Oklahoma State University Athletics
Harry Birdwell - Athletic Director
September 12, 2005 | General
Director of Athletics
(Oklahoma State, 1972)
Harry Birdwell, who served as Oklahoma State University's Vice President for Business and External Relations, became the school's athletics director on July 1, 2002.
Bring a wealth of experience and skills, the personable Birdwell was a perfect fit to fill the void left when Terry Don Phillips departed for Clemson.
"Harry Birdwell*s knowledge of the athletics department, his unique set of financial and fund-raising skills and his long-term commitment to OSU make him the ideal choice for this critical position at this critical time," said OSU President James E. Halligan.
"Harry's leadership in the planning of the current stadium initiative and his relationships with our current coaches will accelerate the positive momentum of the athletics department."
Birdwell has been a member of the OSU administration for the past 13 years, serving as vice president for business and external relations since 1994.
"I'm pleased that we have Harry Birdwell in place to continue the momentum for the Lewis Field renovation project," said Harlan. "He has been intimately involved with the funding process for the Gallagher-Iba renovation and he certainly knows the ins and outs of the athletics department."
As the university's chief fiscal officer with responsibility for facilities and communications, Birdwell has had a high-profile role in the athletic department. This included the design development and financing of the Athletics Center project, cultivating key fund-raising contacts, developing coaches' contract and compensation packages, budget oversight and gender equity funding.
Birdwell worked closely with President Halligan and Athletics Director Terry Don Phillips to develop OSU's response to the plane crash that took the lives of 10 members of the basketball family. He spoke at the memorial service and chaired the Travel Policy Task Force that followed.
Birdwell said he's worked extensively with the current coaches and administrators in the athletics department and feels the teamwork that already exists will not miss a beat. "I will obviously depend on a group of very talented athletics department administrators to help in this transition," he said.
Birdwell is an OSU alumnus who served as student body president. A native of Fletcher, Okla., Birdwell served as both state and national president of the FFA organization while earning a degree in radio and television news and public affairs at OSU.
He earned a juris doctorate at the University of Oklahoma and went on to lead the Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce and the Oklahoma Association of Electric Cooperatives as general manager before pursuing a career in investment banking.
At OSU, Birdwell is credited with opening the budget process to faculty involvement and leading a transition to performance based funding. He was instrumental in the development of the Oklahoma Technology and Research Park with the City of Stillwater and Meridian Technology Center and serves as vice chair of the Park Board.
He also has shepherded more than $300 million in campus improvements in the past eight years. In 2000, Birdwell received the President's Service Award as OSU's Outstanding Administrator.
Birdwell and his wife, Cindy, have two children, Ashley, who graduated from OSU in May, and Brandon, a sophomore at Oklahoma State.
