LOS ANGELES — Former University of Colorado athletic director Mike Bohn has resigned from his post at the University of Southern California.
USC confirmed the 62-year-old Bohn's resignation as athletic director Friday, roughly 3 1/2 years after he succeeded Lynn Swann in the high-profile job.
The Trojans' athletic department experienced a surge of success during Bohn's tenure, which was headlined by USC's lucrative decision to move to the Big Ten in 2024.
The long-struggling USC football team made a dramatic one-year return to national title contention after the hiring of coach Lincoln Riley last year, while the men's basketball team has made three straight NCAA Tournament appearances under Andy Enfield.
In a letter to alumni and the school, USC President Carol Folt briefly thanked Bohn for his service “during a time of rapid transformation and growth.”
“Over the last four years, the USC athletics department has transformed into a national powerhouse,” Folt wrote. “In our singular pursuit of excellence, I am committed to ensuring we have the right leadership in place to achieve our goals. As part of that commitment and as we prepare to move to the Big Ten, we conducted a thorough review of the athletics department, including its operations, culture, and strategy. Having built a strong foundation over the last few years, now is the time for new direction grounded in our values and in expertise needed to fulfill our aspirational vision for Trojan athletics.”
Bohn mentioned “ongoing health challenges” in a statement issued to the Los Angeles Times about his resignation, but provided no clear reason for the surprising move.
Bohn is the former athletic director at Idaho, San Diego State, Colorado and Cincinnati. He left the Bearcats to take over a USC department that had struggled through years of scandal and NCAA sanctions while being led by a series of former USC football players with little experience in administration.
During his tenure at CU, which lasted from 2005-2013, Bohn played a major role in initiating the Buffaloes' transition from the Big 12 to the Pac-12. He also fired football coach Dan Hawkins and women's basketball coach Kathy McConnell-Miller, replacing them with Jon Embree and Linda Lappe, respectively. But it was his lack of progress in fundraising for improvements to athletic facilities that led to his firing.
The veteran administrator largely appeared to get the Trojans back on a path to success. Along with significant progress for the football and men's basketball teams, Bohn hired experienced coach Lindsay Gottlieb away from the Cleveland Cavaliers to lead the women's basketball team, which posted a nine-win improvement and made the NCAA Tournament this spring in Gottlieb's second season.
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