Joe Castiglione retirement: Key takeaways from Toby Rowland

Longtime University of Oklahoma Athletic Director Joe Castiglione is set to retire in the coming months, the university confirmed Monday morning.

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News 9 Sports Director and Voice of the Sooners, Toby Rowland joined Sports Analyst Jeremie Poplin minutes after ESPN’s Pete Thamel posted the news on X to record his reaction to the news. Below are some key takeaways from Toby.

Joe C.’s retirement announcement is not entirely a surprise

Rowland said of the news of Castiglione’s retirement, “It’s a surprise, not a shocking surprise. Joe is 67 years old.”

“I think we have speculated the last couple of years, especially considering everything that athletic departments in general have been through with the changing landscape of college sports these days,” Rowland said. “That maybe it was getting close to the time that Joe would decide to step aside.”

“I would say it didn’t knock me over, but it wasn’t the news I expected this morning,” Rowland said.

OU’s inclusion in the SEC is a crowning moment of Castiglione’s late career

“I think, if it’s not the first line, it’ll be one of the top 2 lines of his legacy at OU is that he led OU into the SEC,” Rowland said.

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Rowland pointed out OU has seen incredible growth since Castiglione joined the staff in 1998, mentioning progress in not only OU’s football program, but softball, basketball, and in the university’s facilities.

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Castiglione is well-revered across college sports

“We have seen several of those polls over the past few years where athletic directors or media members are asked to rank the top athletic directors in America, and invariably, Joe Castiglione is number 1,” Toby said.

Rowland says his first thought when seeing the news of Castiglione’s retirement Monday morning was: “Who’s next?” Rowland said it will be a fascinating several months while OU searches for a new Athletic Director.

Joe Castiglione is a careful, caring leader

Rowland said Joe C.’s decision-making style is measured and thoughtful, but what means the most is Castiglione’s level of care for those he works with.

“As caring of an individual as I’ve ever worked under for making sure not only are you doing your job, but you are happy in your home life and your family life to make sure that you are doing your job at the highest level,” Rowland said.

“I can’t imagine you’ll find anyone who has ever worked for him that doesn’t love him dearly.”

Castiglione wanted his legacy to be attached to Norman

Rowland said over the years, there was speculation Castiglione would move on to a more nationally recognized position, such as the NCAA Head, and Castiglione had the clout to do so.

“He wanted his legacy to be attached to the University of Oklahoma and Norman, and was not necessarily hungry for that kind of a challenge at that time,” Rowland said.

Watch much more from Sports Analyst Jeremie Poplin and News 9 Sports Director Toby Rowland in our Digital Exclusive video podcast in the player above.