MILWAUKEE – Marquette athletic director Bill Scholl says he plans to retire and finish his decade-long tenure as soon as the school names his successor.
Scholl, who took over as Marquette's athletic director in 2014, announced his decision Tuesday.
“It has been an honor to work in such a special place surrounded by extraordinary people,” Scholl said in a statement. “I am very proud of our student-athletes, who have excelled not only in competition but also in the classroom and community as women and men for others. My family and I deeply appreciate how this community has welcomed us from the beginning “Marquette will always have a special place in our hearts.”
Marquette is launching a national search for a new athletic director with the help of Collegiate Sports Associates. The search committee will be chaired by Kati Berg, faculty athletics representative and associate professor at Marquette's Diederich School of Communication.
Scholl helped spark the rejuvenation of the Marquette men's basketball program in 2021 by hiring Shaka Smart out of Texas after firing Steve Wojciechowski. Marquette has posted a 75-30 record under Smart and has reached the NCAA Tournament in each of his three seasons. The Golden Eagles reached the Sweet 16 this year after winning the Big East regular-season and tournament titles in 2023.
Last month, Scholl hired Charlotte's Cara Consuegra to take over the women's basketball program after Megan Duffy left for Virginia Tech. Scholl had hired Duffy, who was 110-46 in five seasons at Marquette.
Scholl came to Marquette after serving as Ball State's athletic director from 2012 to 2014. He spent 23 years at Notre Dame and rose to the level of assistant athletics director before Ball State hired him.
Since Scholl arrived at Marquette, more than $10 million has been raised for Marquette's various sports excellence funds. Marquette opened a $3.6 million dome in 2017 that provides indoor competition and training space for the school's football, track, golf and men's and women's lacrosse programs.
The school opened its Athletic and Human Performance Research Center in 2019 to provide offices, locker rooms and space for men's and women's golf and lacrosse teams. The building includes an indoor training facility for men's golf. Funds are being raised for a second phase of the center that will include men's basketball practice facilities, sports medicine space for student-athletes and locker rooms for Olympic sports teams.
“Bill had two goals when he came to Marquette: to convey excellence and accountability within the athletics department and to provide, nurture and develop student-athletes,” Marquette President Michael Lovell said in a statement. “He achieved those goals and contributed to the legacy of our athletic program in countless ways that have benefited our student-athletes, coaches and athletic staff, and for that, our Marquette community will always be grateful.
“I appreciate everything he has done for our athletics program and for Marquette University. Amy and I will miss him and his wife Julie dearly.”
