Pat Haden To Step Down as USC Athletic Director on June 30

Pat Haden will retire as USC’s athletic director on June 30, the school announced on Friday. The 63-year-old former Trojan quarterback has been in the position since August of 2010.

During a time when USC’s football program was under heavy (and wildly controversial) NCAA sanctions, Haden helped the university navigate some incredibly rough waters. Many USC fans still believe Haden should have fought back harder against the NCAA, but he must have believed there was no point getting into a protracted legal fight with the organization.

USC President Max Nikias had this to say about Haden’s retirement:

"“He took on this role at a time when the department faced unprecedented pressure, externally and internally, requiring nothing less than a Herculean effort to rebuild its foundation for the long term. USC Athletics had received NCAA penalties of unprecedented harshness only weeks earlier; and its physical and academic infrastructure urgently required improvement to bring it in line with the university’s overall dramatic progress in recent years.”"

Under Haden USC’s football program underachieved, and his hiring and subsequent firing of Steve Sarkisian has been a major black eye for the university. But academically, all of USC’s sports improved under his watch and the athletic department raised more than $400 million.

Haden was the starting quarterback for USC from 1972-74, graduated magna cum laude, phi beta kappa and was a Rhodes Scholar.

Haden will reportedly stay on with USC for a year to help the school with its renovation of the Coliseum.