DENVER – Joe Parker will step down as athletic director for the CSU Rams, university officials announced Monday.
“Over the last year, I have spent time assessing and evaluating our athletics program, and navigating the rapidly changing landscape will require a new style of leadership. Joe and I have agreed that he will be stepping into another role,” CSU President Amy Parsons said in a statement announcing the change in leadership.
Parker, who joined CSU in 2015 and led the Rams to victory at 24 Mountain West Conference championships, will become a special advisor to the president of the university.
CSU alum John Weber, who until recently was the executive director of The Green and Gold Guard, CSU’s NIL (Name-Image-Likeness) collective, will serve as interim director of athletics, university officials said.
“John has built the Green and Gold Guard from scratch, and as part of that incredible effort he has earned the respect and trust of our coaches, student-athletes and supporters,” Parsons said. “Not only is he on the sidelines of nearly every game, but John is engaged on the national level with the fast-changing intricacies of NIL and seeking new and innovative ways to support all of CSU’s student-athletes and programs. I am confident in John’s capacity to take on this interim role.”
CSU officials did not say when the transition would happen nor did they reveal whether Weber would lead the program permanently.
Parker is credited with playing a role in what university officials called a “massive overhaul” of CSU athletics infrastructure, including the construction of Canvas Stadium and more than $22 million of additional facilities upgrades.
During his tenure, university officials said, Parker secured a record-setting $5 million gift from Bohemian Foundation to support women’s sports.
