BALTIMORE, Md. – Morgan State University President Earl S. Richardson today announced the appointment of Floyd Kerr as the university’s new director of athletics. Kerr takes over a revived athletics program at Morgan during a time of great progress toward returning the institution to the greatness it once enjoyed in college sports history. He assumes the position left vacant by the departure of David Thomas in November, 2004.
“Our athletics program is an integral part of the 20 Year Morgan Renaissance that we so proudly celebrate this year,” said Dr. Richardson. “We have made significant progress in many areas of the university and our athletic programs are no exception. With the wealth of knowledge and experience that Mr. Kerr brings to Morgan, we are convinced that he can help make the difference for our program and our student athletes.”
Before coming to Morgan, Kerr was the athletic director at Southern University from 2000 to 2004. Kerr was instrumental in the expansion of Southern’s A.W. Mumford Stadium, and spearheaded the $2.5 million video spectator scoreboard project, giving Southern the largest I-AA scoreboard installation in the country. Kerr was also responsible for forming a partnership between the nationally recognized sports marketing firm, New Vision Sports Properties, LLC. This collaboration helped to increase corporate sales by more than 1,000 percent. Kerr also served as assistant Athletic Director at Youngstown State University from 1993 to 2000.
Ranked 75th on Sports Illustrated's 101 Most Important Minorities in Sports in June 2004, Kerr has served as a member of two of the NCAA's most prestigious committees, the Division I men's basketball tournament selection committee and the issues committee.
“We were very pleased with the rich pool of candidates from which to choose the new athletic director,” said Tanya V. Rush, Morgan’s assistant vice president of student affairs and chair of the search committee. “Given Mr. Kerr’s level of experience and professional background, there was no disagreement among members of the search committee. We felt that he was the right choice.” Rush has been interim director of athletics for the past nine months.
A graduate of Colorado State University, Kerr was an All-American Collegiate basketball player and was drafted by three professional sports teams, including the Phoenix Suns (NBA), Utah Stars (ABA) and Dallas Cowboys(NFL). He has coached high school basketball teams to state championships in New Jersey and Ohio, and is also an accomplished artist.
“I am very excited to be selected as the new Director of Athletics at Morgan State University,” said Kerr. “The opportunity to serve in this capacity and in a leadership role for the Bears marks a commitment that my family and I appreciate. I look forward to the coming years to help take the program to the next level and build on the great reputation and mission of the University through athletics.”
