How FSU Athletics advanced with Stan Wilcox in charge

FSU will be looking for a new man to lead the athletics department, but replacing Stan Wilcox is going to be a lot tougher than some people might think.

Just as the academic and athletic years are set to begin on the FSU campus, the Seminoles are all of a sudden finding themselves searching for a new leader for that side of the school as the vice president director of athletics, Stan Wilcox, recently announced he will be leaving for a job with the NCAA.

It’s a move that comes as a surprise since Wilcox had put his stamp on the FSU program – and turned it into one of the better complete ones in the entire country – and had given no indication of looking for another job outside Tallahassee, complimenting all of the school presidents he had worked for since joining FSU in 2013.

Over the five years that Wilcox has been the man leading the athletic side of things for the Seminoles, FSU has grown as both a competitive unit on the field – while also growing as a complete program with a focus on facilities and becoming an all-inclusive department more than ever before under any of the previous directors.

On the field, the championship in both the ACC and on the national scale will be at the top of the resume – including the 2013 football title to go along with the 2014 crown in women’s soccer and the softball national title just two months ago – while finishing in the top 10 of the Director’s Cup this year without having many of the sports other schools do, including lacrosse and men’s soccer.

Off the field, Wilcox was the leading force behind getting many of the facilities that FSU teams use advanced to keep up with the other top programs – including revamping the Tucker Center as well as the new additions to Doak Campbell Stadium as well as the Olympic sports and the new golf course being designed by legendJack Nicklaus.

Of course, the advancements for the program in the classroom might be one of Wilcox’s biggest achievements as FSU athletes combined for a cumulative 3.0 GPA this past academic year for the first time in school history – something Wilcox preached during previous stops at both Duke and Notre Dame.

Stan Wilcox may have been the 14th person to hold the title of FSU athletic director since the school began playing sports in 1947 – but he will have the biggest shoes to fill for what he did in bringing the Seminoles into the modern times and doing what was best for the Noles on and off the field.