AP source: Cal to promote interim AD to full-time job

BERKELEY, Calif. (AP) California will name interim athletic director Mike Williams to the full-time job.

A person with knowledge of the plans said Monday that Chancellor Nicholas Dirks is expected to announce Williams' promotion later this week. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the contract has not been finalized. The San Francisco Chronicle first reported the news.

Williams took over from Sandy Barbour in July and originally said he was not a candidate for the job. That changed once he was in the job and he proved himself to be a viable candidate.

''When the chancellor launched the search for the next Director of Intercollegiate Athletics at UC Berkeley, he committed to selecting a candidate `by the middle of the spring,''' campus spokesman Dan Mogulof said in a statement.

''That time has arrived and the university is indeed very close to making an announcement. However, a few details remain and those involved are doing what is necessary to complete the hiring process. In the meantime, our athletics program is and will remain in excellent hands.''

Williams helped implement new standards to improve the academic performance of student-athletes in response to the school ranking near the bottom of the Pac-12 in graduation rates for football and men's basketball.

Both programs began to show signs of improvement late in Barbour's tenure that has continued under Williams' watch.

Williams is a former wrestler at Cal and graduated in 1982 with a degree in economics. He worked for Barclays Global Investors for more than 16 years before retiring in 2009.

Williams has been very active on campus, serving as vice chair of the UC Berkeley Foundation, chair of the foundation's Campaign Steering Committee and a member of the Chancellor's Task Force on Academics and Athletics before taking the interim AD job.