Jim Sterk (born June 10, 1956) is an American university sports administrator who most recently served as the athletic director at the

University of Missouri The University of Missouri (Mizzou or MU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri, United States. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus Univers ...

. He has previously served as athletic director for

Portland State Portland State University (PSU) is a public research university in Portland, Oregon, United States. It was founded in 1946 as a post-secondary educational institution for World War II veterans. It evolved into a four-year college over the next ...

Washington State Washington, officially the State of Washington, is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is often referred to as Washington State to distinguish it from the national capital, both named after George Washington ...

, and

San Diego State San Diego State University (SDSU) is a public research university in San Diego, California, United States. Founded in 1897, it is the third-oldest university and southernmost in the 23-member California State University (CSU) system. SDSU is ...

Early life and education

Jim Sterk was born on June 10, 1956, in Bellingham, Washington, and was raised in

Nooksack, Washington Nooksack ( ) is a city in Whatcom County, Washington, United States, south of the border with Canada. The population was 1,471 at the 2020 census. Despite the name, it is actually located right next to the upper stream of the Sumas River, a ...

. He received his bachelor's degree in 1980 from Western Washington University, and in 1986 received his master's degree in sports administration from

Ohio University Ohio University (Ohio or OU) is a Public university, public research university with its main campus in Athens, Ohio, United States. The university was first conceived in the 1787 contract between the United States Department of the Treasury#Re ...

Athletic director

Portland State

After working in various positions at Maine, Seattle Pacific, and Tulane, Sterk became the athletic director for Portland State. While at Portland State, he oversaw the transition from Division II to Division I.

Washington State

In 2000, Sterk left Portland State and accepted a job as athletic director for Washington State. During his tenure, Washington State excelled academically in the

Pac-10 The Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate athletic conference in the Western United States. It participates at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level for all sports, and its football teams compete in the Football Bowl ...

, and saw an increase in donations and annual gifts.

San Diego State

Sterk left Washington State to become the athletic director at San Diego State. During his time San Diego State, the athletic program improved on various levels, including their

basketball team Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

having a streak of 72 sold-out games and their

football team A football team is a group of players selected to play together in the various team sports known as football. Such teams could be selected to play in a match against an opposing team, to represent a football club, group, state or nation, an All-st ...

going 11–3 and beating

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...

in the

Hawaii Bowl The Hawaii Bowl is a college football bowl game that has been played in the Honolulu, Hawaii, area since 2002. The game was originally held at Aloha Stadium in Halawa, Hawaii, a suburb of Honolulu, before moving to the Clarence T. C. Ching At ...

in his final year.

Missouri

On September 1, 2016, Sterk became the athletic director for Missouri. Former San Diego State player

Marshall Faulk Marshall William Faulk (born February 26, 1973) is an American former professional American football, football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons and is the current running backs coach at the Colorado ...

commended the hiring. Under Sterk's watch, Missouri has advanced academically with its athletic teams. On July 26, 2021, Sterk announced that he would step down as athletic director for Missouri and would leave once his replacement was found.

Personal life

Sterk is married to his wife, Debi, and they have three daughters together: Ashley, Amy and Abby.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sterk, Jim Living people 1956 births People from Bellingham, Washington Missouri Tigers athletic directors Western Washington University alumni San Diego State Aztecs athletic directors Washington State Cougars athletic directors Portland State Vikings athletic directors