HAMPTON, Va. -- It's with a heavy heart that Hampton University shares the news of the unexpected passing on Saturday evening of Hampton graduate and former Coordinator of Athletic Academic Support Sade' Kirby.

 "It's a sad day hearing of the passing of Sade' Kirby," said Hampton University Director of Athletics Eugene Marshall, Jr. "Her passion for student-athletes at Hampton was evident in all she did to help the Hampton University community.  She will be missed."

Kirby served three years as Coordinator of Athletic Academic Support at Hampton. Her responsibilities include dmonitoring the academic progress of student-athletes, coordinating study hall and tutoring programs, as well as advising.

Previously, Kirby had served as an intern with the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) on two separate occasions. In her first tenure at the MEAC, Kirby worked under the Director of Marketing and was recruited to work in the Office of Compliance, where she assisted in the coordination of the annual Senior Woman Administrators (SWA) Professional Development Workshop.

During her second stint in the MEAC, she assisted the Assistant Commissioner for Administration and Compliance and the Assistant Director of Championships and Compliance in the day-to-day activities of the conference compliance office. Kirby also worked game operations for both the 2008 and 2011 MEAC Men's and Women's Basketball Tournaments.

Before returning to the MEAC for her final internship, Kirby served as the Assistant to the Associate Athletic Director/SWA at Howard University.

A native of Alexandria, Va., Kirby was no stranger to our "Home by the Sea," earning her B.S. in Sport Management from Hampton in 2008. She has also earned an M.A. Ed. with a concentration in Sports Administration in 2011 from Wayne State University in Detroit, Mich.  Kirby left in early 2016 to work in the Athletic Academic Support office at the University of Missouri.