WKU will soon begin a search for a new Athletics Director. The man who has held that positoin for the past two years, Ross Bjork, was introduced Wednesday afternoon as the new AD at the University of Mississippi. WKU President Gary Ransdell will speak to media about the future of the WKU athletics program at a news conference this afternoon at EA Diddle Arena. WKU Public Radio will be covering that event.
During Bjork's tenure at WKU, he fired men's basketball coach Ken McDonald and replaced him with current coach Ray Harper. Earlier this month, Bjork also fired women's basketball head coach Mary Taylor Cowles.
In a statement released by WKU Wednesday, Bjork said the following:
“I have decided to accept the Director of Athletics position at the University of Mississippi and depart WKU. While I was not seeking to leave WKU, the opportunity to oversee and manage the athletics department at a historic and prestigious university in the Southeastern Conference was one that we had to examine and ultimately accept.
“Dr. Ransdell gave me a tremendous opportunity two years ago, and I will always be indebted to him and our friendship. While my tenure at WKU has certainly turned out to be shorter than I could ever have anticipated, I have cherished every moment I have worked for WKU and been a part of the Hilltopper Nation.
“My family – Sonya, Payton and Paxton – has developed many friendships within the Bowling Green community, and those friendships will endure well beyond our stay here. I cannot thank everyone in our community enough for the tremendous hospitality that we have been extended since the day I was hired.
“I appreciate the extraordinary efforts of our coaches and student-athletes and all that they consistently represent on and off the field of play. They are to be commended for their successes and the manner they go about achieving them. I have treasured getting to know our student-athletes on a personal level, and I will miss those relationships the most.
“I also want to thank our athletics staff. We have many talented and dedicated people within our athletic department whose successes on a daily basis do not make the sports pages but are vital to WKU’s athletics advancement.
“The future of WKU Athletics is bright and the foundation is in place for greatness to occur for years to come. WKU fans can always count on the Bjork family being proud members of Hilltopper Nation.”
