Marshall, AD Christian Spears Agree to Part Ways After Contract

Marshall and athletic director Christian Spears have agreed to mutually part ways at the conclusion of his current contract. ESPN’s Pete Thamel broke this news on Monday night.

Spears was hired by Marshall in 2022 after serving Pitt for five years as their deputy athletic director and chief operating officer.

Sources: Marshall athletic director Christian Spears and the school have mutually agreed he will not continue at the school after his contract runs out. Select school officials were briefed on the decision today. He’ll stay on as AD until the school finds a replacement. pic.twitter.com/Z4d1SxwueI

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) April 28, 2025

Beyond his time at Marshall and Pitt, Spears has three decades worth of experience in athletics administration at Eastern Michigan, Northern Illinois, Southern Illinois and Long Beach State.

During Spears’ tenure, the Thundering Herd’s overall athletics department enjoyed some of its greatest success collectively.

The football program was bowl eligible every season under Spears, highlighted by winning the Sun Belt Conference Championship in 2024, granted that preceded the departure of head coach Charles Huff to Southern Miss. Marshall then brought Tony Gibson back to West Virginia to take over for Huff.

Also in 2024, the men’s soccer team reached another College Cup.

Spears awarded Kim Caldwell her first Division I head coach opportunity with the Marshall women’s basketball team. She led the Herd to an NCAA Tournament appearance in her only season in Huntington.

Caldwell has since moved on, using that job to elevate her career and land with a women’s blue blood in Tennessee.

Spears will stay on as athletic director until Marshall can find his replacement.

Find more coverage of Marshall sports at WV Sports Now.

For a related story, Mike Asti explains why WVU needs to ignore Tony Gibson’s campaign to renew Friends of Coal Bowl.