Candidiate emerges as potential Sandy Barbour replacement as Penn State AD
By Evan Smith
Northern Illinois Athletic Director Sean Frazier has reportedly emerged as a candidate to replace Penn State athletic director Sandy Barbour, who is retiring
A potential replacement for outgoing Athletic Sandy Barbour could be coming from Northern Illinois, according to a report from Brett McMurphy.
Sean Frazier is the current athletic director at Northern Illinois University and has held that position since 2013. He has previous Big Ten Conference experience as a Deputy Athletic Director and Chief of Staff for the Badgers of Wisconsin under famed athletic direcor Barry Alvarez. He also held positions at Maine, Manhattanville, Clarkson, and Merrimack.
Northern Illinois’ Sean Frazier is a “prominent target” for the athletic director position at Penn State, sources told @ActionNetworkHQ. Frazier, a former deputy AD at Wisconsin, has been at NIU since 2013 & is a finalist for Sports Business Journal’s AD of the Year
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) March 17, 2022
Barbour announced she would be retiring this summer, after eight years on the job here in Happy Valley. Her claims to fame are six NCAA Championships, 39 conference championships and the eleven highest semesters all-time in number of students earning a 3.0 GPA.
The Huskies of Norhtern Illinois won two conference titles (2014 and 2018) under Frazier’s helm and state they are the ‘winningest FBS team in the state of Illinois in the last 10 years.’ Northern Illinois also made their first men’s basketball postseason appearance in 2016 and their women’s basketball team made the NIT in 2017.
Frazier has also served as their co-chair of the Diversity and Inclusion Task Force and co-taught a course about collegiate athletics in the Northern Illinois University’s Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education.