Following a lengthy search process that lasted nearly 10 months, Texas A&M-Commerce found its next director of athletics by hiring Jim Curry. Curry arrives in Commerce after spending the last 11 years with Florida State’s executive leadership team.

Curry served as the Seminoles senior associate athletics director since 2016 and oversaw the football, women’s basketball, women’s soccer, and men’s and women’s tennis programs. Sources indicate that Curry will likely play a role in the search for the next Texas A&M-Commerce women’s basketball head coach after Jason Burton left for North Texas.

Curry has served on the Atlantic Coast Conference Women’s Basketball Committee since 2019 and spearheaded Florida State’s athletics department’s Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) initiatives and directed the launch of the department’s comprehensive NIL program, Apex, in April of 2021.

Curry brings over 17 years of experience in Division I athletics, with stints at Coastal Carolina and Maryland before arriving in Tallahassee. 

"Jim brings a keen knowledge of university athletics and a commitment to excellence, with the vision and the energy needed to move us forward as a competitive D1 university,” Texas A&M-Commerce President Mark Rudin said in a statement. “We look forward to working alongside Jim to create a positive and winning culture for our student-athletes, coaches, athletics staff, and fans.”

According to sources, the interim director of athletics, Eric Coleman, is expected to remain a member of the athletic department’s executive leadership team. Coleman served as interim director of athletics since Tim McMurray announced his departure last June.

"I first want to recognize and thank Eric Coleman, the coaches, athletics staff, and the student-athletes for their hard work and dedication as we navigated through our first year as a D1 institution,” Rudin said.

Curry will lead a Lions athletics department in its first year of transitioning to NCAA Division I. 

"A&M-Commerce has a storied athletics tradition and is well positioned to become one of the country's premier Division I FCS athletics programs," Curry said. "The vision, alignment, and commitment from President Rudin and the university leadership team to pursue championships and develop a first-class student-athlete experience are undeniable. This is an exciting time to be a Lion, and I look forward to engaging all our supporters and university stakeholders as we embrace this transformative opportunity together."