Dr. James "Jim" Jarrett

Dr. James "Jim" Jarrett, the Athletic Director at Old Dominion University from 1970 to 2010, passed away peacefully at his home in Norfolk, Virginia on Nov. 13, 2025. He was 88 years old.
Jim came to Old Dominion in 1967 as an associate professor in Health and Physical Education and was named athletic director in the spring of 1970. Under his leadership, Old Dominion teams and individuals won 32 national championships.
Old Dominion was competing on the NCAA Division II level when Jarrett took the reins in 1970, winning the school's first national crown in 1975 when the men's basketball team defeated New Orleans for the title. The following year the Monarch athletic program made the leap to NCAA Division I status.
Jarrett was a pioneer in intercollegiate athletics, becoming one of the first athletic directors in the nation to provide scholarships to female student athletes in 1974. Of the 28 national team titles ODU won during his tenure, 18 of those were achieved by women's teams, with three in women's basketball, nine in field hockey, and six in women's sailing.
Under Jarrett's leadership, the Bud Metheny Baseball complex, the ODU sailing center, the Folkes-Stevens Indoor Tennis Center, the ODU soccer stadium and office complex, the Jim Jarrett Athletic Administration Building, the ODU boat house, and Foreman Field refurbishments for the start of football in 2009 were added to the athletic campus. He also played a key role in the growth of the Big Blue Club, the fund-raising arm of athletics.
He was a charter member of the NCAA Women's Basketball Committee, served as president of the Colonial Athletic Association, the Sun Belt Conference and Virginia Sports Hall of Fame, and was instrumental in the creation of the ODU Sports Hall of Fame in 1980. He is a member of the ODU, Hampton Roads and Virginia Sports Hall of Fame.
Jarrett, a native of Decatur, IL, earned his undergraduate and master's degrees in physical education from Southern Illinois (Carbondale), and a doctorate in higher education from Florida State University. An avid tennis player for many years, he and his wife Sugie, were active in the Hampton Roads tennis scene.
Jim is survived by his wife Frances "Sugie" Scott Jarrett, daughter Jamie Jarrett Todd (Kevin), stepdaughter Tracy Scott Madere, grandchildren Dr. Kevin Todd, Jr., Stephen Todd, Austin Todd (Hannah), Abigail Madere, Jarrett Madere, great grandchildren Elijah Todd, William Todd, Killian Todd and three sisters and two brothers.
Memorial gifts may be directed to the Dr. James Jarrett Athletic Scholarship at the Old Dominion Athletic Foundation, 4417 Monarch Way, Norfolk, VA 23529, or https://secure.acceptiva.com/?cst+Wu34Uc. A celebration of life will be held at a future date.