Florida A&M University has officially hired Derek Horne as its new athletic director.
FAMU president Dr. James H. Ammons introduced interim athletic director Michael Smith’s replacement to Rattler nation at a FAMU Board of Trustees call meeting held August 17.
Horne arrives from his alma mater, the University of Mississippi, where he served as senior associate athletic director. He joins the Rattler staff with plenty of experience after completing a 15-year tenure in athletic administration at Ole Miss. In 1995, Horne joined the Ole Miss staff as the assistant athletic director and later was promoted to senior athletic director during his term.
He is a 1987 graduate of the University of Mississippi. He also was a four-year letterman on the Ole Miss basketball team from 1983-1986. As a student athlete, he earned Academic All Southeastern Conference accolades during his senior year and was also named team captain his junior and senior seasons.
Horne is a native of Quitman, Ga. He also served on the University of Mississippi’s On Campus Minority Alumni Council and the Alumni Association Board of directors.
He will receive an annual $200,000 salary with a three-year deal that was approved by the FAMU BOT, which nearly doubles his former salary at the University of Mississippi. He will officially report to work on Tuesday, September, 7, 2010.