Arizona Athletics Director

Jim Livengood's leadership and wide-ranging knowledge of intercollegiate athletics gives The University of Arizona enviable stature as the program pursues success a decade into its second century in 2007-08.

Livengood became UA's eighth athletics director in January 1994. Behind his strong leadership, remarkable developments have occurred throughout the program in the past 13 years, both from a competitive and administrative standpoint. He oversees the 19 men's and women's teams that make up one of the nation's more well-rounded athletic programs.

Notably, the UA continues to thrive on all fronts including the competitive arenas, physical-plant improvements, compliance and equity issues and the necessary financial strategies required to operate a $36 million enterprise.

The successful "Campaign Arizona for the Student-Athlete" made possible ICA's considerable facility improvements, highlighted by the fall 2002 dedication of the Eddie Lynch Athletics Pavilion with its strength and conditioning and medical services centers. 2002-2003 also marked the addition of individual women's team locker rooms, a new academics complex and student-athlete computer lab. During Livengood's tenure, UA has maintained its top-10 competitive record with overall national rankings by the Sears Directors' Cup of sixth in 1993-94; fourth in 1994-95; seventh in 1995-96; sixth in 1996-97; sixth in 1997-98; ninth in 1998-99; eighth in 1999-2000; fifth in 2000-2001; ninth in 2001-2002, 16th in 2002-2003 and 12th in 2003-2004. This record reflects success throughout Arizona's broad-based program, highlighted by participation in the 1994 and 2001 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Final Four, and becoming 1997 NCAA Men's National Basketball Champions. Arizona also won the 1994, 1996 and 1997 and 2001 NCAA Division I National Softball Championships along with the 1996 and 2000 NCAA women's golf titles.

Livengood is uniquely prepared. Since coming to Arizona he has earned the respect of staff, community, and peers alike and has become well known for his hands-on, personable approach and his involvement with the community. He is active on the national and regional level. Livengood chaired the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Committee during the 2002-03 season after serving on the committee since 1999. He is a member of the NCAA Fellows (Pilot) Program to mentor new athletic directors, and served on the NCAA Peer Review team from 1994-99. In 2003-04, Livengood chaired the Pac-10 Athletic Directors Revenue Sharing Committee, and served as a member of the Pac-10 Bowl Committee, Pac-10 Men's Basketball Tournament Subcommittee, and as Pac-10 AD's Liaison to Men's Basketball Coaches. In 2002-2003, he was Pac-10 Vice-President, a member of the Rose Bowl Management Committee in addition to serving on the Pac-10 Revenue Sharing Subcommittee, the Men's Basketball Tournament Subcommittee, and as Pac-10 AD's Liaison to Men's Basketball Coaches He is among national leaders in gender equity issues, continuing these efforts through his service to the Pac-10 Gender Equity Committee (1997-98) as well as his continued diligent work to keep the Arizona Athletics program in a leadership role in gender issues.

On the national scene, Livengood is a member of the Executive Committee of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) after serving as NACDA President in 1998-99, and continues to serve as a member of NACDA's Finance-Management Committee and its Strategic and Long Range Planning Committee. He was president of the Division I-A Athletics Directors Association in 1998 and remains actively involved with that association's Executive Committee. Livengood was recognized in the spring of 1999 as the NACDA Division IA Athletic Director of the Year.

No stranger to the Pacific-10 Conference, Livengood spent six years as athletics director at Washington State where he developed a competitive program and earned high marks for his ability to maintain fiscal management, directing what is still widely regarded as a model gender equity program and developing a powerful hands-on approach to community affairs and fund-raising. During his tenure at WSU, Livengood served on the NCAA's Women's Committee and Gender Equity Task Force, and the Executive Committee of NACDA. In Tucson, Livengood has immersed himself in local community and civic activities. In addition to headlining the Jim and Linda Livengood Toys for Tots Golf Tournament, and involvement with the Tucson Boys' Chorus and the Humane Society, he serves on the Big Brothers', Big Sisters' Advisory Board and on the board of directors of Southern Arizona Community Bank. He is a member of the Tucson Rotary Club, the Tucson Chamber of Commerce and the VIP Breakfast Club. Livengood's local activities only add to an impressive list of community service and civic responsibilities in Washington and Southern Illinois. He previously served as a member of the Washington Special Olympics, the Pullman Chamber of Commerce, the Pullman Cub Scouts, the Pullman Rotary Club, the Greater Spokane Sports Association, Illinois Special

Olympics, Illinois United Way, Carbondale Parks and Recreation, the Southern Illinois Coalition for Economic Development and the Carbondale Chamber of Commerce and numerous other civic responsibilities.

Born in Quincy, Wash., Livengood earned honorable mention all-state honors in basketball at Quincy High School. He attended Washington State, Everett (Wash.) Community College and Brigham Young University, earning a bachelor's degree in physical education from BYU in 1968. He completed his fifth-year education requirement for teaching certification at Central Washington in 1972.

Livengood taught and was assistant football coach and track coach at Moses Lake High School in Washington in 1968-69, was head football and basketball coach and a teacher at Oroville High in 1969-72 and was athletics director, head football and basketball coach and counselor at Ephrata High in Washington in 1972-80.

Washington State hired Livengood as its Cage Camp director in 1980-81 and promoted him to assistant athletics director in charge of Cage Camp and high school relations in 1981-82. He was associate athletics director responsible for development and public relations in 1982-85. Livengood became director of athletics at Southern Illinois University in 1985-87, where he oversaw a 20-sport Saluki program in the Missouri Valley Conference and the Gateway Conference. He served as President of the Gateway Conference in 1986-87. Washington State rehired him as athletics director on September 1, 1987.

Livengood and his wife, Linda, have two grown children. Both graduated from the University of Arizona. Michelle graduated from the College of Law in May 2000, and Jeremy graduated in December 1999.