Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick to step down; Peter Bevacqua named successor

Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick will step down next year and will be succeeded by alumnus and NBC Sports chairman Peter Bevacqua, the school said in a statement released Thursday. Bevacqua will shadow Swarbrick as special assistant to the president for athletics starting in July before taking the wheel of the athletic department in the first quarter of 2024.

“It has been my privilege to work alongside Jack Swarbrick as he led Notre Dame to unprecedented success over the past 15 years while providing such an influential voice in college athletics," university president Rev. John I. Jenkins said, "and I’m excited that we have such a talented and experienced leader in Pete Bevacqua to spend some time learning under Jack before assuming new leadership in one of America’s most storied athletic programs.

"At this time of great chaos and disruption in college athletics, it will be invaluable to have Pete join Jack and me in charting a future for Notre Dame athletics that allows our student-athletes to play at the highest level, enjoy a full student experience and earn a Notre Dame degree."

Swarbrick has served as the head of the famed athletic department since 2008 and saw the Fighting Irish win eight national championships in fencing, women's basketball and men's and women's soccer. Notre Dame broke with tradition in hiring him since he had no previous experience in college sports and came from a tenured career at a law firm.

He was influential in bringing Notre Dame athletics to the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2013 — besides football, which remains independent, and hockey, which joined the Big Ten in 2017. He also brokered a historic 10-year, $90 million deal with Under Armour in 2014 and extended the football team's broadcast rights with NBC Sports through the 2025 season.

The football team has not won a national championship since 1988. Under Swarbrick, the Fighting Irish went to the College Football Playoff twice, in 2018 when they lost to Clemson 30-3, and in the 2020 season when they lost to Alabama 31-14. He was at the helm of the athletic department in 2012 when Manti Te'o was in contention for the Heisman Trophy and made headlines for a controversy where he ended up being catfished. In 2021, he promoted defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman to head coach to succeed Brian Kelly.

Bevacqua has spearheaded NBC Sports' entities since 2018. The NBC Sports umbrella includes NBC Olympics, the Golf Channel, NBC Sports Digital, NBC Sports Next and NBC Sports on Peacock. The school also notes his commitment to diversity and inclusion as he is a co-chair of RISE, an organization that promotes racial equality in sport.

“This is an unbelievable honor for me and a dream come true. With the exception of my family, nothing means more to me than the University of Notre Dame,” Bevacqua said in a statement. “As a Notre Dame alum, I have a keen understanding and deep appreciation of the lifetime, transformational benefit our student-athletes receive in a Notre Dame education, one that is unique and unlike any other institution in the world.”

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Notre Dame's Jack Swarbrick to step down, Peter Bevacqua to replace