October 05, 2005

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Palo Alto Online

Leland leaving Stanford

by Keith Peters

For more than 14 years, Dr. Ted Leland has led the Stanford Athletic Department to unprecedented success -- both on and off the playing field.

Since his arrival on The Farm in 1991, Stanford has won 50 national team championships and 173 conference titles, including an NCAA record six national crowns in 1996-97.

Clearly, Leland has earned the reputation as one of the nation's top athletic administrators.

In January, that ends. Leland announced Tuesday that he will leave his post as Director of Athletics at Stanford to become Vice President for University Advancement at the University of the Pacific. Leland will remain on the job at Stanford until Jan. 1, 2006.

"It is certainly with a heavy heart that I make this announcement," said Leland, who has worked at Stanford since June 1991. "Being in this position at Stanford has been a dream come true for me. There is no other university in the country that espouses excellence in the classroom and on the playing field as Stanford does, and I have been fortunate and proud to be its Director of Athletics the past 14 years."

During Leland's tenure at Stanford, Cardinal teams have consistently competed for the national championship in virtually every sport every year. In 2004-05 alone, Stanford had 26 programs finish in the top 25 nationally, including 10 in the top five and 16 in the top 10.

In his new position, Leland will oversee fund raising and alumni relations on all three of Pacific's campuses, including the main campus in Stockton, the dental school in San Francisco and the law school in Sacramento. He will also hold a non-tenurable academic appointment as a professor in College of the Pacific, the University's school of arts and sciences.

Leland, who earned his Bachelor's degree in 1970 and Master's degree in 1972 from UOP, played football and coached at the school before returning as the Director of Athletics from 1989-91.

"Leaving Stanford is one of the toughest decisions I've had to make in my life, and I would only consider it for a few select positions," Leland said. "Returning to Stockton and UOP is a special opportunity for me, and my family and I felt it was the right time in my career to make this move."

"Ted Leland's name has become synonymous in the world of collegiate athletics with excellence," Stanford President John Hennessy said. "His tenure as athletic director has been characterized by his unceasing emphasis on the well-being of student-athletes and their success in academic and athletic endeavors. His national leadership has helped frame contemporary debate on issues in college sports -- from the primacy of academics to the importance of Title IX in building a first-rate athletics program to an emphasis on sportsmanship in a time of increasing pressure to win-at-all-costs.

"He has maintained the highest ethical standards while leading one of the most successful college athletics programs in the country. Suffice it to say, he will be greatly missed.

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