Athletics Department. Director of Athletics
The Wake Forest Athletics Director oversees all of the university's intercollegiate athletic programs and administrative activities. The athletics director is also involved in budgeting, hiring coaching staff, and conference compliance. This collection includes departmental reports, newsletters from the Athletics Director, and materials regarding student-athletes and athletics staff.
Biographical and Historical Note
The Wake Forest Athletics Director oversees all of the university's intercollegiate athletic programs, and is involved in budgeting, hiring coaching staff, and ensuring compliance with the ACC and NCAA rules and guidelines for intercollegiate athletics.
Enoch Walter (E.W.) Sikes initially held the position in 1891, when the college began intercollegiate athletics, serving as the first football coach. Subsequent years saw an increasing interest in sports, as Wake Forest began to compete agianst other schools in baseball and basketball in addition to football. The organization of these competitions was managed by coaches who were frequently also faculty members.
From 1936-1953 Wake forest was a member of the Southern intercollegiate Conference. During this time, James (Jim) Harvey Weaver served as football coach and athletics director. In 1953 Wake Forest jound seven other instituions to establish the Atlantic Coast conference (ACC). Wever left his positions at Wake to serv as commissioner of the newly formed conference.
Weaver was succeded by Paddison 'Pat' W. Preston (1954-1956)and Bill Gibson (1957-1964). In 1964, Dr. Gene Hooks, an alumnus of Wake Forest University, assumed the position of Athletic Director. Dr. Hooks significantly contributed to the development of Wake Forest's intercollegiate athletics by overseeing the implementation of Title IX, enhancing commercial revenue, and expanding athletic scholarship opportunities.
Hooks retired in 1992, and Ron Wellman served as the Director of Athletics from 1992 until 2019. During Wellman's tenure, Wake Forest achieved a total of 20 ACC championships and secured 4 national titles across various sports. Wellman stepped down in 2019, and since that time, Wake Forest Athletics has been under the leadership of John Currie.
Collection Overview
This collection documents the professional activities and administrative history of the Wake Forest University Athletics Director. Given that early intercollegiate sports were less formalized and organized, the position of Athletics Director is a relatively recent development. The responsibilities and initiatives of the Athletics Director are diverse and these records document the evolution of the administration and management of intercollegiate athletics.
This collection includes departmental reports, newsletters from the Athletics Director, and materials regarding student-athletes and athletics staff.
Administrative Information
- Publication Information
- Processed by Ashelee Gerald Hill, 2025 July
- Access Restrictions
- This collection is open for use.
- Copyright notice
- The nature of the WFU Z. Smith Reynolds Library Special Collections and Archives means that copyright or other information about restrictions may be difficult or even impossible to determine despite reasonable efforts. The Archives and Special Collections of ZSR Library claims only physical ownership of most materials. The materials from our collections are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to the U.S. Copyright Law. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Any materials used for academic research or otherwise should be fully credited with the source.
- Preferred Citation
- Athletics Department. Director of Athletics Records (RG 21.24), Z. Smith Reynolds Library Special Collections and Archives, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC, USA.