Might Old Dominion be interested in UR’s Miller?

University of Richmond Athletic Director Jim Miller is a Norfolk native who graduated from Old Dominion University, played two sports there and coached there.

So might the coming vacancy in the ODU athletic director's office interest him?

"The opportunity, if it ever developed, to go back to your alma mater is something that everyone has to think about," Miller said yesterday.

Jim Jarrett, Old Dominion's athletic director since 1970, announced last Wednesday that he is retiring next June.

"Jim Jarrett was the AD when I was a player there, and I've known Jim for longer than we would all like to admit," said Miller, who played four years of basketball and one year of baseball at ODU. "I respect what he has done at Old Dominion both quantitatively and qualitatively."

Miller said he would have no additional comments about the situation at this time. An ODU spokesman yesterday said the school had not yet formulated the mechanism it will use in its selection of the next athletic director, or developed a time frame for that purpose.

Miller, 57, became UR's athletic director in 2000. He graduated from ODU in 1974 with a degree in health, physical education and recreation. Miller earned a master's degree from ODU in athletic administration and a law degree from William and Mary.

He worked as a graduate assistant basketball coach at ODU and also was an assistant at Northwestern State and VMI. Miller practiced law in Norfolk during 1985-87 and operated a sports-marketing firm in Virginia Beach during 1988-90. He joined N.C. State's athletic department in 1990 and was that school's executive associate athletics director before moving to UR as Chuck Boone's successor.

With Miller as AD, Richmond made the move from the Colonial Athletic Association to the Atlantic 10 Conference, starting with the 2001-02 school year.

Richmond's football success in recent years could make him attractive to ODU, which launches its football program this year.