By Doug Ireland, Journal Sports
Tommy McClelland, Louisiana Tech’s athletics director from 2013-20, appears to be poised to replace retiring Mike Bobinski as AD at Big Ten Conference member Purdue.
ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported Monday that McClelland, the AD at Rice since 2023 after spending three years as deputy AD at Vanderbilt, could be introduced later this week when Purdue’s Board of Trustees holds a previously scheduled regular meeting in West Lafayette, Indiana.
Purdue coaches reportedly stressed the obvious need to identify new revenue streams in discussions with the search firm contracted to help with the AD search. In his time at Rice, McClelland has initiated NIL revenue generation including launching the South Main Fund at the affluent Houston private university.
He previously directed the Vandy Now campaign, which raised more than $300 million towards new and renovated athletic facilities.
While leading Louisiana Tech athletics, McClelland contributed to postseason appearances in football, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, baseball, softball, golf and bowling. He hired two current successful Tech coaches, women’s basketball’s Brooke Stoehr and baseball’s Lane Burroughs, ironically plucking both from his alma mater, Northwestern State.
McClelland also helped develop new revenue-producing initiatives during his time in Ruston as Tech settled into Conference USA.
McClelland rose to his first athletic director position, at McNeese State, at age 26, and earned acclaim for fundraising success. It caught the attention of Tech leadership and he moved to Ruston following six years in Lake Charles. He was noted as a champion of student-athlete academic performance at both in-state universities, with impressive marks in NCAA annual reviews.
The Basile native was a walk-on long snapper and javelin thrower at Northwestern, where he earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees and met his wife, Jessica. He played for the Demons’ 2004 Southland Conference champion football team.
In 2021, the McClellands established the Tommy and Jessica McClelland Family Scholarship, contributing the initial $10,000 toward an endowment that will benefit NSU student-athletes. He also served as an alumni representative on the University of Louisiana System’s presidential search committee in 2024 that produced current Northwestern leader James “Jimmy” Genovese.
Bobinski announced in June he would retire on Dec. 31 after 10 years in charge of Purdue Athletics, and said he would step aside as AD as soon as possible after a replacement is hired, and remain in an advisory role. The university is currently led by an interim president, Mitch Daniels, who had retired from that position.
While the Boilermakers made NCAA Elite Eight appearances last year in men’s basketball and volleyball, they have floundered in football, where Purdue has not won a Big Ten game since 2023.
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