Louisville Athletic Director Josh Heird Inducted into MCC Sports Hall of Fame
PEARL, Miss. — University of Louisville Athletic Director Josh Heird was inducted into the Mississippi Community College Sports Hall of Fame during a ceremony Tuesday night at the Muse Center on the Hinds-Rankin County campus.
Heird, a former Jones College soccer and track and field athlete, becomes the 23rd Bobcat enshrined in the state Hall of Fame. He played for Jones from 1998 to 2000, scoring the first goal in Jones soccer history with a penalty kick in a 1-1 tie against East Mississippi. He also scored in his next game against Hinds.
Mark Easley, who coached Heird at Jones, praised him, saying he was the face of the inaugural Bobcat soccer team and epitomized hard work, leadership, and sportsmanship. Heird earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Jones and continued his athletic career at Mississippi College, where he ran track, cross country, and played football. He was the American Southwest Conference 800-meter champion in 2001 and an all-conference cross country selection that same year.
Heird graduated from Mississippi College in 2002 with an MBA from Louisville earned in 2009. He has more than 19 years of experience in athletic administration at Louisville and Villanova University. He was named Louisville’s athletic director on June 3, 2022, after serving as interim since December 2021.
During his tenure, Louisville’s athletic programs have achieved significant success both on the field and academically. The 2022-23 season saw 13 teams reach the top 25 nationally, with six NCAA Tournament invites. The women’s volleyball team finished as national runners-up, and women’s basketball made its fifth straight Elite Eight appearance. The department posted a 92% graduation rate and a 3.28 GPA, with 10 programs earning perfect Academic Progress Rate scores.
Heird led fundraising efforts to secure a $41 million naming rights deal to rename Cardinal Stadium as L&N Stadium and secured additional funding for facilities, including a $4 million commitment for the Angel’s Envy Bourbon Club and a $1 million donation to Jim Patterson Stadium. He also spearheaded projects like the renovation of the Keuber Center and fundraising for women’s athletics initiatives.
He has improved support for student-athletes through enhanced NIL programs and mental health resources. Under his leadership, Louisville added 10 mental health professionals and increased mental health funding, making it a leader in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Heird previously worked at Louisville from 2007 to 2016, overseeing championships and facilities, and spent a year at Villanova as senior associate athletic director. Before returning to Louisville in 2019 as deputy athletic director, he spent five years working in Washington, D.C., for members of Congress.
He is married to Abbey Woolley, and they have two children, Hadley and Gus. His induction into the MCC Hall of Fame continues a tradition of honoring former Jones athletes who have made significant contributions to sports and athletics administration.
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