Earl Edwards, who in 25 years guided UC San Diego from Division III to Division II and Division I and witnessed the Tritons’ first-ever trip to the NCAA Tournament in both men’s and women’s basketball, is leaving his post as athletic director.
UCSD announced on Tuesday that Edwards will stay on as a special adviser to UCSD Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla. He will work in fundraising and community engagement while providing what the school calls “strategic executive leadership.”
Edwards will also advise the chancellor on issues such as name, image and likeness.
“It’s been the honor of a lifetime to lead UC San Diego Athletics for the past 25 years,” Edwards said. “I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve accomplished together — our scholar-athletes, coaches, staff and ers. As I step into my new role, I look forward to continuing to serve our scholar-athletes and coaches by raising the resources necessary to ensure that the next generation of Tritons has everything they need to thrive in our Division I era.”
When Edwards was hired at UCSD in March 2000, the Tritons were playing Division III athletics. They rose to Division II that fall, and won national championships in women’s soccer (2000, ’01) and softball (2011).
In 2016, UCSD’s students voted to transition to Division I, funding the move with an increased student fee.
UCSD’s 24 sports officially ed college sports’ highest classification last summer. It didn’t take long for two Tritons teams to put UCSD on the national radar.
Both the Tritons’ men’s and women’s basketball teams made the NCAA Tournament in their first year of eligibility, the first time that’s happened in NCAA history. The 12th-seeded men fell to fifth-seeded Michigan 68-65 in the tournament’s first round. Tyler McGhie’s basket with less than three minutes remaining gave UCSD the lead, but Michigan scored the final five points to secure the win. UCSD’s 16th-seeded women lost to Southern in a “First Four” game played at UCLA’s Pauley Pavilion.
UCSD’s success has come with some major-college aftereffects. New Mexico hired coach Eric Olen away from the men’s basketball program, and Olen took his top incoming recruit, Carlsbad High School’s Jake Hall, with him. Sumayah Sugapong, the leading scorer on the women’s team, transferred to Arizona.
Edwards replaced Olen with Clint Allard, a 2008 UCSD grad and a longtime Tritons assistant. Allard said he was “deeply grateful” to Edwards for his dedication and leadership.
“I look forward to collaborating with him in his new role focused on development, which will be instrumental in driving our continued progress in the current intercollegiate athletics landscape,” he said.
