chattanooga MOCS

Past Directors of Athletics at UTC

Mark Wharton is in his eighth season as Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. He became the institution’s 17th Director of Athletics on Aug. 23, 2017.

Over the last seven years, Wharton’s leadership has guided the Mocs to unprecedented success in the classroom and new heights in fundraising and fan engagement, all while returning a championship culture to the Scenic City.  He was recognized nationally with the 2023 Cushman & Wakefield Athletics Director of the Year Award. Presented by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA), Wharton was one of four recipients in the Football Championship Subdivision. 

In the classroom, student-athletes set a new mark with a 3.421 overall GPA in the spring of 2020, the fourth record-setting term in a row. In the spring of 2024, every program posted a 3.0 team GPA or higher. Graduation rates for student-athletes topped 90 percent for the first time in 2019 and set a new record at 91 percent in 2022, while all nine of the highest overall grade point averages were achieved in the last 10 semesters.

On the fundraising front, Wharton implemented the One Chattanooga program, which will generate $1 million in unrestricted support for the second 20-class of donors who committed to this initiative. In addition, the Mocs Club topped $3.3+ million raised each of the last three years while setting a UTC Athletics record for the most raised in gifts and commitments in 2023-24 at $4.7M+.

He has also led or completed capital enhancement projects that benefited the UTC Athletics nutrition program, strength and conditioning center, Golf Player Development Complex and the Wolford Family Athletics Center. Additionally, UTC is set to expand its wrestling facility in the next year.

In competition, the 2021-22 men's basketball season was one of the most exciting in school history.  The Mocs won the regular season Southern Conference Title in dominating fashion.  UTC then made national headlines with a buzzer-beating win over Furman in the SoCon Tournament Championship Game.  All the buzz around the Mocs NCAA Tournament run generated over $23 million in measured exposure for the Power C and UTC brand.  

Women's basketball, soccer and men's tennis all won titles in the 2022-23 academic year. Soccer won its first SoCon regular season crown in the fall, while men’s tennis won its first ever SoCon Regular Season trophy in 2023.  Softball added to the trophy case with a SoCon Tournament Titles in 2022 and 2024.  Beach volleyball won the Ohio Valley Conference regular season and tournament for the first time in 2024.  Wrestling (2019) and women's basketball (2020, 2023 & 2024) have also won SoCon regular season titles in the last six seasons. 

Wharton has an eye for hiring talented coaches and that has been evident throughout his time at UTC.  He made four new hires in the spring of 2022, including Julie Torbett Thomas (volleyball), Dan Earl (men's basketball), Shawn Poppie (women's basketball) and Blaine Woodruff (men's golf).  Two of the four were sitting head coaches while the other two were assistants at prestigious program.  Wharton also tabbed former Moc Rusty Wright to guide the football program in 2019 and Kyle Ruschell as the new wrestling coach in 2018. When Poppie left for Clemson in 2024, he tabbed Valdosta State head coach Deandra Schirmer to lead the women’s basketball program.

Wharton's leadership skills have also been utilized nationally in many different ways.  He is currently serving his fourth term on the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision Athletics Directors Association (FCS ADA) Executive Committee. The FCS ADA's mission is to enhance Football Championship Subdivision football and is administered by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA).

He is also a 2019 graduate of the University of Tennessee Leadership Institute. The UT Leadership Institute's purpose is to increase participants’ understanding of leadership in higher education and promote leadership effectiveness in the University system.

In addition, Wharton is also the Vice Chair of the NCAA Division I Football Championship Committee and on the FCS Regional Advisory Committee.

A 28-year veteran of college athletics, Wharton spent the previous four years as the Associate Athletics Director for Development at Penn State University.  There he was a member of the Nittany Lions Senior Management Team, overseeing all aspects of Athletics Development.

Prior to joining Penn State, Wharton was the Assistant Athletics Director/Executive Director of the East Carolina University (ECU) Educational Foundation (Pirate Club) from 2006-13.  

From 2004 to 2006, Wharton was the Associate Athletic Director for Development at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.  Prior to his stint at UNLV, Wharton spent 13 years in full-time development, ticketing or marketing roles in upper administration positions at UNC Asheville (2003-04), James Madison (2000-03) and East Carolina (1996-00).  He was also a front office member of the Kinston Indians Baseball Club from 1991 to 1994.

Wharton earned his bachelor’s degree in Leisure Studies from East Carolina in 1993.  He also earned a master’s degree in Human Ecology with an emphasis in Sport Management from the University of Tennessee in 1995.  He is a member of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) and the National Association of Athletic Development Directors (NAADD).

Mark and his wife Angela Riggins Wharton have four children, Hannah, Taylor, Thomas and Allison.  Hannah and Taylor are graduates of UTC, while Allison is a junior at UT.  Thomas was a student manager on the Vols football team and is now working on a graduate degree at UT.

Updated August 2024.