Colorado athletic director Rick George is stepping down on the finish of the 2025-26 college yr.
The college introduced that George would “transition to a job as Particular Advisor to the Chancellor and Director of Athletics Emeritus” on Thursday night time. George is in his thirteenth yr at Colorado and employed Deion Sanders from Jackson State to teach the soccer crew.
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George made certain to say Sanders within the information launch the varsity issued about his new function.
“It has been the distinction of a lifetime to function Athletic Director for the College of Colorado for the final 13 years, however after appreciable thought and discussions with my household relationship again to final spring, I’ve determined it’s time for brand spanking new management to information the division,” stated George. “I needed to make this announcement now to be able to give Chancellor [Justin] Schwartz loads of time to seek out the appropriate particular person for Colorado, and I stay up for doing all the things I can to make sure a clean transition. I additionally needed to time my announcement in order that I might help Coach Prime and our soccer crew this season, which I am wanting ahead to persevering with in my new function.
Sanders has made Colorado a nationally-relevant program even when the outcomes on the sector have been uneven. The Buffaloes went 9-4 in 2024 as they’d their first profitable season over the course of a full season since 2016. Nonetheless, Colorado was 4-8 in Sanders’ first season in 2023 and is presently 3-7 with two video games to go within the 2025 season.
George took over as Colorado’s athletic director not lengthy after the Buffaloes had moved to the Pac-12. Colorado left the Large 12 after the 2010 soccer season for the Pac-12 in a transfer that helped kickstart convention realignment as Nebraska left for the Large Ten and Missouri and Texas A&M left the Large 12 for the SEC.
The Buffs’ the within the Pac-12 lasted simply 12 seasons they usually discovered themselves again within the Large 12 after the 2022-23 college yr following the Pac-12’s demise. Colorado joined the convention together with Utah, Arizona and Arizona State.
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George got here to Colorado from the Texas Rangers. He spent fewer than three years with the franchise as their COO after working for the PGA Tour. Earlier than working for the Tour and the Champions Tour and within the golf world, George labored for eight years at Vanderbilt.