Mizzou Seems to Have Found Long-Term Commitment from New Athletic Director Laird Veatch
COLUMBIA, Mo. — The University of Missouri is the destination for new athletic director Laird Veatch. Not a pit stop.
Veatch, the 22nd athletic director in Missouri history, was introduced in a press conference Friday at the Stephens Indoor Facility.
Dating back to 1978, only two athletic directors have stayed at the University for more than five years (Dave Hart and Mike Alden). This hiring cycle, the board of curators wanted to be sure the candidate wanted to be in Missouri.
That's the case for Veatch, who previously worked for the University from 1997-2002. He views the homecoming as the permenant spot for him and his family.
"We wanted someone who wanted to be here," University Board of Curator Chair Robin Wenneker said, "and that just came through in every interaction we had with AD Veatch."
Three of Veatch's children were born in Columbia. He's the University's 22nd athletic director and was presented a jersey with the No. 22. University President Mun Choi joked that the number was chosen because he hopes Veatch stays in the role for 22 years.
"He really believes in this University," Choi said. "It was so clear that he wanted to be here, that he was coming for a destination job. This was his dream job and he's not going anywhere beyond this and that was commitment. And I feel that all of us deserve an AD that wants the job very very much and that came through."
Veatch wanted to make sure that the desire for long-term commitment was mutual. After five years as Memphis' athletic director, Veatch is seemingly ready to settle in Columbia.
"This is where we want to be," Veatch said of he and his family. "We have been ready for our forever home. We want to be in a place where we can invest in lifelong friendships. This (Missouri) was always it, we just didn't know. So to be clear, there is no transfer portal for the Veatch family. We are committed."
Veatch was one of the candidates interviewed by Missouri in the summer of 2021 for the athletic director position that Desireé Reed-Francois ended up being hired for. He's always kept the possibility of returning to Missouri in the back of his mind.
Veatch worked under revered athletic directors Joe Castigilone and Mike Alden in his first stint at Missouri, listing both as major influences in his career. He credits their mentorship for his passion and knowledge of fundraising and relationship building.
"This is where I fell in love with the profession and in particular the profession and particular the relationships that can be built through it."
Veatch's other influence in fundraising and relationship building is his own father, Chuck, who was a life insurance salesman.
"You notice if you meet Chuck, he kind of likes people, people kind of like him. It also gave me a real sense of the value of sales, which sometimes doesn't always get the recognition and appreciation that it does because it really is important because it brings real resources to a company or to an athletic department in this case but I just enjoy the whole thing"
Veatch's likability and conversational skills were sensed by men's basketball head coach Dennis Gates within just a few short conversations.
"He's an external guy, an external AD that is into fundraising," Gates said, "which means he's into relationships. Before you can fundraise, you have to friend-raise and he has done a tremendous job building relationships."
Veatch mentioned many times how much of an uniting force college sports can be for a community and for a state. He says he quickly learned that was true in Missouri when he first started working for the University.
"I like seeing people come together to invest in something and the pride and the joy and the fun and the impact that that has. It's all a huge process and it really can move a place forward."
Veatch recognizes the unprecedented college sports is currently in. He also recognizes there needs to be through planning from the athletic department and is full support of an athletic oversight committee, which Missouri introduced in February.
One of Veatch's biggest successes in the NIL sphere at Memphis came in the final weeks of his stint there. FedEx announced that they would contribute $5 million each of the next five years for Memphis athletes who will be promoting FedEx initiatives. Veatch hopes to secure similar corporate endorsements deals with Missouri companies.
"I believe that major corporate NIL support has got to be part of the solution for the future of college athletics. We are in such a time of transition, the way NIL in particular has evolved, the necessity in collectives is very real but in my mind, we have to find a way to get back to what NIL was usually intended, which was more of the traditional endorsement or sponsorship directly with student athletes."
Veatch will be busy gaining donations for both NIL and athletic funding. The University board recently approved a $250 million renovation project to Memorial Stadium. Head football coach Eli Drinkwitz recognized that it will be cruical for Missouri to build on the momentum built by his team's 11-2 season.
"I do think this is a critical time in Mizzou athletics history just because the announcement that we had with the North end zone project and NIL in the ever changing landscape of college athletics," Drinkwitz said.
Veatch seems to be excited to be on this ride to the top. To help push the boulder up the hill. He recalled a conversation he once had with former Missouri football equipment manager, Bob Stanley, to explain his desire to be a part of the climb.
"I was having this conversation with Bob Stanley and we agreed that there's really nothing better than being part of the climb to the top. Getting there is awesome and I can't wait to get there but I want to be a part of it."
Wanting to be a part of the program's climb seems to be the exact reason Veatch was hired. He views Missouri as more than a launch pad for future career stops. For him, this is the pinnacle for his career.
JOSEPH VAN ZUMMEREN