Michael hired as AD at Eastern Illinois

CHARLESTON, Ill. -- Eastern Illinois has announced the hiring of Tom Michael as the Panthers' new director of intercollegiate athletics. Michael will be formally introduced as the 10th full-time AD in school history at a news conference on July 22 in the Ike Kennard Club Room in Lantz Arena.

Michael is currently the senior associate athletic director at Illinois. He will assume his role at EIU on Aug. 11, replacing Barbara Burke, who took a position at Tulane in April.

"Tom Michael’s experience, integrity and commitment to the academic development of student-athletes are excellent," EIU president William Perry said. "I am very pleased he is joining the EIU family."

“We are excited to begin the next chapter in Eastern Illinois Panther athletics with Tom Michael as our new athletic director,” said Dan Nadler, EIU vice president for student affairs who has also served as the interim athletic director since Burke’s departure. “He is a well-rounded athletic administrator who brings experience as both a former Division I athlete and administrator that will benefit EIU athletics. Over the course of the phone and on-campus interviews you could see that Tom is someone that will be totally committed to the academic and athletic development of EIU’s student-athletes.”

Michael has worked as the senior associate athletic director at Illinois since 2012. He is currently overseeing the renovations to the State Farm Center. Michael joined the Illinois athletic department in 1996 as an academic counselor. He has worked for the past 12 years in administration serving as both an associate athletic director and assistant athletic director for student services. In addition to his current role in the State Farm Center renovation, Michael oversees academic services, equipment, event management, sports medicine and strength and conditioning for the athletic department.

“I am thrilled to be named the director of athletics at Eastern Illinois University. It is with great anticipation that I look forward to working with the coaches, staff and student-athletes involved with EIU Panther athletics,” Michael said. "I feel the 18 years of employment and four years as a student-athlete at the University of Illinois have prepared me for this opportunity. I leave Illinois with a tremendous amount of respect for the training and experiences it has provided for me both as a Division I student-athlete and as a Division I athletic administrator.”

Michael received both his bachelor’s degree (1993) and master’s degree (1994) from Illinois. He played four years for the Fighting Illini basketball program from 1991-94, helping the team make two trips to the NCAA tournament. He was a two-time Academic All-Big Ten selection and holds the Illinois single-season record for 3-point field goal percentage.