Syracuse Director of Athletics Mark Coyle is leaving SU after 11 months on the job to take a position at the University of Minnesota, SU confirmed on Wednesday morning. Minnesota announced on Wednesday morning that he was a finalist for its AD position and he will take the position, according to ESPN.

Here are three memorable moments from Coyle’s time at Syracuse.

---

MORE COVERAGE:

• Storify: Syracuse community reacts to AD Mark Coyle’s departure
• Syracuse University Director of Athletics Mark Coyle leaving for Minnesota

---

First press conference

Coyle had the Iocolano-Petty football wing auditorium erupting in applause from the start of his first press conference on June 22 — less than a month before he officially became Syracuse’s director of athletics. He spoke to the media, Board of Trustees, members of SU administration and SU head coaches for about 15 minutes saying, “My expectations are simple. … We’re going to get our degrees, and we’re going to compete for championships. And I want to make sure that we all understand that.”

Firing of Scott Shafer

Coyle said he’d take time to evaluate the Orange’s football programs and almost exactly four months later, on Nov. 23, he fired head coach Scott Shafer with the team sitting at 3-8 and on an eight-game losing streak. There was still one game left in the season.

“Scott has worked tirelessly to educate our students on and off the field and to build our program,” Coyle said in a statement. “However, I feel a change in leadership is needed at this time. A national search will begin immediately.”

Hiring of Dino Babers and Babers’ inaugural press conference

Babers, the former Bowling Green head coach, was hired as head football coach on Dec. 5 and held his opening press conference on Dec. 7. Coyle said Shafer was fired before the end of the season to give more time to find a new coach. He also mentioned that he skipped  the basketball team’s trip to the Bahamas to continue searching for a football coach.

“We wanted a leader who had a proven track record and a strong commitment to student welfare,” Coyle said in a press release on Dec. 5. “Dino’s background as a former student-athlete combined with his head coaching experience, and dynamic offensive mind make him a great fit for our program. We are committed to building a winning Syracuse Football program and today reinforces that commitment.”

“I wanted to make sure we found the best fit for Syracuse football,” he added at the press conference. “And how I define best fit was, simply, I wanted someone with tremendous honesty and integrity. I wanted somebody who would be focused on our students and the welfare of our students. I wanted somebody who was innovative and had an exciting brand of football. And I wanted somebody who had a commitment to winning. And I’m confident we’ve found that person in Coach Babers.”

Published on May 11, 2016 at 1:58 pm

Contact Jon: jrmettus@syr.edu | @jmettus