Pete Thamel, ESPNA August 16, 2024 3:16pm ET
Rutgers University athletic director Pat Hobbs suddenly resigned on Friday afternoon, ending his tenure as the longest-tenured athletic director in the Big Ten Conference.
Assistant athletic director Ryan Pisari will take over from Hobbs on an interim basis while the school begins the search for a permanent replacement.
Hobbs' resignation letter, circulated around Rutgers, cited his health and recent meetings with his “heart team.”
“After meeting with my cardiac team this week and being informed of the results of my latest tests, it is clear that I cannot continue to serve as athletic director given the demands of the job,” Hobbs said in an email to schools president Jonathan Holloway. “I understand this is not an ideal time to step down, but other factors must take priority.”
Hobbs was under contract until 2028.
“I want to thank Pat for his outstanding nine-year tenure at Rutgers University, during which he has overseen both the men's and women's teams' leadership on and off the field and success in the Big Ten,” Holloway said in a message to university officials. “I have asked Ryan Pisari, associate athletic director and chief of staff, to serve as interim director of the University Athletics Office. The search for a new permanent athletic director will begin as soon as possible.”
Hobbs has been Rutgers' athletic director since 2015, and highlights of his tenure have been the hiring of Steve Pikiell in basketball and the return of Greg Schiano in football. Those hires helped pull Rutgers out of a Big Ten slump, with Pikiell leading the Scarlet Knights to two NCAA Tournament appearances and Schiano leading Rutgers to its first winning season since 2014 last year.
Hobbs overcame a rocky start at the school, including the shaky tenure of football coach Chris Ash, whom he hired, who went 8-32. Hobbs is a former dean of Seton Hall Law School and a former tax accountant. Pisari is in his 14th season at Rutgers.
“It has been an honor and a pleasure to work with you all, and I look forward to your success this season and beyond,” Hobbs said in an internal memo to staff.
