LSU Gold

Ira Childress Season 2024

LSU
Ira Childress
Title
Assistant AD/Football Player Relations
Email
ichildress@lsu.edu
Phone
(225) 578-1151
Hometown
Baldwin, Mich.
Alma Mater
Ferris St. (2003)

Ira Childress joined the LSU Football staff in January 2022 with more than 15 years of athletic administration experience.

Coming to Baton Rouge after serving as Assistant Athletic Director for External Relations at Dartmouth College, Childress began his career as an administrator in the alumni relations and advancement office at his alma mater, Ferris State University, before advancing to the NCAA National Office.

As an Assistant Director of Leadership Development at the NCAA, his work provided innovative programming that helped positively impact hundreds of NCAA student-athletes, coaches, and administrators. While at the NCAA, he also served as the liaison to the NFL for student-athlete development and coaching education programs.

Childress then went on to serve as the athletic director at Okemos High School in Okemos, MI, and at Gulliver Prep in Miami, Fla., where he utilized his creativity and vision to provide innovative solutions and championship experiences for student-athletes, coaches, and the community.

In 2019 and 2020, Childress was named a finalist for Varsity Brands national high school athletic director of the year. He’s also the best-selling author of the book “Beating the Odds: From Poverty to Prominence.”

A native of Baldwin, Mich., Childress is a two-time graduate of Ferris State University, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in applied speech communication, his master’s degree in education, and was a football student-athlete.