I'm not going to weigh in on whether it is deserved or not, but I do understand the angst that the "irony" of it causes for many football fans.
But I think the simple answer to the OP's question is that athletic facilities are commonly named after retiring/ed AD's. I assume that the history of this practice involves a facility that the particular AD was instrumental in the development of. Unless I'm mistaken, the timing was such that CM's retirement lined up with the major stadium upgrade that happened on CM's watch. CWS is the largest of UK's facilities, so a piece (the field) was carved out to honor his time as AD. Something will be named after Mitch when his time is done.
