Boston College AD Bates resigns
Boston College athletic director Brad Bates announced yesterday he will step down from his position at the end of the academic year.
Bates’ contract expires in October and was not going to be renewed, according to sources.
Bates, who succeeded Gene DeFilippo as the Eagles’ AD in October 2012, resigned to assume a position of vice president with Collegiate Sports Associates, an executive search and consulting group in Chapel Hill, N.C.
BC will hire an executive search firm to find a replacement for the start of the 2017 football season. The ideal candidate likely will be an up-and-coming associate AD from a school in one of the power conferences.
“I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at Boston College and am especially grateful for the opportunity to serve the university,” Bates said in a statement.
“I will forever be an Eagle and a fan of our student-athletes, coaches and staffs and will cherish the great relationships that I have made here.”
Bates’ job appeared on shaky ground following the 2015-16 academic year, when both the football team and the men’s basketball team were winless in Atlantic Coast Conference play.
The football team was 3-9 overall that season, with just one win against an FBS program. The basketball team was 0-18 in the ACC and suffered nonconference loses to Cal Irvine, Santa Clara and UMass-Lowell.
Bates, who joined the BC program after 10 years at Miami (Ohio), hired current Eagles football coach Steve Addazio and basketball coach Jim Christian.
The recent downturns in two of the school’s marquee sports resulted in smaller crowds and stagnant season-ticket sales at Alumni Stadium and Conte Forum.
The football team improved to 7-6 last season, including a win against Maryland in the Quick Lane Bowl. The men’s and women’s basketball teams both are in the cellar of the ACC. The men are 2-13 (919 overall) after last night’s loss to Florida State. The women are 2-12 (9-18).
Bates’ major contributions came off the field. He finalized plans for a $200 million athletics facilities upgrade that will include a 240,000 square foot recreation center and 115,000 square foot field house. He also worked with the ACC to allow BC to host a league game against Georgia Tech in Dublin, Ireland, last year.
“Brad is a man of great integrity and has been a tremendous ambassador for Boston College and its athletics program,” BC president William Leahy said.
The new structures are essential for recruitment purposes in football, baseball and softball, the areas where Boston College has fallen behind other top programs in the ACC.
BC has maintained its standing as an institution that annually graduates 95 percent of its athletes and 90 percent of its football players, numbers that place it in the top 10 nationally.
“With the continued leadership of the university, quality coaches, new facilities and the recruiting classes that have been signed this year, the future is very bright for BC athletics,” Bates said. “I look forward to supporting our student-athletes in the years to come.”