Dick White Announces Retirement

Dick White announced Friday morning he will retire after 20 years as the University of Regina's director of athletics and 34 years at the university overall.

"For close to three decades, Dick White has been instrumental in the extraordinary development of the athletics programs at the University of Regina," said President and Vice-Chancellor Dr. Vianne Timmons. "He has shown tremendous commitment to our University and to our students, and has played a major role in the academic and athletic success of countless students. I want to take this opportunity to personally thank Dick for his years of service and his longstanding dedication to the University of Regina."

White started his involvement with Cougar Athletics in 1981 and worked as an administrative assistant and as an athletics coordinator from 1981 to 1988 before taking over in his current role in 1995.

Under his leadership, the U of R's athletics department has grown from six varsity teams to the current total of 16. White was instrumental in bringing CIS football to the U of R with a community partnership model that saw the junior Regina Rams join Canada West prior to the 1999 season. The school also added men's and women's cross country, women's hockey, women's soccer, men's and women's swimming, men's and women's track & field, and women's wrestling during White's tenure at the U of R.

Since becoming director of athletics in 1995, White has seen the U of R's varsity teams combine for three national championships and 17 conference championships. The school's first national championships were collected by the men's wrestling program with CIAU titles in both 1997 and 1998, and the women's basketball team followed that up shortly afterwards with a CIAU championship in 2001.

The school has also played host to five national championships over White's tenure as director of athletics. The University of Regina hosted the 2002 and 2003 CIS Women's Hockey Championships, the 2009 and 2013 CIS Women's Basketball Championships, and most recently the 2014 CIS Women's Volleyball Championship.

"I am exceptionally proud of what we have accomplished in my over 25 years of association with the University of Regina's athletics program," White said. "This has been done with the support and hard work of many who have helped to build our vision of excellence for the Rams and Cougars, and I have no doubt that our athletes will continue to thrive both in the classroom and in competition."

White has also held numerous positions at both the conference and the national level, including as president of Canadian Interuniversity Sport from 2005 to 2009 and once again during the 2013-14 season. He also served as president of the Canada West Universities Athletic Association for two years and as a chef de mission for Team Canada at the 2005 Winter Universiade in Innsbruck, Austria.

White will officially retire on Wednesday, Dec. 31 with Curtis Atkinson, athletics coordinator at the U of R, to serve as acting director of athletics for the remainder of the academic year. A search for a permanent replacement is planned for early 2015.