HOUSTON — University of Houston athletic director Dave Maggard is retiring after seven years at the school and 35 years in sports administration.

Maggard said Wednesday he and his wife, Carolyn, want to move closer to their adult children in California. That's where the 69-year-old had his longest stint as an athletic director with 19 years at Cal, his alma mater.

Maggard's other two years as an AD were at Miami (Fla.). He left the Hurricanes to join the Atlanta Olympic Games staff as managing director for sports.

After the 1996 Games, the former Olympian worked for Time Warner Inc. and was in the front office of the NHL's Atlanta Thrashers. He returned to northern California briefly and worked as a consultant before taking over at Houston.