Texas A&M athletic director Ross Bjork emerged as the target in Ohio State’s athletic director search, Pete Thamel reports. Bjork has 25 years of sports administration experience and helped the Aggies set multiple records for academic success during his tenure, which began in 2019. Bjork and Washington St. AD Pat Chun are among three finalists, per ABC-6 and FOX-28’s Clay Hall. A final decision could come this week.
Bjork has a reputation as a strong fundraiser. He and Texas A&M’s 12th Man Foundation introduced the Centennial Campaign in 2022, which secured $120 million in donor contributions, the largest philanthropic fundraising effort in the organization’s history outside of the redevelopment of Kyle Field. Prior to his arrival at College Station, Aggie student-athletes had never posted a semester or cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher. They achieved the feat in five of the six possible semesters since. Texas A&M’s 2021 GSR was a school-record 84%, which came on the heels of an 82% rating in 2020.
Bjork helped orchestrate the notorious contract extension for Jimbo Fisher in 2021, which paid him $9 million annually through the 2031 season. He led the charge in Fisher’s firing in November.
“After very careful analysis of all the components related to Texas A&M football, I recommended to president (Mark) Welsh and then chancellor (John) Sharp that a change in the leadership of the program was necessary in order for Aggie football to reach our full potential and they accepted my decision,” Bjork said in the statement after parting ways with Fisher. “We appreciate Coach Fisher’s time here at Texas A&M and we wish him the best in his future endeavors.”
Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith announced in August 2023 that he would retire in 2024, stepping down from a post he will have held in the Big Ten for two decades.
“I want to thank the leadership of The Ohio State University during my tenure for providing me the opportunity to serve as senior vice president and Wolfe Foundation Endowed Athletic Director for the past 18 years,” Smith said in a statement. “The presidents and many members of the Board of Trustees I have served afforded me the professional opportunity of a lifetime, and I am forever grateful. I have always believed that a leader seeks to be the right person at the right time in the life of the institution.”
Smith’s tenure is the third-longest among active athletic directors. Ohio State has finished as the Big Ten’s top university in the Director’s Cup standings eight times under his watch.
GET MORE NEWS HERE
Leave a Reply