STOCKTON — Ted Leland said he didn’t want to wind up being the old man in the corner office who’s so crabby everyone avoids him all day long.
On Tuesday, the 69-year-old Pacific alumnus put that possibility to rest by announcing that he will retire Oct. 23 as the Vice President of External Relations and Director of Athletics at University of the Pacific, a post he has held since July 2011.
An interim athletic director will be appointed before a national search will be conducted in the spring to find a permanent successor.
Leland ushered Pacific back into the West Coast Conference, rejuvenated fundraising efforts, implemented the athletic facilities master plan and enacted measures to improve athletic performance.