WACO, Texas — Former Baylor athletics administrator and graduate Doug McNamee was named Monday as the Big 12 school's athletic director.

The new AD replaces Mack Rhoades, who last month stepped down after nine years for personal reasons. Rhoades had also been chairman of the College Football Playoff selection committee.

McNamee was the senior associate AD for external affairs at Baylor in 2018 when he left to become president of Waco-based Magnolia, the nationally recognized lifestyle and media company founded by Baylor alums Chip and Joanna Gaines. He left Magnolia in 2022 to become president of the reimagined Field & Stream with country music stars Eric Church and Morgan Wallen as investors.

“My connection to Baylor University runs deep, and its culture, history, and expectations have

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