Mark Coyle’s departure from Syracuse University shook the community on Wednesday, including Otto’s Army, the Syracuse student section. Coyle, the former SU director of athletics, will take over the same role at Minnesota.

His departure means plans in the works between Otto’s Army and Syracuse Athletics will be halted.

“We’re shocked like everyone else,” said Otto’s Army President Johnny Oliver. “We were heart-broken when we got the news today.”

Representatives from Otto’s Army met with Coyle three or four times since December. The most recent meeting was last week. Coyle was very interested in hearing from students, Oliver said.

One meeting between Coyle and Otto’s Army was about improving the game day experience for football and men’s basketball. Oliver said he, Student Association President Aysha Seedat and Vice President Jane Hong were pushing for student season tickets to be included in the student activity fee.

“It’s an unfortunate situation and I’m sad to see (Coyle) go,” Seedat said in a text message. “The next SA President will have to work closely with the interim AD on the project, should he wish to carry it through and that’s all I have to say.”

Oliver said Otto’s Army is “really not sure” what Coyle’s departure means for the athletic fee.

“If it weren’t for Mark (Coyle) leaving, it was definitely a goal of my presidency to make the student activity fee include men’s basketball and football season tickets by the 2017-18 year,” Oliver added. “But now with potentially a new face coming in, I have no idea if the next AD is going to even be for it.”

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MORE COVERAGE:

• Insight on Mark Coyle’s decision to leave SU from former Minnesota AD
• Mark Coyle’s top three moments as Syracuse’s director of athletics
• Syracuse Athletics emails season-ticket holders following Coyle’s departure

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Coyle, whose tenure lasted 11 months, was open to the idea of moving the student section at men’s basketball games from behind the basket to the sideline, Oliver said. Coyle was also on board with a points system idea that would attempt to increase student attendance at SU sporting events. The program would serve as incentive for students to attend athletic events. Coyle, SA and Otto’s Army were close to a concrete plan, Oliver said.

For seven years, the University of Cincinnati has held a Student-Athlete Advisory Committee Gatorade Pong tournament to raise money for Mothers Against Drunk Driving (M.A.D.D.). Oliver said he had planned to reach out to Coyle in the next fews days about starting a similar program at SU.

“I would hope that he would have been open to the idea, but I definitely have to table that one for now,” Oliver said.

Although his departure means those measures will be put on hold, Coyle helped Otto’s Army and SA fund two student bus trips. Normally, SA funds student trips to away basketball and football games. But this year there was a spending limit that made it difficult for SA and Otto’s Army to cover the cost of transportation and tickets.

Coyle supplied Otto’s Army with free tickets for the Syracuse football game at Virginia in October. In February, Coyle supplied students with tickets to the Syracuse basketball game at Boston College. He also played an integral role in Otto’s Army bus trip to Houston for the men’s Final Four.

“Mark (Coyle) was really all about the students,” Oliver said. “He was really open to all ideas we brought to him and trying to figure out if it was possible.”

Published on May 11, 2016 at 10:21 pm

Contact Matthew: mguti100@syr.edu | @MatthewGut21