LIVINGSTON, Ala.—The University of West Alabama has tapped an interim athletic director following the announcement of current AD Kent Partridge's forthcoming retirement. UWA President Ken Tucker has announced that Brett Gilliland will serve as interim athletic director beginning June 1.

Gilliland has been UWA's head football coach since 2013, making him the senior member of the coaching staff in the athletic department. His tenure as head coach includes a Gulf South Conference Championship in 2017, the same year he earned GSC's Coach of the Year honors. He led the Tigers to playoffs again in the 2018 season, marking the school's first back-to-back football playoff appearances. He holds UWA's record for highest number of wins for a head football coach with 62 wins.

Gilliland will continue as head football coach to lead the Tigers for the 2024 season. 

"I am pleased to appoint Coach Gilliland to serve as interim athletic director as we look toward the next school year for UWA Athletics," Tucker said. "In assuming this role, he will continue his duties as head football coach for the 2024 season, having already moved through spring training with the team and preparations well underway for fall kickoff."

Gilliland serves on the NCAA National Football Committee and previously served on NCAA's Regional Advisory Committee for Super Region 2, as well as the AFCA District 3 All-American selection committee, which he chaired. 

Gilliland is a two-time UWA graduate. He earned a bachelor of science in physical education with a sports management emphasis and minor in business administration in 2004 and earned a master of business administration in 2019.

"I am humbled and honored to be entrusted with this leadership opportunity for UWA Athletics," Gilliland said. "UWA has been a special place to my family for all of my life, and I am elated to step into this role." Gilliland, who played four seasons at UWA, is a second-generation Tiger, following in the footsteps of his father, the late Ronnie Gilliland, who also played football and was a member of the 1971 NAIA National Championship team. 

Upon graduation, Gilliland joined the football coaching staff as receivers coach before moving to Georgia, where he coached at Georgia Institute of Technology and Georgia Southern University. 

"I look forward to doing my part to help all of our athletic teams win championships, graduate our student-athletes, and keep up the momentum toward the vision of excellence that President Tucker has championed across our university," Gilliland said. 

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