Simon Fraser announces hiring of new Athletic Director

Burnaby, BC – Simon Fraser University’s new senior director of athletics and recreation brings strong experience working at all three levels of the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA).

Milton Richards is leaving his role as director of athletics and recreation at California State University Stanislaus to take over the reins on Burnaby Mountain effective Nov. 1.

He will lead SFU’s recreation and athletics department on its journey to becoming a full-fledged member of the NCAA. In addition to guiding one of the NCAA’s best Division-II schools in Cal State Stanislaus, he also helped the State University of New York in Albany transition from Division-III to Division-I.

Richards’ experience extends to the Division-I level as well, having spent more than a decade at Temple University and Kansas State University.

“SFU is a great institution that has achieved tremendous success both academically and athletically,” says Richards. “SFU is well known for its success and the opportunity to guide the transition into the NCAA was too good to pass up.”

The Liverpool, NY, native will marry athletics and education at SFU, maintaining SFU’s high standards in academics while striving for excellence in athletics.

“Priority number one is to listen,” says Richards. “I need to learn what people like about athletics and recreation, and what they expect from us. We then need to develop a strategic plan which allows our student-athletes to graduate, while positively promoting the institution through a winning athletics and recreation program that the Simon Fraser Community is proud of.”

He also plans on engaging the communities SFU serves in Metro Vancouver to ensure his department has a positive impact at the grassroots level.

“I think there’s a real opportunity to get involved in the community. My goal will be to connect with people on and off campus to profile what great people our student-athletes are,” says Richards. “We need to let people know that our games are great events to attend. In addition to the elite athletes competing, we will have music, giveaways and more, all at a very reasonable price making all contests more than a game.”

He succeeds David Murphy, SFU’s former director of athletics and recreation.

“Milton has an impressive track record of building successful programs through strong fundraising initiatives, community outreach, impressive graduation rates of student-athletes and of course, fielding teams that win,” says Tim Rahilly, SFU’s VP-students and international. “His experience will be invaluable as we continue working towards becoming the first Canadian school with full fledged membership in the NCAA.”

Richards has gained a reputation throughout the United States for his work in intercollegiate athletics. The West Virginia University graduate is currently completing a second five-year term as a member of his alma mater’s school of physical activity and sports sciences president’s visiting committee.

“Milton is an outstanding hire for Simon Fraser University,” said West Virginia University director of athletics and recreation Oliver Luck. “He is an energetic, dynamic leader who will bring good, creative ideas to the SFU athletics and recreation program. I have no doubt he will do a great job with an already strong program.”