Published on Show Me Mizzou April 30, 2024
Hours before this issue of MIZZOU went to press, University of Missouri officials named Laird Veatch as the new director of athletics. Veatch, who has served in the same position at the University of Memphis since October 2019, is a former football student-athlete at Kansas State University and boasts 25-years of athletics experience in the Big 12 and SEC.
“Mizzou has always had a passionate and dedicated fanbase, including broad support throughout the state, and together there is nothing that we cannot accomplish,” Veatch said. The new AD’s stated goal? “[W]inning SEC and NCAA championships while providing our student-athletes with a tremendous experience.”
Veatch worked in the Mizzou athletic department from 1997-2002. Among other successes, he oversaw the department’s fundraising activities and managed the Tiger Scholarship Fund. At Memphis, Veatch orchestrated a $200 million football stadium renovation and recently secured an innovative $25 million name, image and likeness (NIL) agreement with FedEx that will benefit Memphis student-athletes who promote company initiatives.
“We are thrilled to welcome Laird back to Mizzou as our new athletic director,” Board Chair Robin Wenneker said.
His appointment comes at a pivotal time. In mid-April, the Board of Curators unanimously approved plans to invest $250 million to transform and modernize Memorial Stadium. The commitment followed the 2023 football Tigers’ Cotton Bowl victory and 11-2 record.
Photo gallery: Laird Veatch returns to Mizzou.
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