Sports Lawyer Gets Nod as Associate Athletic Director for Compliance and Student Success at Tarleton State

As Tarleton State University (TSU) prepares to make its move to NCAA Division I, TSU President Dr. James Hurley and Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Lonn Reisman recently “reinforced their commitment to compliance” with the addition of Eric Heier, who has a JD from the S.J. Quinney College of Law at the University of Utah.

“Eric is a remarkable individual with compliance experience at the FCS and Power Five levels,” said Hurley. “We have the utmost confidence that he will be a great asset in one of the predominant areas of any athletic department.”

Heier comes to Tarleton following a year-long stint at Montana State University (FCS), where he served as the Assistant Athletic Director for Compliance with the responsibility of educating and monitoring the institution’s student-athletes, coaches, employees, and boosters. He will assume the role of Associate Athletic Director for Compliance and Student Success for the Texans.

Prior to his time at Montana State, Heier worked in the legal field before entering the world of collegiate athletics. He earned an undergraduate degree from Brigham Young University (BYU) and a juris doctor degree from the S.J. Quinney College of Law at the University of Utah. While completing his law degree, Heier worked for the Department of Justice, served in the chambers of a district court judge, and oversaw nine legal clinics designed to provide legal resources to underserved populations.

Heier’s career in athletics began with a short stint at BYU, after which he spent nearly three years in the University of Utah’s Office of Athletics Compliance before making the move to become Montana State’s chief compliance officer.