Wood Selig to Step Down as Old Dominion Athletic Director After 16-Year Tenure

NORFOLK, VA (BuzzReport) — After more than a decade and a half guiding the growth and national profile of Old Dominion University athletics, longtime athletic director Wood Selig announced Tuesday he will step down from his post at the end of 2026.

Selig will officially leave the role on December 31, 2026, concluding a 16-year run leading the Monarchs’ sports programs. While his tenure as athletic director will end, Selig will remain at the university. Beginning in 2027, he will serve as the Kaufman Lecturer of Sport Management within ODU’s graduate sport management program and transition into a role centered on athletics fundraising and donor oversight.

“Without question, Dr. Selig has certainly left his mark on the University, as well as at the conference level and across the national landscape,” said ODU President Brian O. Hemphill in a university release. Hemphill highlighted Selig’s personal commitment to student-athletes, crediting him with championing initiatives such as dedicated mental health counseling resources and expanded dining operations tailored to athlete needs.

Selig described the move as a carefully planned transition, noting discussions with the president began last spring. “I am excited about this next professional chapter as I have always wanted to give back to future generations of coaches and administrators,” Selig said. “I thank President Hemphill for this new leadership role.”

During Selig’s leadership, ODU athletics experienced one of the most successful and transformative periods in school history. The Monarchs captured multiple conference championships, including five titles in women’s tennis, four in men’s tennis, three in women’s soccer, two in men’s soccer, and championships in baseball, men’s basketball, women’s golf, and football at the FCS level.

Several programs reached unprecedented national heights under Selig’s watch. Men’s basketball earned its first-ever Associated Press Top 25 ranking during the 2013–14 season. Baseball climbed to a program-best final ranking of No. 16 in 2021 and secured a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Football posted its highest FBS final ranking at No. 34 in 2025, while women’s tennis finished 27th nationally in 2022.

Selig also made historic hires and program expansions, including bringing on Nikki McCray-Penson in 2017 as ODU’s first African American female head coach in women’s basketball and launching the women’s volleyball program in 2020.

Perhaps most notably, Selig oversaw the football program’s transition from FCS to the FBS level, guiding the Monarchs through Conference USA membership before joining the Sun Belt Conference in 2022. This past season, ODU finished 10–3 and capped the year with a Cure Bowl victory. Head coach Ricky Rahne received a contract extension following the program’s third bowl appearance in five seasons.

Selig, the fifth athletic director in Old Dominion history, arrived in Norfolk after 11 years in the same role at Western Kentucky University. With 27 years as an athletic director, he ranks as the fourth-longest serving AD in the FBS.

As Old Dominion prepares for a leadership transition, university officials and supporters point to Selig’s legacy as one defined by stability, competitive success, and a deep commitment to student-athletes — a foundation they say will shape the future of Monarchs athletics for years to come.