Tennessee Tech Athletic Director Mark Wilson said his resignation simply came at the right time.
Wilson announced his resignation Tuesday after serving in his role for 21 years at Tennessee Tech. Wilson said his current contract expires June 30.
“It was the right time for a change, right time for a change for Tennessee Tech, right time for a change for Mark Wilson, and I appreciate that Dr. Oldham let me make the decisions on how best to handle this,” Wilson said.
Wilson said he has led with his heart and believes he has made decisions that are best for the student-athletes at Tennessee Tech. Wilson said he will take some time to figure out what is next in his career.
“Melanie and I are gonna take a little time now and process everything, and then we’ll figure it out,” Wilson said. “There are no specific plans at this point. I may stay in college athletics, I may elect to leave college athletics. We are just gonna take some time and figure that out.”
With the implementation of NIL, the landscape for college athletics is still changing. Wilson said the changing landscape had a part in his decision to resign.
“It is becoming more and more difficult for young men and young women to see the value of that education that we provide because the student athletes at Tennessee Tech, it really is highly unlikely that they are gonna make their lifelong living playing a sport,” Wilson said.
Wilson said he is proud of the relationships he has formed over the years. Wilson said his proudest moment as an athletic director was seeing student athletes walk across the stage and receive a degree from Tennessee Tech.
