Baker Mayfield reacts to Joe Castiglione retirement: 'That one hurts'

Over the course of his legendary tenure as the athletic director of the Oklahoma Sooners, Joe Castiglione saw some excellent players come through the Oklahoma program. That included Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Baker Mayfield.

Now, Castiglione is stepping into the next stage of his life with retirement. It’s a well-earned reward to a great career, but as Mayfield recently admitted during a return trip to Norman, it’s one that still hurts to see happen.

“That one hurts,” Baker Mayfield said. “Joe C’s obviously been an instrumental part of what Oklahoma sports in general, not just football, but everything that he’s done here to raise standards around here, it’s going to be tough to see him go.”

Over the course of his tenure at Oklahoma, Castiglione found plenty of success across sports, but football was always a point of success. He first got to Oklahoma in 1998 after previously being the Missouri athletic director. He’d quickly hire Bob Stoops to lead the football program. That then quickly led to a national championship and decades of success in football. Other sports, like softball, have also thrived during the 21st century.

More recently, it’s been Castiglione who helped lead Oklahoma into the SEC. On top of that, he’s been spearheading efforts in the new era of revenue sharing, NIL, and the Transfer Portal to modernize the athletic department.

“But he’s going out on a high note,” Mayfield said. “He’s carried this athletic program for a long time. Him and his family have done a great job representing the community and this university. Set a very high standard for a long time.”

Baker Mayfield, for his part, would leave Oklahoma after being selected first overall in the 2018 NFL Draft. During his time in college, he thrived with numerous awards and an All-American selection in 2017 to go with his Heisman Trophy.

Joe Castiglione details what led him to retirement decision

While the decision to retire caught some Oklahoma fans by surprise, for Joe Castiglione, it was a long time coming. Shortly after the announcement, he explained what had gone into his decision-making process.

“In the past couple of months, I’ve moved from a fleeting thought to some deep life reflections. We all do that from time to time, thinking about my career, my life journey, my family, my faith. I guess you could say life itself,” Castiglione said. “[…] So here I am in my 33^rd year of director of athletics. Simply put, I love what do. I love being able to serve the University of Oklahoma in so many ways. As I mentioned, it’s not work like many people think, it’s really a privilege. However, from time to time, one does take a moment to ponder one’s path, one’s future. It’s a decision-making kind of rubric.”