Texas A&M has hired Ole Miss athletic director Ross Bjork as its new AD, the university announced late Thursday.
“I am so honored to accept this position and look forward to greeting coaches, staff and the entire 12th Man,” Bjork said in a statement released by A&M. “I remember visits to Kyle Field even before its massive renovation, being enthralled with the whole environment.”
Ross Bjork announced as Texas A&M’s new Director of Athletics: https://t.co/FSNMjT6U1W #tamu #12thMan pic.twitter.com/mj4UpxNKdb
— Texas A&M University (@TAMU) May 24, 2019
The 46-year-old Bjork will be officially introduced by the university June 3 and begin his new duties July 8. He replaces Scott Woodward, who left in April to become AD at his alma mater, LSU.
Bjork, who played running back at Emporia State, has held various administrative posts at a half-dozen schools including UCLA, Miami, Missouri and Western Kentucky before taking over as AD at Ole Miss in 2012. In his time there, he earned praise for helping Ole Miss through a lengthy NCAA investigation into recruiting violations that led to the resignation of football coach Hugh Freeze in 2017.
Bjork also helped double the athletic department's annual revenue, from $57 million to $117 million. The university updated its football stadium and built a new state-of-the-art basketball arena. And on the field, the Rebels won six national titles in golf and track and field, and made strides in football, basketball and baseball.
"I am thrilled to welcome Ross Bjork to Aggieland," Texas A&M President Michael K. Young said in a release. "His outstanding reputation as a leader will be vital to the continued trajectory of our athletics program. His appreciation for higher education is evident in achieving the highest GPA and graduation rates on record during his tenure at Ole Miss.
"We look forward to formally introducing Ross in the coming days and also to welcoming his wife, Sonya, and sons, Paxton and Payton, to one of the most hospitable communities on earth. I also want to thank Coach R.C. Slocum, cherished by all Aggies, for stepping in during this time to lead the department. I look forward to continuing to work with him."
In a statement released by Ole Miss, Bjork thanked the university.
"We will forever cherish our time at Ole Miss and in Oxford. … I am proud of the athletics accomplishments and the infrastructure improvements we were able to achieve during the last seven years, but I am most proud of our student-athletes. They always believed they could achieve greatness in the classroom, and now Ole Miss athletics has the highest grade point average, graduation rates and APR scores in the history of the program."