Wren Baker's Journey to West Virginia
Humble beginnings breed fierce competitors.
Former University of North Texas AD Wren Baker is in Morgantown and prepared to get to work.
Baker brings wife Heather and daughters Addisyn and Reagan to the Mountain State en route to becoming West Virginia University's 13th Director of Athletics. His stay in North Texas began in 2016, but prior to entering college athletics administration, Baker was working as a high school principal in rural Oklahoma. At 26 years old, Baker was tasked with organizing teachers, students, conduct, and budgeting, all aspects of his admin history that cross over nicely into Power-5 higher ed.
When he got out of secondary education administration, Baker's first stop was at Rogers State University, where he became the first men's basketball coach in the school’s history. After that, he was the director of athletics for Northwest Missouri State, and served as deputy director of athletics at the University of Memphis and the University of Missouri. Baker then became the University of North Texas Vice President and Director of Athletics in 2016.
He saw seven different UNT teams combine to win 17 conference or division championships, his new coaching hires have combined to win nearly 70 percent of their games, and his fundraising produced the five largest gifts in UNT history and a doubling of the school's single-year fundraising record. Baker's impact also manifested in overall attendance boosts for North Texas' football (71 percent) and women's basketball (60+ percent) programs
Baker was selected away from the Mean Green ahead of 7-8 other applicants, WVU president E. Gordon Gee said. Talent appraisal company Turnkey ZRG assisted in the application process, and Gee gave the company a nod of approval.
"When we interviewed Wren, I can tell you he fits every one of our criteria and in addition to being an exceptionally talented athletic director, he's also a very positive person who easily connects and engages with everyone that he meets," Gee said. He understands our mission; he knows where we want to go, and I have no doubt that he will get us there.
"Turnkey did a wonderful job presenting us with a lot of different options," Gee said. "Eventually we focused on about seven or eight candidates. (Interim Director of Athletics) Rob Alsop, (former WVU director of athletics Oliver Luck) and I Zoomed with those, and we had a lot of input from a number of folks. We narrowed it down to three, and we met in Atlanta with our search committee at that point and I can tell you the decision was unanimous."
Baker has signed a six-year deal, through Dec. 31, 2028, that will pay him a yearly salary of $1.1 million, plus incentives. He will officially begin presiding over an 18-sport athletic department, 250 employees, nearly 500 student-athletes, and an annual budget of $90 million on Monday, Dec. 19; Alsop will resume his role as vice president for strategic initiatives.
"I've spent 20 years in athletics preparing for this moment, and I'm very eager to get started," Baker said. "Why West Virginia University? I love the role the University plays within the state and its people... I love its roots as a land-grant institution. I love that we're nationally known for providing an elite education as evidence by our R1 research rating while providing access to all West Virginians.
"I love the passion that this entire state has for the Mountaineers. It is special and unique and something I'm excited to be a part of and something I will not take for granted," Baker said. "Everyone I've talked to who has lived here, spent time here or visited said what a great place [Morgantown] is to raise a family and that's important."
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