Syracuse Athletic Director Mark Coyle is leaving the university to take a position at Minnesota, per multiple reports.
Coyle worked at Minnesota from 2001-2005 as the school’s associate athletic director for external relations. Syracuse Senior Vice President for Public Affairs Kevin Quinn said in an email Coyle would be leaving the university “for family reasons.”
For Syracuse, Coyle’s departure comes at the worst time. This week Syracuse’s Board of Trustees will meet to discuss the future of the Carrier Dome, and Dino Babers (the only hire Coyle will be remembered for now) still hasn’t coached a single game.
So now, less than a year after Coyle was hired, Syracuse has to look for a new Athletic Director once again. The job isn’t nearly as appealing as it was a year ago, either. The next AD won’t be able to hire a football coach, Jim Boeheim’s replacement has already been decided, and even John Desko is on the heels of two straight ACC titles. The next athletic director of Syracuse University won’t be able to put any of “his own” guys at the helm of any of the Orange’s revenue sports.
It took three months for Syracuse to find an AD in its last search. During that time, Pete Sala served as interim AD.
Posted: Nathan Dickinson
