BOWLING GREEN, Ohio — Bowling Green State University announced Tuesday it has hired Derek van der Merwe to lead the school's athletic department.
van der Merwe served as University of Arizona deputy athletic director for the past five years. He takes over for Bob Moosbrugger, who was fired in August.
BGSU President Rodney Rogers introduced van der Merwe at a news conference Tuesday morning. According to his online Arizona biography, van der Merwe worked on the "day-to-day internal management of the department and chief financial officer duties."
"I truly appreciate this awesome opportunity to join this community," van der Merwe said. "I know the moment I'm standing here in Bowling Green is a journey that has brought me to this great institution. I know your history, I know your legacy. I know the great honor and great opportunity that comes with being here."
Rogers said the search committee was comprised of academic and university leaders, and alumni, friends and supporters of the athletic department. He said there was a "very strong pool" of candidates for the job.
van der Merwe worked in a variety of capacities at Central Michigan University, Austin Peay State University and Arizona.
"We knew that we needed an AD who knows the importance of athletics at a public university like Bowling Green," Rogers said. "An AD who could be the coach of the coaches, if you will. A leader who can develop, manage and retain great talent. An AD who will be an advocate of our student athletes and embrace fan engagement. Most importantly, an AD who supports or mission to create public good every day. We're thrilled our new AD brings very diverse experience."
van der Merwe was asked about the biggest challenges he faces in his new role. Among the items he listed were managing the ever-changing nature of college athletics, including Name, Image and Likeness and the transfer portal.
"There has to be a mindset of everyone who works in this industry that in great turmoil and uncertainty is where the greatest opportunity lies," van der Merwe said. "There are many people who freeze and stare at that challenge and go, 'It's best to take a step back.' And there are some people who wait and see what everyone else does. And then there are individuals who soar forward, and that's the part we will play."
Among the challenges BGSU has faced is operating its football program with one of the smallest budgets among the NCAA's Group of Five programs. Rogers said funding the university's athletic programs will be a priority.
"Appropriately resourcing our programs is absolutely key to ensuring they have the success they need to have," he said. "It's going to take creativity, hard work and perhaps new revenue streams. We're fortunate that we've been in a situation where enrollment is growing and we've had success across the university. That certainly provides us with a bigger resource base and we'll work hard to grow that resource base."
van der Merwe has plenty of experience in the Mid-American Conference. After growing up in South Africa, he played offensive lineman for the Central Michigan football team in the early 1990s and worked in the athletic department from 1997-2013.
He made the team as a walk-on and said that experience shaped him going forward.
"I didn't grow up playing sports," van der Merwe said. "I was a violinist who decided in my senior year of high school that I wanted to be a college football player. I walked on and earned my opportunity. That part about being a walk-on and that experience of overachieving and striving to reflect and represent an institution with pride and its people and community has been a passion my entire life. It was started by that struggle, and that's a struggle I enjoy being a part of."
In June 2013, Austin Peay hired van der Merwe as athletic director. He stepped down in 2015 to become the school's vice president for advancement, communication and strategic initiatives.
Arizona hired van der Merwe in 2018.
van der Merwe is married to Stephanie Paris, a former college softball player and coach. They have four children.
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