Morton to retire as Sports Authority CEO

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. The Sports Authority announced that Doug Morton will be retiring as CEO. Morton, who has been with Sports Authority for 22 years, and served as CEO for more than a decade, will remain with the company as chairman of the board.

The board of directors has retained Herbert Mines Associates to conduct a comprehensive internal and external executive search to identify a replacement CEO. Until a replacement has been identified, the company will be operated by an interim executive operating committee consisting of president/chief merchandising officer David Campisi, chief administrative officer/CFO Tom Hendrickson, and COO Greg Waters.

Morton joined Sports Authority in 1986 and was named CEO in 1995. During his tenure as CEO the company acquired multiple other sporting goods retailers and created the nation's first national full-line sporting goods chain.

"When I began my career with Sports Authority, we were a small chain of stores and no one could have imagined the transformation of our company into a multi-billion dollar retailer with a national footprint. As chairman, I will continue to champion our brand and our people."

Morton added, "The time is right to transition out of the CEO role and turn the company over to a new leader who will inherit an organization that is well-capitalized, possesses a strong management team, great vendors, and significant new store development possibilities."