increased from $3 million to $7 million and athletic donations jumped from $3 million to $4.5 million during Copeland's tenure at the school. Virginia's facilities were upgraded significantly, including a $10 million athletic support center and a new stadium with a capacity of 4,500 for soccer and lacrosse.
Before going to Virginia, Copeland served as athletic director at Utah for two years. Under his direction, Utah won three national and 11 conference championships and the school's student-athlete aid fund increased from 900 members and $700,000 to 2,500 members and $1.1 million.
From 1981-85, Copeland served as director of athletics at William & Mary. He was also an assistant athletic director at Missouri (1979-81) after beginning his career in administration in 1975 with the Virginia Student Aid Foundation where he was involved with the organization's fundraising efforts to provide grants-in-aid for Virginia's student-athletes.
A native of Charlottesville, Va., Copeland received both a B.A. in Government and an M.S. in Guidance & Counseling from Virginia. He was a three-year starter as an offensive lineman at Virginia and was selected in the 10th round of the 1967 NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns. He played for the Browns from 1967-74, appearing in the NFL championship games against the Baltimore Colts in 1968 and the Minnesota Vikings in 1969.
Copeland and his wife, Susan, have three adult children: Jennie Carter, Trey Copeland and Matthew Copeland. The couple also has one granddaughter, Kelsey Carter, and three grandsons, Garland Carter, Wyatte Copeland and Grant Copeland.
"I'm looking forward to spending time with my wife, children and grandchildren," he said. "I also want to thank them for supporting me throughout my career."
Jim Copeland Timeline:1995-Present - A.D., SMU1987-94 - A.D., Virginia1985-87 - A.D., Utah1981-85 - A.D., William & Mary1979-81 - Assistant A.D., Missouri1975-79 - Field Secretary, Virginia Student Aid Foundation
SMU's Directors of Athletics:Matty Bell, 1947-64Hayden Fry, 1964-72Dave Smith, 1973-74Dick Davis, 1974-78Russ Potts, 1978-81Bob Hitch, 1981-86Dudley Parker (Interim), 1986-87Doug Single, 1987-1990Forrest Gregg, 1990-94Bill Lively (Interim), 1994Jim Copeland, 1994-present
