May 1 (UPI) — Michigan State University athletic director Alan Haller is leaving and temporarily will be replaced by men’s basketball coach Tom Izzo and deputy athletic director Jennifer Smith.
Haller is scheduled to leave his AD post on May 11, and Izzo and Smith will serve as co-interim ADs while the university seeks Haller’s replacement, The Detroit News and Detroit Free Press reported on Thursday.
Haller has been the university’s AD since Sept. 1, 2020, after former AD Bill Beekman vacated the position to become the university’s vice president for strategic initiatives.
Haller, 54, formerly played football for the university and in the NFL.
“I’m grateful for Alan’s leadership since I joined the university and appreciate the success our programs have seen under his leadership,” MSU President Kevin Guskiewicz said Thursday in an online announcement.
“He is deeply committed to this university and has led with honesty and integrity,” Guskiewicz said of Haller.
Guskiewicz seeks a new AD who can “best navigate the changing landscape of collegiate athletics” while moving the university forward as a “leader among the Power Four institutions,” the online announcement says.
The Spartans won several Big Ten championships during Haller’s tenure, including in men’s basketball, men’s hockey, women’s soccer and women’s gymnastics, and made several post-season appearances.
Izzo coached the Spartans to the 2025 conference title and the NCAA men’s basketball tournament’s elite eight before losing to Auburn, 70-64, in the South Region final.
Izzo also coached the Spartans to the 2000 national title and has compiled a 737-302 record during his 30 years as head coach of the men’s basketball team.
The Spartans have appeared in eight Final Fours during Izzo’s tenure, with the last appearance in 2019.
He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame on Sept. 9, 2016.
