LA Tech’s Wood appointed to NCAA DI Council

RUSTON, La. — The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has appointed Louisiana Tech VP and Director of Athletics Eric Wood to its Division I Council. Wood’s four-year appointment is effective starting July 1.

The Division I Council is a high-level group responsible for the day-to-day decision-making for Division I.
“Even before Eric joined our Tech Family, we saw he would be a strong leader for our Athletics Department and in our University,” said Louisiana Tech President Les Guice. “His work helps support Louisiana Tech’s overall mission while working to help our student-athletes compete on the greatest level possible. Eric’s representation of both Louisiana Tech and Conference USA on this council will allow him to share the vision we have for LA Tech Athletics with the country.”

Wood was announced as LA Tech’s VP and AD in October of 2020. He came to Ruston following a five-year stint at UCF where he spent the four of those years as the Deputy AD for Competitive Excellence. Wood has also served in various administrative capacities at Arkansas, Wake Forest, Clemson, and the University of New Haven while also working at the Atlantic Coast Conference office.

He is a member of the Board of Trustees at his alma mater of Sacred Heart University.

During the first year in his new role, Wood quickly made a name for himself within the LA Tech Family as well as Conference USA, as illustrated by his appointment as Chair of the Football Success Committee and the league representative to the NCAA Division I Football Oversight Committee.

Wood is the first African-American Vice President and the first minority Director of Athletics in the University’s history. He is also the first Director of Athletics in LA Tech history to also serve as a Vice President.

“I look forward to representing Conference USA and Louisiana Tech on the Division I Council during a pivotal time in the history of collegiate athletics,” said Wood. “With the ever-changing landscape of our profession, I think it’s important to have a voice on so many important topics that will mold the future of college athletics.”

Since his arrival in Ruston, the Louisiana Tech student athletes have been successful on the competitive playing fields as well as in the classroom. An illustration of this success was the recent announcement that a record number of Tech student athletes earned a spot on the C-USA Commissioners Honor Roll and were named C-USA Academic Medalists.

On the playing fields, Louisiana Tech teams have had success, including C-USA West Division titles by men’s basketball (2021), baseball (2021) and women’s basketball (2022) and two NCAA Tournament appearances by the Lady Techster bowling team (2021, 2022). The 2021 Bulldog baseball team hosted the school’s first ever NCAA Baseball Regional while men’s and women’s basketball both made postseason appearances.

On the fundraising front, the University saw a 60 percent growth in total gifts from the previous year ($5.1M to $8.1M) and a 23 percent growth in total donors. The Louisiana Tech Athletic Club (LTAC) saw a 19 percent growth in total donors, including a 100 percent participation by full-time athletic department employees (the first time ever on record).