Jim Weaver (athletic director) facts for kids
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| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 5, 1945 Harrisburg, Pennsylvania |
| Died | July 2, 2015 (aged 70) Blacksburg, Virginia |
| Playing career | |
| 1964–1966 | Penn State |
| Position(s) | Center, linebacker |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1967–1972 | Penn State (assistant) |
| 1973 | Iowa State (OC) |
| 1974 | Villanova |
| Administrative career (AD unless noted) | |
| 1983–1991 | Florida (associate AD) |
| 1991–1994 | UNLV |
| 1996–1997 | Western Michigan |
| 1997–2014 | Virginia Tech |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 3–5 |
James C. Weaver (born March 5, 1945 – died July 2, 2015) was an important person in American college sports. He was a player and coach in college football. Later, he became an athletic director for several universities. An athletic director is in charge of all the sports teams and programs at a school.
Weaver was the head football coach at Villanova University for part of the 1974 season. He also served as the athletic director at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), Western Michigan University, and Virginia Tech.
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Jim Weaver's Career in College Sports
Jim Weaver grew up in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. He played college football at Penn State. He played for famous coaches Rip Engle and Joe Paterno. After playing, he became an assistant coach under Joe Paterno at Penn State from 1967 to 1972.
Coaching and Early Administration Roles
In 1973, Weaver worked as the offensive coordinator at Iowa State University. An offensive coordinator plans the plays for the offense in football. The next year, he became the head football coach at Villanova University. He coached Villanova for eight games in 1974.
He then decided to take an administrative job at Clarion State College. After this, Lou Ferry took over as the interim head coach for Villanova.
In 1983, Weaver joined the athletics department at the University of Florida. He helped the school deal with some challenges they were facing.
Leading Athletics Programs
Weaver became the director of athletics at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) in 1991. He left UNLV in 1994 because he disagreed with a decision about hiring a new basketball coach.
After a short time at Western Michigan University, Weaver was hired by Virginia Tech in 1997. He was the athletic director there until 2014.
Under Weaver's leadership, Virginia Tech's sports teams moved to new conferences. They first moved to the Big East Conference. Then, they moved to the Atlantic Coast Conference, which is a very competitive league.
He also oversaw big improvements to the sports facilities. Lane Stadium, Virginia Tech's football stadium, was expanded twice. This happened in 2002 and again in 2005. His hard work helped Virginia Tech's sports programs grow a lot.
Jim Weaver retired in 2014 due to health reasons. He was later honored by being included in the Virginia Tech Sports Hall of Fame.
Jim Weaver's Passing
Jim Weaver passed away on July 2, 2015, when he was 70 years old. He had been living with Parkinson's disease.
