Alcorn State University AD to step down, takes MEAC job

By HBCU Gameday Newswire

Alcorn State University will soon be looking for a new director of athletics. The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference announced the return of Raynoid Dedeaux, who will serve as the league’s Deputy Commissioner and Chief Operating Officer.

His tenure will begin on July 1.

“I could not be more thrilled to welcome Raynoid Dedeaux back to the MEAC,” Commissioner Sonja Stills said. “He’s so much a part of what the conference office has done for nearly two decades, so to welcome him back as Deputy Commissioner and Chief Operating Officer is fantastic for the conference.”

Dedeaux has been the Director of Athletics at his alma mater, Alcorn State University, since April 2022. This move comes shortly after it was announced that Dr. Felecia Nave, the president who hired him, is on her way out.

During his tenure, the athletic department boasted an overall GPA of 3.23, Alcorn graduated 76 student-athletes during the 2022-23 academic year, and the Braves won the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) regular-season championship in men’s basketball before appearing in the NIT.

“I’m excited to return to the MEAC, I’m grateful and I look forward to working with Commissioner Stills in executing her vision for the conference office and its Elite Eight member institutions,” Dedeaux said. “I’m forever grateful to Alcorn State, [former] President Nave, [current interim] President Wooden, and the Alcorn community – student-athletes, coaches and alumni – for the opportunity to lead the Braves.”

After interning with the conference office from 2004-05, Dedeaux had also served the MEAC since 2006 in a variety of role, including Assistant Director of Championships and Compliance, Director of Championships, Assistant Commissioner for Championships, Senior Associate Commissioner for Championships and Administration and, most recently, Deputy Commissioner.

He supervised the MEAC’s football and men’s basketball operations, as well as officiating programs for football, men’s and women’s basketball, volleyball, baseball, and softball. In addition, he served as the conference’s liaison to the head coaches and Directors of Athletics, and he also was the overall manager of the conference’s annual Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournament.

During his time with the MEAC, Dedeaux oversaw a marked increase in attendance at the Basketball Tournament throughout his tenure with the conference. He was also at the forefront of  innovation among FCS football conferences, leading the MEAC in becoming the first FCS league to implement instant replay for football.

He also established the use of Vokkero hands-free communications devices for on-field football officials, and he has also supervised the NFL’s HBCU Careers in Football forum and helped launch the MEAC Digital Network. As the MEAC’s liaison to several high-profile corporate partners, Dedeaux also worked with Nike, ESPN, the NFL, Coca-Cola, Russell Athletic and Spalding.