Joyner Named Acting Athletic Director

The Mark Sherburne era as athletic director is over, just as abruptly as it began. According to a university release, Board of Trustees member David M. Joyner will assume the role of acting athletic director, effective immediately. Joyner's role with the Board will be suspended while he fills the athletic director's shoes.

Here's the official rundown of his qualifications.

Joyner is a health care and business consultant as well as an orthopedic physician. He was a member of Penn State Libraries Development Advisory Board, co-chairman of the Paterno Libraries Endowment, chairman of the external advisory board for the Schreyer Institute for Teaching Excellence and the Schreyer Honors College, a member of the Hershey Medical Center Capital Campaign Committee and was active in the Grand Destiny Campaign for Athletics. He is a member of the board of directors of The Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. Joyner was honored as a Distinguished Alumnus of Penn State in 1992.

Outside of his more recent academically-oriented work, Joyner - who received both his bachelor's degree (1972) and his M.D. (1976) from Penn State - is well known as a former PSU football player and wrestler. He was elected to the GTE-CoSIDA Academic All-America Hall of Fame as someone with "the highest standards in college academics, athletics and in life beyond athletics."

Joyner is the third individual to serve as AD in the last ten days. Longtime AD Tim Curley, who faces criminal charges related to the Jerry Sandusky scandal, took a leave of absence on November 6th. Sherburne, Curley's second in command, was immediately appointed to replace him. Now the replacer has become the replaced, as Sherburne returns to the bureaucratic anonymity of his previous role.