This morning, Athletic Director Rick George informed head football coach Mike MacIntyre that he would be relieved of his duties, effective immediately. This was a difficult decision and one made in the best interests of the Athletic Department and greater university.
Chancellor Philip DiStefano
Over the past six seasons, Mike has elevated the profile of CU Buffs football amid a competitive conference. I am very proud that Mike emphasized academic prowess in his student-athletes, who achieved record levels for team grade point averages. In 2016, Mike won eight of the 10 national coach of the year awards for guiding his team to a 10-2 record in the regular season and playing in the Valero Alamo Bowl.
Despite these accomplishments, performance on the field during the past two seasons has not lived up to our expectations. So we have made the tough decision to part ways with Mike. I wish him every success in his coaching career.
Since Rick took over the Athletic Department in 2013, he has been innovative, improved the student-athlete experience and been fiscally responsible. While our fans celebrated the 2016 season, we have had four losing seasons during Mike’s tenure and a team that is currently 5-6. Rick and I know that we can’t fill our stadium with fans, and thus be fiscally sustainable, unless we have consistent winning seasons.
It’s important we bring on new leadership now so we can get back to having consistent success on the field, which will also boost Athletics ticket sales revenue to further fund the department.
It’s an industry standard for collegiate coaches to have buyout clauses in their contracts. This means that if a campus decides to dismiss a coach, the university owes the coach some or all of the money remaining on the contract. In Mike’s case, he has roughly $10 million over three years remaining on his contract. If he obtains new employment, which I expect he will soon, CU’s contract payments will be reduced by his new salary amount. The same will be true for his assistant coaches who have contracts, if they are not retained by the new coach.
I want to assure you that this money will come from Athletic Department funds. The Athletic Department budget is an auxiliary fund, meaning that it balances its own revenue (which includes donors’ money, television revenue and game ticket sales) with its expenses. None of the contract funds will come from tuition money, taxpayer dollars or the campus general fund. This decision will have no impact on our ability to, for example, hire more faculty, support student services or invest in research and academic programs.
I want to thank the football team’s student-athletes, who have shown great discipline and mental toughness throughout the season. The university is behind them, and we will move swiftly in hiring a new coach. Having a successful football team benefits the entire university by raising CU’s profile, attracting prospective students and engaging our community and alumni. Rick and his staff will be working diligently in the weeks ahead to find our next football coach, who we are confident will return us to greatness on the gridiron.
Philip P. DiStefano
Chancellor
