Hakim McClellan’s message to the Mississippi Valley State faithful was straight to the point at an introductory meeting at the R.W. Harrison Complex Thursday.
“I’m here to take this task head on and elevate all things at Mississippi Valley State University,” said McClellan, who was formally introduced as the new athletic director in Itta Bena.
McClellan replaces Dianthia Ford-Kee as the athletic director. He is a former student/athlete at the school, running track and playing football.
The 35-year-old Gulfport native earned his bacherlor’s degree in business administration from MVSU in 2010 and his master’s in business administration, also from Valley.
“This is a special day to welcome home our new athletic director and his family,” said Dr. Jerryl Briggs, president of Mississippi Valley State. “We look forward to his leadership as we continue to build and strive for excellence. We all know he is going to elevate our programs and the student/athletes.”
McClellan is going to be aggressive with building the athletic program. Before the meeting was over Thursday, he already had almost $15,000 in commitments from those in attendance.
“We have to come together here at the Valley,” he said. “I am a bold, creative and caring leader. We need coaches, student/athletes, faculty and supporters to unite together.
“My plan is to give the coaches the resources they need to win championships. I’ve worked in academic compliance, so there is not going to be a problem when it comes to the NCAA for us.”
McClellan encouraged those in attendance to buy season tickets for the upcoming football season starting July 1.
“It’s a new day Valley State, and we all need to get behind the programs,” McClellan added.
He recently worked at Jackson State, serving as the Associate Athletic Director for Compliance.
Contact Calvin Stevens at 662-581-7234 or cstevens@gwcommonwealth.com.
