UPDATED: Thursday, May 19, 2016 at 10:46 a.m.

Syracuse University has announced Daniel French as the school’s interim director of athletics. Herman Frazier has been promoted to senior deputy director of athletics and the two of them will oversee the athletic department as the university searches for a new AD.

Former Director of Athletics Mark Coyle left SU on May 11 to take the same position at Minnesota. Coyle served as AD for 11 months and during last summer’s AD search, chief facilities officer Pete Sala was Syracuse’s interim director of athletics. This time, SU chose French, its general counsel for the university.

“I look forward to working with Dan French and Herm Frazier in the weeks ahead to continue building a winning athletics program centered around highly accomplished student-athletes,” Chancellor Kent Syverud said in an SU News release.

Together French and Frazier will create a management team that will lead and guide the Athletics Departments at SU during this transition, according to the release.

French, who is a Class of 1995 SU College of Law alumnus, has served as the university’s general counsel since 2014. The Office of the General Counsel is “responsible for all the legal work arising from the activities of the University, and provides advice and counsel to University leaders, faculty and staff on the broad range of issues and topics,” according to the release.

While serving as SU’s interim AD, French will also continue in his role as general counsel, according to the release.

“As General Counsel, Dan French has played an important role working with and supporting the Athletics Department during the past several years,” Syverud said in the release. “He has provided strong leadership, particularly overseeing the restructuring and enhancement of the University’s Office of Athletic Compliance, and developing the West Campus Project. He is the right person to lead the department during this time.”

Frazier, who joined Syracuse in 2011, currently serves as SU’s deputy athletics director and chief of staff. As senior deputy director of athletics, he will oversee all day-to-day athletic and administrative operations within the university’s athletic department, according to the release. Frazier has almost 40 years of experience in athletics administration, including eight years as an athletics director.

Syverud said in the release that Frazier has an “impressive” track record as an athletics administrator and he is grateful for his leadership during this time of transition.

“As a former Olympian, an All-American college athlete and a two-time college athletics director, Herm brings a wealth of knowledge and unique experiences to this new role,” Syverud said in the release. “He is dedicated to the success and well-being of our student-athletes — both in the classroom and on the playing fields.”

The search for a new AD of the university will start immediately, according to the release.

Published on May 19, 2016 at 10:06 am

Contact Paul: pmschwed@syr.edu | @pschweds