New Virginia Tech president Linton is 'all in on athletics'
New Virginia Tech president Richard Linton, right, speaks with Jim Miller, the rector of the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors, at Linton's introductory press conference.
Kansas State baseball coach and former Virginia Tech coach Pete Hughes, shown at a 2024 Kansas State game, praised Tech's hiring of Kansas State President Richard Linton.
Virginia Tech athletic director Brian White, shown after the introductory press conference for new Virginia Tech president Richard Linton, is glad that Linton is a sports fan.
BLACKSBURG — Virginia Tech has hired a "sports fanatic" as its new president.
The Virginia Tech Board of Visitors named Richard Linton as the university's new president Wednesday. Linton has been serving as Kansas State's president since February 2022.
"It's a big loss for us. It's a great win for the Hokies," Kansas State baseball coach and former Virginia Tech coach Pete Hughes said Wednesday in a phone interview.
Hughes, who steered the Virginia Tech baseball team from 2007-13, has been Kansas State's coach since June 2018. He has become good friends with Linton.
"I've never worked for a president as engaged athletically as President Linton," said Hughes, who also has been a head coach at Boston College and Oklahoma. "He truly is a sports fanatic.
"He's very aware of the landscape and what works and what doesn't work. The president wants to win in everything.
"This is only going to be a an asset for the (Tech) athletic department, for sure."
J. Pearson, the chairman of the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors' athletic committee, was on Tech's presidential search committee. So he got a feel for Linton's commitment to athletics.
"He is all in. All in. Let me say it again — all in. That meant a lot to me. He's all in on athletics," Pearson said after Linton's introductory press conference.
Kansas State belongs to the Big 12 — one of the four power conferences, along with the ACC, Big Ten and Southeastern Conference. So Linton is well aware of the money a school needs to be a factor in big-time college athletics.
"We've gone through a tremendous amount of changes in the last several years and I think all the power conferences are trying to figure this out in moving forward in order to be able to find a way to be sustainable," Linton said Wednesday at his press conference. "There is some kind of equation that includes university commitment, innovation, creativity and efficiency in athletics — and probably local, state and federal support at some level. I think that's the equation that's going to be important in moving forward."
Virginia Tech Athletic Director Brian White was on hand for Linton's news conference. White had yet to meet his new boss, but he was glad that Linton has already been the president of a school in a power conference.
"That's a huge positive, in my opinion — somebody that knows what Power Four athletics looks like and has worked with a successful Power Four athletic program, has experience in the presidential role," White said.
Linton earned his bachelor's degree, master's degree and Ph.D. from Virginia Tech.
"Athletics is incredibly important to the university," Linton, 60, said Wednesday. "It helps with student enrollment. It helps with student retention. It helps with alumni relationships. It helps with philanthropy. We need to do what we can in order to make sure we are competitive because it's a strong foundational piece of the university.
"Plus, I enjoy going to the games and matches."
Hughes said Linton has been a regular at Kansas State sporting events. He said Linton also sends him supportive text messages.
"There's not one sporting event that he and (Linton's wife) Sally are not a presence at," Hughes said. "Great advocates for college athletics.
"He's a baseball fan. We loved talking baseball for hours — baseball cards, everything. …He's got all the jerseys, he's got all the throwbacks.
"He is entrenched in the athletics scene, which was awesome and refreshing to be around."
White said he has no doubt that Tech hired the right person in Linton.
"For a president to care whether or not we win or lose, that goes a long way," White said. "President (Tim) Sands has been tremendous for us and our new president, it looks like we have another leader that supports and believes in athletics, that is a sports fan."
Pearson questioned Linton during the search committee's interview process.
"When we interviewed him, he brought (athletics) up," Pearson said. "He knows that the front porch is athletics.
"Some of the other candidates were total academics and the word 'athletics' never came up. In his case, it was within the first two paragraphs of his opening statement."
Since last fall, Virginia Tech has been spending more on athletics because of its "Invest to Win" initiative.
"I asked him (during the interview process), 'Do you understand Invest to Win?’ And he said, 'Yes,’" Pearson said. "I said, 'Do you embrace that?’ and he said, 'Absolutely. Virginia Tech has to get back to where they were.’"
Pearson also asked Linton for his thoughts on such matters as Name, Image and Likeness payments to athletes.
"He understands what athletics is going through, versus someone that's just, say, a big-time professor, a dean, who's not paying attention to athletics."
Hughes said Linton understands college athletics is "big business" and "knows the price of winning."
"Athletics is a huge priority and he gets it. He understands what a vital cog to the machine athletics is," Hughes said. "He understands how academia and athletics need to work together."
Mark Berman (540) 981-3125
