BERKELEY, Calif. (AP) California has decided to give interim athletic director Mike Williams the full-time job.
The school said Thursday that Chancellor Nicholas Dirks will introduce Williams at a news conference on campus Friday.
Williams took over from the departed Sandy Barbour last summer and originally said he was not a candidate for the job. That changed once he was in the position and proved himself to be a viable candidate.
''At the end of that process it became abundantly clear that Mike Williams was far and away the person best positioned and equipped to lead our storied athletics program at this point in our history,'' Dirks said. ''Mike shares our conviction that as university administrators and educators it is our responsibility to provide all that our students need to realize their full potential and to take advantage of the incredible educational, cultural and experiential opportunities that Berkeley offers.''
Williams is a former wrestler at Cal and graduated in 1982 with a degree in economics. He worked for Barclays Global Investors for more than 16 years before retiring in 2009.
Since then, he has been very active on campus, serving on many committees before taking over as AD.
''At UC Berkeley, we can offer a world-class education with an incredible athletic experience,'' Williams said. ''My belief in that ideal has only strengthened over these past 10 months as I have been able to both lead and witness firsthand the extraordinary abilities and dedication of our student-athletes, coaches and staff.''
