COLUMBIA, S.C. -- Georgia Tech athletic director Dan Radakovich has been hired as Clemson's AD.
Clemson President James F. Barker said Monday that Radakovich was the right person to build on the work done by Terry Don Phillips, who announced his retirement in August.
"I watched from down I-85 as Clemson has assembled a great collection of coaches," Radakovich said. "I look forward to working with them."
Radakovich has spent six years with the Yellow Jackets. He has also been an athletic administrator at South Carolina and LSU. Radakovich takes over an athletic program on the rise, led by the defending Atlantic Coast Conference football champions.
Before coming to Georgia Tech, Radakovich spent five years as senior associate athletics director at LSU and was there when the Tigers won a football national championship.
While at Georgia Tech, Radakovich oversaw 51 teams who advanced to either NCAA team tournament play or bowl games. That includes six sports -- football, baseball, women's basketball, softball, women's tennis and golf -- that have made the postseason every year he has been in Atlanta.
There are been 11 sports that have finished in the final top 25 of at least one major poll 27 times in those six years. That includes a national championship women's tennis program in 2007, just the second NCAA team title in Georgia Tech history. There have been 13 ACC championships celebrated in addition to nine regular season conference or division titles.
Although, Radakovich was also there for the school's NCAA transgressions that cost them the 2009 ACC football championship where Georgia Tech defeated Clemson. The NCAA said Radakovich wrongly informed the football coaches that some Georgia Tech players were going to be interviewed.
Georgia Tech was fined $100,000, placed on probation for four years along and vacated the ACC title.
Barker said the three-month search drew about 30 candidates and Radakovich was the person who stood out as someone who could win, help raise money and lead a department with integrity.
"We believe we've found that person in Dan," Baker said.
Radakovich said he was interested in the opening when he heard Phillips was leaving. Radakovich said he would spend the next two weeks or so closing Georgia Tech duties before taking over at Clemson fulltime by the end of November.
