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La Crosse, Wis. -- The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse has chosen Josh Whitman as its new athletic director.

A native of West Lafayette, Indiana, Whitman, who has more than 13 years of experience in collegiate and professional athletics, has been an attorney since September 2009 at Covington & Burling LLP in Washington, D.C.  Following a selection process that involved more than 70 applicants from across the country, Whitman succeeds Joe Baker, who recently became the athletics director at Carroll University (Wis.).

“I am privileged to have the opportunity to join the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse and to lead one of the nation's elite Division III athletics programs,” said Whitman.  “UW-L's student-athletes have excelled consistently both in their respective sports and in the classroom, and I hope that under my leadership we can continue to build on the strong foundation laid by the coaches and existing administrative staff.  With the support of the University and the La Crosse community, I am confident that we can push Eagle athletics to even greater heights.  The people involved in the UW-L athletics program have been incredibly warm and welcoming, and Jamin and I are anxious to get here and to get started.”

Whitman and his wife, Jamin, currently reside in Arlington, Virginia. He begins his duties at UW-La Crosse the week of September 13.

Whitman is a member of Covington & Burling's nationally recognized sports practice group, highlighted by its position as primary outside counsel to the National Football League (NFL).  In addition to sports, Whitman's practice focuses in white collar defense and antitrust.  Whitman's clients have included the NFL, Microsoft, and GlaxoSmithKline.  He has also participated extensively in the firm's pro bono practice, including the preparation of an amici brief in the Supreme Court of the United States, representation of an inmate on Arizona's death row, and representation of four inmates during their appearances before the United States Parole Commission.  Prior to joining Covington & Burling, Whitman served as a judicial law clerk for the Honorable M.S. Kanne on the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.  In 2006, he was a summer associate at Foley & Lardner LLP in Milwaukee.  Whitman earned his juris doctor, summa cum laude, from the University of Illinois College of Law in 2008.

Before becoming an attorney, Whitman was an athletics administrator at the University of Illinois, where he served as the assistant to the director of athletics in 2007-2008 and coordinator of special projects from 2005-2007.  While at Illinois, Whitman was involved in numerous aspects of the athletics department's operations, including development, marketing, sports information, internal operations, and student-athlete programs.  He worked on marketing and financing programs associated with the $110 million renovation of the school's football stadium.  He also participated in the school's major gifts and annual fund development programs.  In addition, Whitman developed the athletics department's diversity plan aimed at involving a representative group of students in all aspects of Illinois athletics, including student attendance, band, and cheerleading.  Whitman was the assistant to the director of football operations at Illinois in 2001 and a business intern with the Illinois athletics department in 2000.

Whitman earned his bachelor's of science degree with highest honors in finance from Illinois in 2001.  As a tight end for the Fighting Illini, Whitman was a four-year letter winner on the Illinois football team and a two-time College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) First Team Academic All-American (1999, 2000).  In 2000, he was one of six Division I-A recipients of the National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete Award.  Whitman was a three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree (1998, 1999, 2000) and was the Illinois Outstanding Male Scholar-Athlete three different years (1998, 1999, 2000).  He served on the Illinois Athletic Board (1999-2000) and Student-Athlete Advisory Board (1998-2000).  Whitman played in 45 career games with 29 starts for the Fighting Illini, earning All-Big Ten Honorable Mention honors in 2000.  He caught 52 passes for 552 yards and seven touchdowns during his four-year career.

Following his graduation from Illinois, Whitman spent four years pursuing a professional playing career in the NFL.  He spent time with the Buffalo Bills, San Diego Chargers, Seattle Seahawks and Miami Dolphins, as well as the Frankfurt Galaxy of the now-defunct NFL Europe League.  Whitman's best season as a professional was 2001, when he appeared in four games for the Chargers, starting one.  He retired from the NFL as a vested veteran following the 2004 season.

 "We're delighted that Josh is becoming our next athletic director,” said Chancellor Dr. Joe Gow. “As a result of his extensive experience as an administrator, lawyer and NFL player he has a unique appreciation of the importance of integrating academics and athletics. But this isn't surprising, because at the same time he was a star athlete at the University of Illinois, he was earning an impressive grade point average and completing his undergraduate degree in just three-and-a-half years. He's also written law review articles and worked for a prestigious Washington, D.C. law firm.”

Founded in 1909, UW-L is one of the four-year institutions in the University of Wisconsin System with approximately 9,000 students. UW-L offers a wide array of undergraduate programs and a variety of graduate programs in three colleges: Liberal Studies (including the School of Arts & Communication); Science and Health, and Business Administration as well as the School of Education. The University is consistently rated first among the UW System comprehensives in terms of first year student ACT scores, class rankings and retention rates.

 “I am thrilled to have Josh join the UW-L Athletics Department," said Assistant Chancellor and Dean of Students Dr. Paula Knudson.  “He brings a history of success in whatever he undertakes as well as a passion for athletics.  He exudes confidence, yet is humble with his own accomplishments.  I have seldom seen an individuaI illicit this kind of excitement and energy.”

A nationally successful National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III Intercollegiate athletic program, UW-L's 19 programs have garnered 25 national championships over the last decade.  UW-L is a key member of the respected Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) and has won 79 league titles over the same time period.  UW-L prides itself on a successful Division III athletic program with broad based student participation and a balanced student-athlete philosophy supported by our history of 58 Academic All-Americans.

“We know Josh has all the right values and experiences to lead an outstanding Division III athletic program like the one we've built here at UW-L,” added Gow.