By Callie Ewing, BA '03 MH '22

The University of Dallas has announced Jarred Samples, BA ’01, as the new athletics director, effective July 1, 2021, following the retirement of longtime director Dick Strockbine, who has served in this role for more than 25 years. Samples recently completed his 13th season as UD’s head coach of men's basketball, which is the second-longest among active UD coaches in the department and longest for men’s basketball.

"I would like to thank President Sanford and the search committee for the opportunity to serve as the next athletics director at the University of Dallas,” said Samples. “I am excited to lead a department that is committed to the all-around development of our student-athletes. We will continue to give our student-athletes the best collegiate experience both in the classroom and in the field of competition."

Samples added to his career record of 137 victories after guiding the Crusaders through a shortened season due to COVID-19.  

Samples became the winningest coach for the program on Dec. 29, 2018, in a 90-84 final at Colorado College. The team also set an individual game record with 15 three-pointers. The 2018-19 campaign was a sub .500 record (11-17), but Samples led Dallas to its first-ever SCAC Men's Basketball Championship Appearance and played in the league's first-ever double overtime game in a championship contest. The Crusaders secured the fifth seed in the conference tournament, upsetting fourth-seeded Schreiner University and first-seeded Southwestern University, who were regular season co-champions with tournament host and eventual champion Texas Lutheran University. 

 “It is a blessing to be able to appoint an alumnus with such a long history at UD for this position,” said Sanford. “I have complete faith in Coach Samples’ ability to guide our student-athletes well in the cultivation of truth, wisdom and virtue as they strive to balance their academic goals with their athletic ones. He models what he preaches and will be a great ambassador for the university.”

Samples spent two seasons (2006-08) as men's basketball assistant coach at the University of Chicago, during which the Maroons won back-to-back University Athletic Association (UAA) Championships and appeared in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Tournament. Samples was part of a men's basketball staff that was named UAA Coaching Staff of the Year for the 2006-07 and 2007-08 seasons. 

Prior to Chicago, Samples was a men's basketball assistant coach for five seasons (2001-06) at Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas. The Pirates were 2004-05 SCAC Men's Basketball regular-season Co-Champions (11-3) and had the SCAC Men's Basketball Player-of-the-Year, three All-SCAC Men's Basketball First Team honorees and the university's first National Association of Basketball Coaches Division III All-American. 

"I am very excited to have Coach Samples serving as the new UD athletics director,” said Executive Vice President John Plotts, Ed.D., to whom Samples will report. “UD is poised to enter the next phase of program and facilities development, and Jarred is the person who can achieve our goals."

A four-year letter winner in basketball and golf at UD as an undergraduate, Samples obtained a Bachelor of Arts in history from the university. He resides in Carrollton, Texas, with his wife, Sarah, daughter, Addison, and son, Max.