Dallas Baptist is in the market for a new Athletic Director following an announcement of Dr. Connor Smith departing the Patriots to become the Associate Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at North Texas.

DBU has been very successful during Smith’s tenure, with the Patriots securing the first national title in school history when the women’s golf team captured a national title in 2021. Under Smith’s leadership, the men’s basketball team became one of only seven programs in the country to reach the NCAA Division II tournament in five consecutive seasons.

Smith also excelled at fundraising and started the Patriot Athletic Fund in 2019, which marked the first annual booster program to support all 25 athletic programs. During his tenure, DBU began the athletic department’s sports broadcast and streaming platform, Patriot Broadcasting Network.

An alum of DBU, Smith was a captain of the golf team before serving as a graduate assistant golf coach in 2009. He transitioned to Assistant AD for Internal Operations for the Patriots in 2011.