NORFOLK, VA (WTKR)- Back in February, Dr. Wood Selig announced he would retire as Old Dominion's Director of Athletics at the end of 2026. Now the Monarchs know to whom he will pass the torch.
A source confirmed to News 3 on Monday that ODU is finalizing a deal with Tim House to become the school's next athletic director. An official announcement is expected later this week.
House is currently the president of the Spartan Athletic Foundation at Michigan State. According to his biography on the school's athletic website, House was one of the nation's top fundraisers during his time at Purdue, earning the national fundraiser of the year from the National Association of Athletic Development Directors in 2025.
Selig revealed earlier this year that he will end his 16-year run as head of the Monarch athletic department this December 31. He plans to remain with the school, however. Beginning in 2027, he will serve as the Kaufman Lecturer of Sport Management within ODU’s graduate sport management program. He will also transition into a role focused on athletics fundraising and donor oversight.
Serving as Old Dominion's Director of Athletics since 2010, ODU has tasted titles on Selig's watch. During his tenure, the Monarchs won five conference championships in women’s tennis, four in men’s tennis, three in women’s soccer, two in men’s soccer, a championship in baseball, men’s basketball, women’s golf, and an FCS conference title in football.
The school's athletics programs also made history during Selig's tenure. Men’s basketball achieved its first ever national AP top 25 ranking in 2014-15, baseball climbed to its highest ever final season ranking of No. 16 in 2021 earning a number one seed in the NCAA tournament, football earned its highest FBS final ranking ever of 34th in 2025, and women’s tennis finished 27th nationally in 2022. Additionally, Selig hired Nikki McCray-Penson in 2017, ODU’s first female African American head coach in women’s basketball. He also helped launch women’s volleyball in 2020.
Selig also oversaw the football program's transition to the FBS ranks, as the program moved from FCS to Conference USA, then joined the Sun Belt Conference in 2022. This past season, the Monarchs finished 10-3 and capped off the campaign with a Cure Bowl victory. Ricky Rahne received a contract extension after the program's third bowl trip in his five years on the field.
Meanwhile, the Monarchs are seeking a return to success in a handful of areas. The women's basketball program has not made the NCAA Tournament since 2008, as Delisha Milton-Jones looks to restore the reputation of the team being one of the best in the nation. ODU men's basketball is still seeking traction under Mike Jones, who is in his second season leading the Monarchs. That program is two wins away from its third consecutive 20-loss season and has not made the NCAA Tournament since 2019. In addition, the athletic department eliminated its wrestling program in 2020.
Fundraising has also been successful during his span at the school, as the Monarchs have invested $200 million in facilities in the last 16 years. The upgrades are highlighted by football’s S.B. Ballard Stadium. Other facility enhancements include The Mitchum Basketball Performance Center for women’s and men’s basketball, the Ellmer Family Baseball Complex, which is set to be completed in the coming months, a brand-new volleyball venue, and an expanded L.R. Hill complex to accommodate ODU’s football move from FCS to FBS.
Selig is the fifth athletic director to serve at Old Dominion and came to the Monarchs after 11 years in the same position at Western Kentucky. His 27 years make him the fourth-longest serving athletic director in the FBS ranks.
House has plenty of experience at esteemed institutions. Before Michigan State and Purdue, he held leadership and fundraising roles at Army, Penn, Duke, Belmont and Vanderbilt. He returns to the east coast, where he graduated from North Carolina State.
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