KNOXVILLE -- University of Tennessee-Knoxville Chancellor Beverly Davenport on Tuesday named John Currie as the school's new vice chancellor and director of athletics. Currie currently serves as the Director of Athletics at Kansas State. He will begin his duties at UT on April 1, 2017.

Currie returns to Knoxville, where he earned his master's degree and served in various capacities from 1997-2009, including time in external operations, development, marketing and ticket operations. He left UT in 2009 to accept his position at Kansas State.

"We are extremely pleased to announce John as our new vice chancellor and director of athletics," Davenport said. "This is truly an exciting day for the University of Tennessee and our athletics department. As I said when we began this process, we were looking for the best candidate, and we feel strongly that we have him in John Currie. John exemplifies all the qualities we were seeking in an athletics director. He is a man of high integrity, strong values, a progressive thinker, he fully understands the importance of being compliant in everything we do, and he is a leader who will put the well-being of our student-athletes above everything.