Alabama athletic director Bill Battle announced late Sunday night that he is stepping aside to assume a new role as special assistant to university president Stuart Bell.
Battle has been Alabama's AD since March 2013, when he succeeded the late Mal Moore.
"It's been a distinct privilege and honor serving as director of athletics these last four years," Battle said in a release. "When I took over this role, my wife, Mary, and I made a commitment to serving four years, and I am pleased to have been able to do just that. There are so many people in the department who do a great job every day to make the Crimson Tide successful, and I am deeply grateful to each and every one of them for their extraordinary efforts and loyalty to the university.
"It is my hope that during my tenure here, we have been able to make a difference in young people's lives and at the same time move forward on many different fronts. I look forward to continuing to serve the university by working closely with the new AD to assist in a smooth transition."
Multiple media outlets reported that Arizona athletic director Greg Byrne, who was Mississippi State's AD from 2008-10, would be Battle's replacement. The Arizona Daily Star reported that announcement could take place today.
Alabama has won three national championships during Battle's tenure - football in 2015 and men's golf in 2013-14. He enhanced the Bryant Society, Alabama's donors who've exceeded a million dollars, from nine members in 2013 to 26 this past year.
"Bill has done a tremendous job as director of athletics, and has accomplished so much during his career," Bell said in the release. "His business expertise, coupled with his coaching experience and his strong understanding of the role an athletic department has in the daily fabric of a university, has allowed us to achieve the great successes we have enjoyed during his tenure. We are blessed to have the continued benefit of his counsel."
Battle was a member of Bear Bryant's first national championship team at Alabama in 1961. Within a decade, he was the head coach at Tennessee, guiding the Volunteers to a 59-22-2 record before being replaced by Johnny Majors.
After coaching Tennessee, Battle founded and chaired the lucrative Collegiate Licensing Company.
Battle took a leave of absence this past June to undergo treatments in Atlanta for multiple myeloma, a form of cancer. He insisted that this decision has nothing to do with his health.
"At this time, I am in full remission, and I feel great," Battle said. "Last summer, before my medical procedure, I told Dr. Bell that I was expecting, as were my doctors, to come through that procedure very well, and that I intended to serve out the last year of my contract. I told him that he should be looking for a replacement, and that process has been going on over the last few months.
"As you know, in this business, high-level changes are hard to map out and announce very far in advance. I would like to continue to help the university, but I would also like to be able to spend more time at our farm in Georgia and in Jackson Hole, the sort of things a full-time AD job doesn't really permit."
For more information, read Tuesday's Times Free Press