Larry Williams resigns as Marquette AD

Marquette Athletic Director Larry Williams has resigned after just two years in office, according to the school. The program cited Williams' desire for "leadership opportunities outside of Marquette" in his final decision. His resignation takes effect immediately.

Williams recently oversaw Marquette joining the newest incarnation of the Big East, which took place over the summer. All 16 varsity teams will compete against the likes of Georgetown, Villanova and Xavier in the new-look conference that has a decidedly Catholic flair.

The man replacing Williams as interim AD is Bill Cords, who served as director from 1987 to 2006. Cords' accomplishments include opening the Al McGuire Center and the basketball team's 2003 Final Four run. He takes over a basketball program that has made eight straight NCAA Tournament appearances and three consecutive Sweet Sixteens. The program has also produced more than half a dozen NBA players in the last decade, including Dwyane Wade, Jimmy Butler and Steve Novak.

More from SB Nation:

• "What the f--k is this?": An oral history of Kurtis Blow's "Basketball"

• The only game in town: 8-man football in eastern Montana

• Manny Pacquiao may be broke, but is he broken, too?

• How the NFL's most advanced game broadcast is made

• Andre Dawkins has a story (and he'd rather not talk about it)