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ECU

Terry Holland to step down as ECU AD

Dec 12, 2012

Greenville, N.C. — Terry Holland, the athletics director at East Carolina University since 2004, will step down from his position and move into an athletics director emeritus role after his successor is chosen, the school announced Wednesday.

Holland, 70, requested the change in his role, ECU Chancellor Steve Ballard said in a release. Until a successor is selected, Holland will continue to provide oversight to the athletic department's daily operations. He will report directly to Ballard through Dec. 31, 2014. 

"Terry has served ECU with distinction since 2004 and has been a close colleague and valued leader as we pursued bold goals and strong aspirations for the future,” Ballard said in a statement. “The success of our teams, the growth of our finances, the evolution of world class facilities, and our acceptance into the Big East — all of these goals have greatly benefited from Terry’s energy and vision.”

East Carolina announced in November that it will become a football-only member of the Big East in 2014. 

The school also announced Wednesday that its Olympic Sports Complex, a four-venue facility that opened in 2011, will be named the Terry Holland Olympic Sports Complex. 

Holland said he began speaking with Ballard about the future of East Carolina's athletic department early in 2012 and suggested his status change. 

"It was my suggestion that a move to athletics director emeritus could allow such a transition," he said in a statement. "Over the course of the summer, we exchanged ideas on how that might work with guidance from university attorney Donna Payne.”

Holland took over at ECU in 2004 after serving in a fundraising and marketing role at the University of Virginia. A Clinton native, Holland earned a bachelor's degree in economics from Davidson in 1964 before coaching basketball at Davidson and Virginia for 21 years total. He won 418 games, averaging 19.8 wins per year. 

In his 16 years at Virginia, Holland became the most successful coach in Cavalier history by posting a 326-173 mark.

• Web Editor: Derek Medlin