Southern California athletic director Mike Bohn has resigned.
USC confirmed the resignation of Bohn, 62, on Friday, about 3 1/2 years after he succeeded Lynn Swann in the high-profile job.
The Trojans’ athletics department experienced great success during Bohn’s tenure, which was headlined by USC’s lucrative decision to move to the Big Ten in 2024.
Bohn’s time at USC will be best remembered for how he helped restore the Trojans football team to a national power by luring renowned head coach Lincoln Riley away from Oklahoma at the end of the 2021 college football season.
The long-struggling USC football team made a dramatic one-year return to national title contention following the hiring of Coach Riley last year, while men’s basketball team has made three consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances under coach Andy Enfield and recently signed a career-high two. -rated recruits in program history to Isaiah Collier and Bronny James, son of LeBron James.
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 past four years, USC’s athletic department has transformed itself into a national powerhouse,” Folt wrote. “In our singular pursuit of excellence, I am committed to ensuring that we have the right leadership in place to achieve our goals. As part of that commitment and as we prepare to move into the Big Ten, we conducted a comprehensive review of the athletics department. , including its operations, culture and strategy. Having built a strong foundation over the past few years, now is the time for new direction based on our values and experience necessary to fulfill our aspirational vision for Trojan athletics.”
Bohn cited “ongoing health challenges” in a statement to the Los Angeles Times about his resignation, but did not provide a clear reason for the surprising decision.
He also alluded to the challenges of leading USC through the coronavirus pandemic in his statement.
“I will always be proud to lead the program through the most tumultuous times in the history of the profession and at USC with a restored reputation and national milestone achievements,” Bohn said. “As a former student-athlete, my purpose and identity is rooted in supporting young people as they pursue their athletic, academic and personal goals. I have been blessed to have had so many wonderful opportunities and meet so many great people , and I leave wishing the best to everyone I have worked with and served.Moving forward, it is now important for me to focus on being present with my beloved family, addressing current health challenges, and reflecting on how I can make an impact on the future.”
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 scandals and NCAA sanctions while being led by a string of former USC football players with little college experience administration
The veteran administrator seemed largely to have the Trojans back on the road to success. Along with significant progress for the men’s soccer and 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 Tournament of the NCAA this spring in Gottlieb’s second season. USC’s baseball team is also experiencing a bounce-back season under well-regarded new head coach Andy Stankiewicz, who Bohn lured from Grand Canyon University last year.
Bohn also told ESPN that the split was “amicable” between him and the school.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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