General | 1/7/2022 3:00:00 PM

Dixie State University Executive Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Dr. Jason Boothe announced on Friday that he is stepping down to pursue other opportunities. Boothe had served as athletic director at DSU since the spring of 2010.
 
"My family and I have thoroughly enjoyed our time in southern Utah since arriving in 2010. We came with three young children and this wonderful community and institution embraced all of us since day one making us feel welcomed and loved," Boothe said. "I take great pride in the incredible growth and accomplishments that the Athletic Department has enjoyed during my time here. However, my family and I have decided that we are ready for a new opportunity. Dixie State Athletics is poised for continued growth and success at the highest level. I look forward to being a fan and supporting the wonderful Trailblazer coaches and student-athletes." 
 
During Boothe's tenure, DSU Athletics won a combined 24 regular season and postseason conference championships while as members of the Pacific West and Rocky Mountain Athletic conferences. The Trailblazers also made a combined 57 NCAA Division II postseason appearances, highlighted by the women's softball program advancing to the D-II College World Series three times, including a national runner-up finish in 2015.
 
Dixie State posted an overall winning percentage of over 63 percent for all athletic programs as a D-II member.
 
In January of 2019, Dixie State announced that it would step up to the NCAA Division I level and join the Western Athletic Conference. DSU began its D-I transition on July 1, 2020, with 14 of its 15 athletic programs joining the WAC, while the Trailblazer football program began conference play this past fall after the conference announced the addition of football at the NCAA FCS level.
 
Off the court and field, DSU student-athlete GPA increased from 2.91 in 2010 to 3.29 in 2021, with more than 1,000 student-athletes earning academic all-conference honors. In addition, Trailblazer student-athletes, coaches and administrators have completed over 13,000 hours of community service. Because of those efforts, the university won the Pacific West Conference Community Engagement Award three times and the NCAA Community Engagement Award twice. 
 
Boothe also was instrumental in ushering in tremendous growth in fundraising and facility upgrades and increased the departmental budget from $3.9 million to $11.5 million, booster club donations by 114 percent, general team fundraising by 76 percent and corporate sponsorships by 175 percent since 2015.
 
"I am grateful for the dedication of Dr. Boothe and his family to Trailblazer Athletics," DSU President Richard B. Williams said. "The department has seen a tremendous transformation during his tenure, and he will be appreciated for decades to come."
 
President Williams noted that a national search for the university's next director of intercollegiate athletics will begin immediately, and that an interim athletic director will be announced in the coming days.

Dixie State University, which is home to 15 intercollegiate athletic programs, is in the second year of its transition to NCAA Division I status and is a competing member of the Western Athletic Conference.