Resolution; recognizing Joseph Castiglione.

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STATE OF OKLAHOMA

2nd Session of the 60th Legislature (2026)

SENATE
RESOLUTION 38 By: Paxton

AS INTRODUCED

A Resolution recognizing Joseph Castiglione.

WHEREAS, Joseph Castiglione concluded his 28 years as the
University of Oklahoma’s Vice President and Director of Athletics in
February 2026, the longest tenure among Football Bowl Subdivision
schools; and
WHEREAS, the past 28 years have represented an era of unmatched
academic and athletics excellence by Sooner sports programs; and
WHEREAS, under Joseph Castiglione, nearly 3,000 student-athletes
earned OU degrees; and
WHEREAS, under Joseph Castiglione, the Sooners won 117
conference titles and 26 of the University’s 45 (or 58%) all-time
national championships (nine by men’s gymnastics, eight by softball,
seven by women’s gymnastics, and one each by football and men’s
golf); and
WHEREAS, OU Athletics enjoyed 28 consecutive terms of a
cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher and eight straight semesters of a

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3.2 or higher under Joseph Castiglione’s watch, with student
athletes setting a program-record 3.31 cumulative GPA during the
spring 2025 semester; and
WHEREAS, during OU’s 26 years as a member of the Big 12
Conference while Joseph Castiglione served as the school’s athletics
director, the Sooners amassed 15 Big 12 Athletes of the Year—more
than any other program; and
WHEREAS, four Sooners won Heisman Trophies during Joseph
Castiglione’s tenure (Jason White in 2003, Sam Bradford in 2008,
Baker Mayfield in 2017, and Kyler Murray in 2018); and
WHEREAS, Joseph Castiglione has added to the rich tradition of
coaching excellence at the University of Oklahoma with the hires of
exemplary coaches, including Bob Stoops, Oklahoma’s all-time
winningest football coach; and
WHEREAS, during Joseph Castiglione’s time as athletics director,
the football program won 14 Big 12 Conference championships (10 more
than the program with the next most) and the 2000 national title,
and the men’s (two) and women’s (three) basketball programs combined
for five Final Four appearances; and
WHEREAS, Joseph Castiglione has hired and mentored dozens of
former employees who went on to serve as athletics directors and
senior-level administrators at other institutions; and
WHEREAS, Joseph Castiglione has been a national leader in
collegiate athletics, including service on the College Football

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Playoff Committee and the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball and
Baseball committees, making him the first person in history to serve
on those three committees, in addition to many others; and
WHEREAS, Joseph Castiglione is a sought-after voice in
collegiate athletics who served on multiple NCAA committees and
commissions designed to improve the overall student athlete
experience; and
WHEREAS, Joseph Castiglione has demonstrated great leadership
through a range of challenges and opportunities, including the
creation of the Big 12 Conference and seismic conference realignment
with OU’s move to the Southeastern Conference; and
WHEREAS, Joseph Castiglione ensured OU Athletics remained one of
the few self-sustaining departments in the country, making it a
model of fiscal responsibility and an engine of support for the
university at large; and
WHEREAS, the University of Oklahoma has enjoyed the renovation
and building of a variety of athletics facilities under Joseph
Castiglione’s leadership, including a $160 million renovation of the
Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium and the construction of
Love’s Field, Headington Family Tennis Center, Gregg Wadley Indoor
Tennis Pavilion, Griffin Family Performance Center for men’s and
women’s basketball, Headington Hall, and more; and
WHEREAS, Joseph Castiglione demonstrated his commitment to
excellence in the classroom by serving as an adjunct professor in

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OU’s Jeannine Rainbolt College of Education, teaching graduate
courses in marketing and higher education leadership; and
WHEREAS, Joseph Castiglione is a seven-time National Athletics
Director of the Year who earned multiple additional honors,
including the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall
of Fame’s prestigious John L. Toner Award and induction into the
Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame, among others; and
WHEREAS, in his 28 years at OU, Joseph Castiglione provided
humble, steady leadership in a moment of unprecedented change and
disruption in collegiate athletics.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE 2ND SESSION
OF THE 60TH OKLAHOMA LEGISLATURE:
THAT the Oklahoma State Senate recognizes the outstanding
contributions of Joseph Castiglione to the University of Oklahoma
and the State of Oklahoma.

60-2-3840 KC 3/23/2026 3:10:24 PM