Blossom leaving for Creighton it appears

The AD at Creighton did not announce that he was retiring until mid-July.

You are correct, however, was he forced out? Check out the story below, particularly starting with the last part, beginning with Rasmussen, 70, announced....



Men's college basketball
College basketball
Creighton Bluejays men's basketball

Creighton hires Holy Cross’ Marcus Blossom as its new AD

By ERIC OLSON

2 hours ago

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Creighton has hired Marcus Blossom away from Holy Cross to be its new athletic director.

Blossom replaces Bruce Rasmussen, the Bluejays’ longtime athletic director who retired this summer.

Blossom was Holy Cross’ athletic director for two years after spending five years at Boston College as senior associate athletic director for business and administration.

“It’s hard to contain just how excited I am to join such an incredible program,” Blossom said Monday. “Creighton doesn’t just compete at the highest levels in the Big East and nationally, it does so the right way, never forgetting its priorities, values, commitment to community, and most important, the growth of student-athletes and the entirety of their experience.”


Rasmussen, 70, announced his retirement on July 19, about a month after he and the school were sanctioned by the NCAA for the only major rules violation of his tenure.

The NCAA found that a former assistant basketball coach accepted cash from a management agency. Rasmussen conducted his own investigation into the matter but kept the findings private until the FBI released details of a corruption scandal that involved several big-name schools.

The NCAA put the Creighton men’s basketball program on two years’ probation, and the Bluejays were docked scholarships and given recruiting restrictions, among other penalties.

The Bluejays had their best season under coach Greg McDermott, going 22-9 and finishing second in the Big East before advancing to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1974.

Blossom, who is Black, was hired five months after McDermott created a firestorm for twice using the term “plantation” while urging team unity during a locker room talk after a loss.

Players publicly said they were upset by the analogy, which was evocative of slavery and the antebellum South. McDermott apologized and was reinstated in time to coach in the Big East Tournament.

If HC ever became a consistent MBB PL champion, OOC winner and factor in the NCAA, the Big East would probably come calling to Worcester and HC and the DCU just like they did the first time. Then we'd have to clarify our values again and make a decision.

But a great way to get out of answering a probing question.

I always thought Eddie Reilly would have ended up HC at HC at some point. C'est la vie...

While my preference is for Gordie, my underlining belief is we should hire someone who has bled and bleeds purple today. Blossom just never seemed to be a good fit here...I'm sure he's a talented guy but (like many) was looking for the next rung up the laddahh so to speak as soon as he was hired here. Let's really try to get the best person who has lived as a Sader and still has a passion for HC's future success athletically.

I’m not sure what it means, but the last 2 AD’s were hired by top athletic schools. Does it mean our process was bad or does it mean our criteria for success was correct? Just askin?

It is the truth....Coach LaChappelle's track record at BU was pretty good and the program has dropped off since she left. Moving from D-3 to D-1 in Women's Hockey is a huge jump and without giving her a full D-1 recruiting cycle you can't really grade her. She came into a program with zero D-1 players.

This will be the fourth year of Hockey East play so it is coming time to show results. But what is considered a good season in Hockey East? They are clearly behind every single team in the conference in terms of funding and facilities. 

I really don't know the marketplace for ADs in general but I think when a school is looking for someone, HC and schools of its ilk (other PLs, Ivies, other smaller D1 academic schools) are probably fertile ground to look for someone... particularly when there may be a "mess" to clean up, changing the culture etc. Experience working at an academic-centric school, overseeing a lot of programs (I think we have 24 to Creighton's 14 I believe) etc. look good to that next school.

I wish ADMB success with the Blue Jays but I really don't think his leaving will be much of a hit to the school athletically.

Holy Cross sponsors 27 varsity sports, each of which competes at the NCAA Division I level (FCS for football). The Crusaders are members of the Patriot League, the Atlantic Hockey Association and the Women's Hockey East Association.

Creighton sponsors 14 varsity sports, 6 men, 8 women.

what do you mean by "parallel site"?  

This subject is like a four alarm fire. It's all over Crossports in multiple categories.