TEMPE, Ariz. — Ray Anderson, the ASU athletic director who led an athletic facilities renaissance at the school but still managed to regularly anger fans, stepped down Tuesday, effective immediately, he announced.
He will stay on as a professor of practice at the Sandra Day O'Connor School of Law's sports business program. Jim Rund, ASU's senior vice president for educational outreach and student services, will serve as the interim athletic director. It's Rund's second time in the role, having filled it in 2013 after Steve Patterson decamped for Texas.
"It has been a privilege to serve as ASU's athletic director for nearly a decade," Anderson said in the university's announcement. "We have entered an unprecedented era where the number and magnitude of changes in the college sports landscape are astounding. As I approach 70, these are not matters that my leadership would be able to corral during my tenure. Continuity of leadership will be needed, and I am choosing to step aside to let the university find that leader."
Anderson presided over the initial change from Pac-12 to the Big 12, which will go into effect next fall, but his initial focus coming to ASU in 2014 was on improving the school's facilities and its teams' academic success rates.
ASU recorded the highest Academic Progress Report (APR) in the Pac-12 in 2022 and 2023, beating prestigious academic universities Stanford and Cal. In 2021, ASU reached an all-time high for their Graduation Success rate as 10 programs reached 100%.
Among Anderson's other successes were the construction of Mullett Arena, the baseball program moving to Phoenix Municipal Stadium and new facilities for the men's and women's golf teams and beach volleyball team. Anderson and his wife, Buffie, also donated $1 million to the school to reinstate the men's tennis program. he was also instrumental in the naming rights deal that changed Sun Devil Stadium into Mountain America Stadium.
"By prioritizing student success, raising unprecedented levels of resources and evolving the Sun Devil brand, Ray Anderson has been one of the most impactful and longest-serving athletic directors in the history of Arizona State," ASU President Michael Crow said in the university's release. "We respect this decision, and we appreciate his service to the university."
Anderson signed a five-year contract extension in 2021.
Anderson's contract entitled him to bonuses for APR gains.
Anderson hired several new coaches during his tenure including Herm Edwards (football), Kenny Dillingham (football), Bobby Hurley (men's basketball), Bob Bowman (men's and women's swimming), Zeke Jones (wrestling), Tracy Smith (baseball), Willie Bloomquist (baseball) and Natasha Adair (women's basketball).
Anderson also oversaw the addition of three new sports: ice hockey, women's lacrosse and women's triathlon, which all came as the result of a $32 million donation in 2014.
Still, Anderson was not universally popular. He oversaw an athletic department that was investigated by the NCAA, which imposed restrictions on itself to avoid harsher ones from the NCAA. He was accused of something-that-seemed-like nepotism in the hiring of close friend Herm Edwards as ASU's football coach. Boosters thought he moved too slowly removing non-performing coaches and focused too much on non-revenue sports.
ASU also lagged behind many other universities when it came to Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) as the deals for college athletes become a major focus of athletic departments across the nation.
Some boosters have even withheld donations to the university and for NIL in recent years.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates from 12News.