Published: July 02, 2009 11:57 pm      

Steele named interim Marshall AD

Marshall has turned to a veteran face to head its athletic department — for now.

David Steele, Marshall’s associate athletic director for finance, was appointed Wednesday as the university’s interim athletic director. He replaces Bob Marcum, who retired Tuesday after seven years at his alma mater.

An Austin, Texas, native, Steele’s duties in finance include overseeing business operations, budgeting, video and concessions, while also assisting the AD with football scheduling. He also is treasurer and a member of the Big Green Executive Committee.

Steele’s intentions are simple until a permanent replacement is named.

“(To) keep things running smoothly until the new person is on board,” Steele said Thursday. “Stay focused on the work that needs to be done and the needs (of) and support (for) our student-athletes.”

While Steele, who has been at Marshall since 1995, is a popular choice, don’t look for the interim tag to be shed from his status.

“I am not a candidate for the full-time position,” he confirmed.

“David Steele is a highly professional individual with tremendous financial acumen,” said Bill Bissett, the chief of staff for Marshall President Stephen J. Kopp. “President Kopp has great confidence in his ability and appreciates David’s willingness to serve in this capacity during this transition period.”

Among the matters on Steele’s agenda could be kickoff times for home football games. As of Thursday, only the Oct. 3 homecoming game against East Carolina had a scheduled start time (noon).

“We will try to get times finalized in the near future,” Steele said.

The search for Marcum’s permanent replacement is ongoing. National search firm Eastman & Beaudine Inc. was hired in May to conduct the process, and a 10-person search committee was appointed in June.

Bissett is encouraged by the progress of the search.

“While there is no specific information to report at this time, I can tell you that the national search is going well and, at present, is moving at a rapid pace,” Bissett said. “It is possible that a person could be selected prior to the anticipated 6-8-week search period.”

— E-mail: gfauber@

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