Longtime Wofford athletic director Richard Johnson stepping down after 40 years at the school

SPARTANBURG, S.C. (AP) — Wofford athletic director Richard Johnson is retiring after more than two decades of leading the Southern Conference school.

The school said in a statement Wednesday that Johnson would leave after it concluded a search for his replacement, which will start later this month.

Johnson has spent 40 years with Wofford. He served as men's basketball coach from 1985-2002 before heading the Southern Conference school's athletic department.

Johnson had planned to retire after the 2022-23 academic year but extended his time to handle several head coaching transitions including men's basketball, where coach Jay McAuley resigned last December and interim coach Dwight Perry was named as his full-time replacement in March.

Johnson changed plans to retire this New Year's Eve but decided the timing was right for him now. He said the school has a new capital campaign in the works and that he believes “it is best for new athletics leadership to be part of that process.”

Johnson helped guide the basketball team from NAIA membership into the NCAA, first in Division II from 1988-95 before moving to Division I and the Southern Conference in 1997.

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