Hoyas’ Muir moves on

Georgetown announced Monday that athletic director Bernard Muir was resigning to accept the same post at the University of Delaware.

Georgetown’s search for Muir’s replacement will begin immediately.

“I am grateful for the contributions that Bernard Muir has made to Georgetown,” Georgetown President John J. DeGioia said in a statement. “Bernard has recruited outstanding new coaches and bolstered academic support and leadership development opportunities for our student athletes.”

Muir, 40, arrived at Georgetown in 2005, the year after John Thompson III took over as coach of the men’s basketball team. Formerly a deputy athletic director at Notre Dame and an operations director for the NCAA, Muir came to the Hilltop with a reputation as one of the rising stars in sports administration.

His tenure at Georgetown was defined by the basketball team’s success, including an appearance in the 2006 Final Four. In 2007, SportsBusiness Journal named him one of its “Forty under 40,” recognizing him as one of the bright young administrators of the sports world.

But success on the hardwood didn’t translate to other programs. The football program continues to languish in the Patriot League, compiling a conference-worst 3-20 record in league play during Muir’s stay. Coaching turnover reached an all-time high during his reign, and Muir gained little or no traction on the multisport and basketball practice facilities considered vital to the school’s future athletic viability.

Sources close to the program said Muir’s relationship with DeGioia became strained when he interviewed for openings at Duke and Northwestern in the past year.

Delaware has excelled in football in the Football Championship Subdivision. Since that level - previously known as Division I-AA - was established in 1978, the Blue Hens have twice finished as the runner-up for the title and won it in 2003. At the Division II level, Delaware won the 1979 title and finished second in 1974 and 1978.

“Delaware athletics is getting a terrific leader in Bernard Muir,” Thompson said. “His energy and enthusiasm will be missed here at Georgetown. On a personal level, I will miss working with him. He is intelligent, insightful and always has the well-being of the student-athlete at his forefront.”

One possible candidate to replace Muir is Adam Brick, George Mason’s senior associate athletic director for external affairs. A 1986 graduate of the Georgetown School of Business and a 1990 graduate of Georgetown Law, Brick was part of the Georgetown athletic department from 1990 to 2005. After athletic director Joe Lang retired in 2004, Brick spent his last year at Georgetown as interim AD.