MINOT, N.D. – Minot State University Associate Athletic Director Chad McNally announced Tuesday he is resigning his position at the university to pursue private business ventures.

McNally, a former standout football player who graduated from MSU with a degree in Math Education in 1993, has been a part of the athletic department as Associate AD for Development and as Beaver Booster Executive Director for the past 12 years.

"I feel very fortunate to have been able to work at my alma mater for the last 12 years," he said. "I have lived this job from the first day I started, but it wasn't just when I got the job, even before, with being a lifelong resident of Minot, I've been a fan of MSU from the beginning and that will continue as I go forward."

He was a two-time captain and an NAIA All-American in football during his playing days, getting inducted into the Minot State Athletics Hall of Fame in 2002. He began his service to MSU on the Booster Club, serving on the Board of Directors for two years before becoming the Executive Director.

McNally served as the Executive Director of Beaver Boosters until 2011 when the athletic department changed the position to Assistant AD – Development. He held that title until last fall when he was promoted to Associate Athletic Director.

"Chad has done a wonderful job as executive director of the Beavers Booster Club for the last 12 years," MSU Athletic Director Rick Hedberg said. "His commitment to the university and our department has been outstanding. He truly bleeds red and green and we wish him well as he steps away."

During his time at MSU, the athletic department went through many changes, including the transition from NAIA to NCAA Division II.

"The transition from NAIA to DII was the toughest time for us athletically, but there are great things to come," he said. "When talking to Rick and making this decision, I felt now was the time for some new and fresh ideas. We have come a long ways, there are very few things that look the same from when I started going to school. When we bring people back for Homecoming or Hall of Fame, people can't believe the changes. Even just four or five years ago, people can't believe how much MSU has changed."

While the title changed, his overall mission stayed the same – raising funds for MSU's scholarship fund.

"We didn't dream that big when I first started," he said when asked about increasing the scholarship fund. "But we have had great leadership in Dr. (David) Fuller and Dr. (Steven) Shirley and you can't ask for a better AD to work for than Rick Hedberg. We always say that we wanted to do more, always looking at ways to bring in more, but when you look back, I feel pretty good that we did a lot for those athletes."

McNally singled out the back-to-back men's cross country NAIA National Championships as some of the biggest events during his time with the athletic department, but feels the individual relationships outweigh the big accomplishments.

"The consecutive national championships is the highlight on paper," he said. "But the relationships with each coach and each athletes is what I will remember for a lifetime. I want to thank them, the coaches and the student-athletes, for making it a great career for me.

"There have been so many people who have gone through these doors. Every day I went to work, I was trying to carry on the tradition of the people I respected the most, coach (Herb) Parker, (Wes) Luther, (Bert) Leidholt and (Vence) Elgie, the guys who were such a big influence in my life."

While McNally is leaving the department, he certainly isn't leaving Minot State behind. In fact, he feels he might be able to spend a little more time actually watching the events instead of running them.

"I'm really looking forward to getting to watch activities," he said. "The coaches might not like it because I'm going to do some coaching from the stands now, but I am excited to get to enjoy the events."

McNally is in the process of renovating Oak Park Center in Minot, including space for HighAir Ground Trampoline Park and Success Depot co-worker space in downtown Minot.

About Minot State
Minot State University is a member of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) and NCAA Division II offering 14 men's and women's varsity intercollegiate athletics programs. The NSIC is a premier NCAA DII, 16-member conference featuring teams in North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Nebraska and Iowa. The Beavers are the only public NCAA Division II institution in the state of North Dakota.