Nicholls names Roan new athletic director

Terriers are the real deal in Division II
October 19, 2016
McGuire in ULL rare air
October 19, 2016
Terriers are the real deal in Division II
October 19, 2016
McGuire in ULL rare air
October 19, 2016

The Nicholls State University athletic department has its new leader.

He lands in Thibodaux with high hopes and visions for prosperity for all of the Colonels’ sports.


Nicholls President Dr. Bruce Murphy announced early last week that the university had hired K. Matthew Roan to be its new athletic director.

Roan was previously the deputy director of athletics and special counsel to the president at Eastern Kentucky.

At a press conference last Thursday, Roan said he’s excited to get started, touting that he sees a lot of great things at Nicholls.


The new athletic director replaces Rob Bernardi, who left the school for a position at Tulane over the summer. In Bernardi’s absence, women’s basketball coach DoBee Plaisance was Nicholls’ interim athletic director – a position she will continue to hold until Nov. 15 when Roan officially takes over the post.

“We’re certainly going to be ambitious,” Roan said. “And we’re going to dream big. Our focus will always be on the student-athlete, and every decision will consider how we can best provide a model experience for them during their time here.”

For Roan, a tradition of quality service landed him the job at Nicholls.


Roan was a former football player and team captain at Southern Utah University. Out of college, he moved to Lexington, Kentucky, where he helped the Wildcats football operations department while obtaining his law degree.

Upon graduation, Roan moved back to Southern Utah where he was named the deputy director of athletics at his alma mater. But he quickly found his way back to Kentucky to serve as Eastern Kentucky’s deputy director of athletics in 2013.

While there, he drew the approval of many athletic officials, who touted his hard work and commitment to the school’s programs.


Eastern Kentucky Athletic Director Stephen M. Lochmueller said Nicholls is getting a top-notch athletic mind.

“I am very excited about Matt’s opportunity in becoming the athletic director at Nicholls State University,” Lochmueller said. “What a special place for he, Mallory (his wife) and family to start their next chapter in intercollegiate athletics. Matt is such a valuable member of our team here at Eastern Kentucky, and we will miss him.”

Murphy thinks it’s a good fit, too.


Roan was chosen after a several-month search, which netted dozens of candidates from around the country.

The new Nicholls athletic director was one of four public finalists for the job. Also considered were China Jude, the assistant vice president and director of athletics at Queens College (NY); Christopher Walker, the associate athletic director at Washington State University; and Kent Hegenauer, the senior associate athletic director at the University of Southern Mississippi.

Murphy said the qualifications that made Roan stand out were his ability to handle finances – a big for a university which has had its athletic budget slashed in the past decade because of statewide budget cuts to public education.


Murphy said the decision was tough, but Roan’s colleagues were clear that they thought he’d do a quality job in Thibodaux.

“These are always tough decisions,” Murphy said. “But one finalist distinguished himself above all the others. Matt has significant experience in strategic planning and budgeting, outstanding communication skills and diverse experience in Division I athletics. He is well-versed in compliance and can relate to student-athletes as a former Division I student-athlete himself.”

So now, for Roan, it’s time to get to work.


The new Nicholls athletic director said he is excited to hit the ground rolling in Thibodaux – at a time where he said plenty of good things are happening at the university.

Roan talked about Nicholls’ recent football successes as something that excites him, crediting coach Tim Rebowe for the turnaround the program has had in recent seasons.

The new athletic director also talked about some of the school’s other sports, and said he sees far more positives than negatives at Nicholls.


“There are a lot of good things happening here,” Roan said. “I’m happy to now be a part of it.”

Once officially in the position, Roan said he will focus heavily on academics and making sure that Nicholls is competitive with other Southland schools – both on the playing fields and also in the classrooms.

He said he will also work with the state and the university’s boosters to try and continue renovating and boosting the school’s athletic facilities.


“We will strive to be excellent academically and athletically,” Roan said. “We will prepare our young people for success beyond competition.”

Roan is married to wife Mallory. Together, the couple has two daughters (Gattlyn and Radley) and a son (Catcher). They are expecting a fourth child this winter.

Matt RoanMISTY McELROY | NICHOLLS


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