Kansas State announced it has hired Gene Taylor to be the school’s new athletic director six weeks after John Currie left to accept the same position at Tennessee.
Taylor has spent the last three years as deputy athletic director at the University of Iowa after a 13-year tenure as the AD at North Dakota State.
In a press release Friday afternoon, K-State president Richard B. Myers said Taylor was chosen over a competitive list of candidates.
“We are thrilled to have Gene, his wife Cathy and their two children join the K-State family,” Myers said. “Throughout the process, Gene’s experience as an athletics director and his national reputation as a respected leader and someone who has built and maintained tremendous relationships with his staff, coaches, student-athletes and donors stood out in what was an extremely talented pool of candidates.”
During Taylor’s tenure at North Dakota State, the Bison football program rose to national prominence as the undisputed kings of the Football Championship Subdivision. NDSU won three national titles while Taylor was at the school.
As part of that stretch, NDSU upset K-State in Manhattan, 24-21, to open the 2013 season.
Taylor has spent more than 30 years of experience in athletics administration. He graduated from Arizona State in 1980.
“My family and I are truly honored and thrilled to join the K-State family,” Taylor said in the release. “We are excited to get to Manhattan, and I look forward to meeting our student-athletes, coaches, staff and supporters and helping them build upon the across-the-board success that K-State has attained.”
Taylor will be introduced at a press conference Monday morning.
When Currie left in February, Laird Veatch was named acting athletic director and was believed to be a top candidate for the job. Veatch most recently served as deputy athletic director and was one of Currie’s top advisers.
