Looney Takes AD Position at North Alabama

In a summer full of turnover, Griffon Athletics will look for a new face at the top.

Dr. Josh Looney is stepping down as the Athletic Director at Missouri Western, taking the same position at North Alabama, as first reported by CollegeAD.

This leaves another vacancy for Griffon Athletics to fill. After Will Martin and Damian Macias took over for Men’s Basketball and Women’s Soccer last year, the University now is looking to find a new Softball coach after Jen Bagley-Trotter left for St. Thomas.

Since Looney became the Missouri Western AD on July 31, 2017, Griffon Athletics has taken massive steps. In his time, he has overseen a Football program that won two bowl games. He hired Sundance Wicks and Martin, who took Men’s Basketball from a 7–21 team in 2016–17 to a program fresh off of a NCAA Tournament berth. Looney also brought in Candi Whitaker from Texas Tech, who brought a seven-win improvement in a year.

Among Looney’s moves that will have the longest impact are the installation of the Women’s Lacrosse program, which just finished its first season, along with the continued relationship of the Kansas City Chiefs, whom the school signed a contract with in 2020, after the Chiefs defeated the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LIV.