Mike Garrett

Michael L. Garrett was named Langston University’s Director of Athletics on June 7, 2012. Prior to being hired at Langston University, Garrett served as the athletic director at USC for 17 years, until July 20, 2010. Garrett, USC’s 1965 Heisman Trophy-winning tailback who has a background in business, law, government, athletic administration and community affairs, oversaw the 19 men’s and women’s teams and the $90 million budget that made up the one of the nation’s most tradition-rich athletic programs. Garrett became the seventh African-American athletic director at a major Division I-A institution when he was hired at USC. Garrett previously had served as USC’s associate athletic director since December of 1990. In that role, he was responsible for the athletic department’s budget, personnel, contract compliance and corporate sponsorships. He also handled day-to-day supervision of five men’s sports – volleyball, golf, tennis, swimming, and water polo. Prior to joining USC, he was director of business development for the Great Western Forum from 1988 to 1990, including the highly successful boxing program. Earlier in his career, he worked for the San Diego district attorney’s office and as director of a community-based residential program for children in the juvenile justice system, held management positions in retail and construction. Garrett also did color commentary on USC football telecasts, and ran for Congress in 1982 and San Diego City Council in 1983. Born April 12, 1944, in East Los Angeles, Garrett was a prep All-American at Roosevelt High School. As a student at USC, Garrett set the standard for the modern-era “I” formation. He was a two-time All-American (1964-65) who set 14 NCAA, conference, and school records in his three-year career, including a then-NCAA career rushing mark of 3,221 yards and a then-USC season mark of 1,440 yards in 1965. He was the first Trojan since 1927 to run for 1,000 yards in a season. A versatile athlete, Garrett also started at cornerback for USC and was an All-League outfielder for the university’s baseball team. Garrett batted .309 in 1965 and was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates and Los Angeles Dodgers. Opting for football, Garrett played eight seasons of pro football with the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Diego Chargers, becoming the first player to rush for 1,000 yards for two teams. An All-Pro, he played in Super Bowls I and IV. Garrett was inducted into the National Football Foundation’s College Football Hall of Fame in 1985 and won the NCAA’s prestigious Silver Anniversary Award in 1990. Garrett graduated from USC in 1967 with a bachelor’s degree in sociology and earned a law degree from Western State University College of Law in Fullerton, CA, in 1986. Garrett and his wife, Suzanne, who is a practicing psychoanalyst, have four children – Sara, 30, and Daniel, 26, both graduates of USC and Loyola Law and members of the California Bar Association; and seven-year-old twins, Michael and John, who are in a dual-language immersion program in Mandarin.