Chad Weiberg Talks With Media First Time As Oklahoma State Athletic Director
Today was a monumental day for Oklahoma State Athletics as they introduced new athletic director Chad Weiberg, the first new athletic direcor since Mike Holder took over 16 years ago in 2005.
Media packed into Gallagher Iba Arena to hear from Weiberg to hear what Weiberg’s first message was as he took the reigns of the athletics department as well as to ask him questions on various topics such athletic facilities, new NIL laws, college football playoff, etc.
Weiberg was introduced as athletic director by fellow new Oklahoma State President Kayse Shrum.
Weiberg began his address by thanking friends and family, both in attendance and away, for helping him get him to this point in life and career. “Today we start to write a new chapter but of the same book.”
Weiberg thanked family and friends including his wife and children, his uncle Kevin, a longtime athletic administrator that was once the commissioner of the Big 12. His mom and dad as his father Mick was a longtime college basketball coach. Then he got to thanking his younger brother Jared, who died in the Oklahoma State plane crash in 2001.
Several people told me that in practicing his speech Chad couldn’t make it through that portion without balling.
"And my brother, Jared. How I wish he could be with us today,” Weiberg said with emotion. “As a fellow OSU alum, I know he would be excited. We shared a love of this place, and just like I try to do every day, I hope I can make him proud.”
You could sense the crowd helped him through that part of his delivery.
One of the main points he made sure to make was how appreciative he was to be in this position of representing his alma mater and programs that have played such a major part of his life. “This is a dream come true,” he said.
One of the first questions Weiberg was asked in the Q&A portion of the press conference was why he had always dreamed of being in the administration of OSU rather than being a coach as his father was. “In a joking manner, part of it was because my dad said don’t be a coach,” he said with a laugh. “But really it was Kevin [Weiberg] and getting to watch him do what he did.” Kevin, who Chade is related to is a former Big 12 commissioner.
One of the main questions we all knew would be asked is regarding what Chad’s most important issues were on the table as athletic director, especially coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We are still recovering from COVID, so we’ve got budget issues that we will work out of but we just need to get people back. We want to get back in the habit of having people back here in Stillwater.”
Weiberg then went into a bit more detail saying he can already see some progress with Stillwater and Oklahoma State loosening regulations, which will be big for Oklahoma State Athletics. “We want to see fans back in our stadiums.”
On the same day as Weiberg is introduced, college athletics also had arguably the biggest development in their history with the beginning of the NIL laws. Oklahoma State had an athlete take advantage almost immediately in wrestler A.J. Ferrari.
“I think it is opportunity, I think it is here and I think we are ready to take this head on. We want to do everything possible to help our athletes take possibilities to help them in that area. I feel good about where we are with it.”
We will know more about how Oklahoma State is approaching NLI soon and he says it will interesting to see how big it becomes for college athletes.
As we all know, one of the biggest accomplishments in Mike Holder’s time as AD was with the growth of the athletic facilities. Weiberg was asked what is next when it comes to his own plans with new facilities and upgrades.
“We have been public with the fact that a wrestling training facility is in the works. We want to address softball facility in the future and one of the final pieces of the master plan is an indoor track facility. We are excited about these and part of it will depend of the support we get on those projects.”
Weiberg’s press conference was as about as smooth as one could hope and wish for. It was one of great celebration and anticipation as Oklahoma State athletics continues forward.
-Pokes Report will continue to update this story as quotes come in-