A long-time and respected athletics director at Georgia, Greg McGarity is expected to step down at year’s end.

McGarity is about as seasoned as it gets in college athletics. The Georgia alumnus played tennis at his alma mater and later coached the women’s tennis program and was a sports information assistant. Overall he is a 50-year veteran of college athletics administration. The news was reported by Chip Towers of the AJC.

McGarity was named AD at UGA in 2010, after he served 18 years in the athletics department at Florida.

McGarity may be most remembered for hiring coach Kirby Smart after he fired former coach Mark Richt. McGarity also was in charge when the school built the Indoor Athletic Facility adjacent to the Butts-Mehre Building, along with recent renovations to Sanford Stadium and Stegemen Coliseum.

Josh Brooks, who has served as senior deputy AD under McGarity since 2016, will serve as interim athletic director while UGA conducts a national search, Towers reported. Brooks is also expected to be candidate for the permanent job. Immediate candidates to take over from McGarity include Virginia AD Carla Green Williams and Georgia football letterman Chris Welton, a member of the 1980 national championship team, are among others who are expected to be considered as McGarity’s successor.