UPDATE: A statement released by the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga confirmed that Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics David Blackburn has resigned from his position.
"The time has come for me to resign as Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics," David Blackburn said in a news release. "I love UTC and the city of Chattanooga. I'm grateful for the time allowed to serve this great school and city."
"We appreciate the time and attention that David has provided our athletic programs at UTC," Chancellor Steve Angle said in a news release. "The Mocs have reached unprecedented heights over the last four years under David's leadership and we thank him for his efforts."
Angle has named Scott Altizer the interim athletic director. For the last three years Altizer has served as the Senior Associate Athletics Director for Internal Operations.
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ORIGINAL STORY: The Times Free Press has learned that University of Tennessee at Chattanooga vice chancellor and athletic director David Blackburn is expected to resign from his position. The move could be made as early as today, according to multiple sources.
According to a source, Blackburn's resignation is not discipline-related, but will still serve as a major blow to an athletic department that experienced lots of success during his four-year tenure.
He came to UTC in 2013 from Tennessee, where he'd spent more than 20 years as a member of the Vol athletic department. During his time in Chattanooga, he made seven coaching hires – three in men's basketball and one each in football, women's basketball, soccer, women's tennis and cross country/track.
His first hire, Will Wade, guided the men's basketball Mocs to 40 wins in two seasons before leaving for Virginia Commonwealth. He was replaced by Matt McCall, who guided the 2015-16 team to 29 wins and the program's first NCAA tournament appearance since 2009. Wade is now at LSU, while McCall left in March for Massachusetts and was replaced by Lamont Paris.
Nine different teams won either regular-season or conference tournament championships during Blackburn's tenure, including the women's basketball program that is 4-for-4 in championships under head coach Jim Foster.
Due to his success, Blackburn's name came up heavily when former Tennessee athletic director Dave Hart announced his resignation in August of 2016. He was an early front-runner for the job, but that position was ultimately filled by John Currie.
For a full story, read Wednesday's Times Free Press.
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenleytfp.