Joe Parker is stepping down from his role as Colorado State's director of athletics after nearly nine years, the school announced Monday.
John Weber, an alum of Colorado State, will take over as the interim athletic director. Weber has been serving as the executive director of the Rams' name, image and likeness collective. Parker will become a special advisor to CSU President Amy Parsons.
Hired in March 2015, Parker signed a five-year extension on July 28, 2022, that was expected to keep him in the role of director of athletics through the end of 2027.
Over his tenure, Parker saw a new on-campus stadium open in 2017 and spearheaded a 15-year, $37.7 million naming rights agreement in April 2018 with Canvas Credit Union.
He also conducted a "climate assessment" into the basketball program under former coach Larry Eustachy, leading to Eustachy stepping down in February 2018. Parker brought in Niko Medved, who guided the Rams to the NCAA Tournament in 2022 and has the team off to a 20-6 start this season along with a No. 22 ranking in the most recent AP poll. The women's team is 16-9 this season under longtime Rams coach Ryun Williams.
Get top headlines and KUNC reporting directly to your mailbox each week when you subscribe to In The NoCo.
Under his watch, Parker has cycled through several football coaches. He gave Mike Bobo an extension before Bobo stepped down two seasons later. Steve Addazio lasted two rocky seasons in Fort Collins before being let go, which paved the way for the hiring of Jay Norvell from Nevada. The Rams went 3-9 in 2022 under Norvell and 5-7 last season.
"It has been a privilege to serve Colorado State University and our students in this role," Parker said in a statement. "I also want to thank our many donors, partners and fans for helping to move the department forward and position CSU Athletics for a very bright future."
The Rams captured 24 Mountain West Conference championships under Parker's tenure. He also served on several NCAA and Mountain West committees.
Before Colorado State, he was the deputy athletics director at Texas Tech.
"Joe has been instrumental to all of our athletic programs' success during his tenure at CSU," Parsons said.
