COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State has decided on the first new leader for its athletic department in nearly 20 years.
Texas A&M’s Ross Bjork will succeed Gene Smith, the school announced Wednesday. His identity as the frontrunner became widely reported on Tuesday.
Per a news release, Bjork will begin his duties July 1, pending approval by the OSU Board of Trustees. An introductory news conference will be held Wednesday.
Advertisement
Bjork, 51, is in his fifth year as A&M’s athletic director. While he has no background as an administrator in the Big Ten, he has spent the past 12 years as one in the most high profile football conference in the nation. Prior to A&M, he spent seven years at Ole Miss.
“Few athletics directors have established such an impressive and strong record of success in athletics, in the classroom and throughout the community,” Ohio State president Ted Carter said in the release. “The bar is incredibly high at Ohio State, and we have found in Ross a highly intelligent and effective leader — not to mention a fierce competitor.”
Smith announced his retirement, effective at the end of the school year, in August. Bjork’s hire became official barely two weeks after new president Carter began his duties. A 14-person search advisory committee began working last October to “nominate candidates and provide input and feedback to the search firm, Collegiate Sports Associates.”
Bjork is stepping up from an athletic program of 20 sports with more than 600 athletes to the largest in the country — boasting 36 programs and 1,000 athletes. His achievements at A&M included new school records in overall grade point average and the NCAA’s Graduate Success Rate and Academic Progress Rate. Recently he led the launch of the largest fundraising campaign in that athletic department’s history, which included redevelopment of the football complex.
BET ANYTHINGGET $250 BONUSESPN BET
Advertisement
21+ and present in MA, NJ, PA, VA, MD, WV, TN, LA, KS, KY, CO, AZ, IL, IA, IN, OH, MI. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-Gambler.
Bjork also worked with the Texas legislature to develop a name, image and likeness law in Spring 2021. He also oversaw the creation of programs which provided athletes assistance with “finance, personal branding, networking and media training.”
He then oversaw the creation of AMPLIFY and AMPLIFY Local Exchange, which equips student-athletes with education and resources related to finance, personal branding, networking and media training.
“I have been extraordinarily blessed to be a product of college athletics as a student-athlete and fortunate to work with so many outstanding student-athletes, coaches, staff and university leaders throughout my career, and Ohio State represents the culmination of these efforts,” Bjork said in the release. “To be a part of Buckeye Nation, along with its storied traditions and long history of achievement, is a tremendous honor and a welcome challenge for me and our family. I can’t wait to get started.”
While Bjork arrives with significant major conference football experience, he also comes with some baggage related to his football coaches.
Advertisement
Bjork defended Ole Miss football coach against a multitude of charges by the NCAA of rules violations, including failure-to-monitor by the coach and a lack of institutional control. The NCAA infractions committee accused Ole Miss of “an unconstrained culture of booster involvement in football recruiting.”
Freeze was eventually fired.
At A&M, Bjork was the AD when coach Jimbo Fisher was given a fully guaranteed contract extension in 2021. When he fired Fisher after last season, it necessitated a $76 million buyout.
Bjork’s first athletic director experience came at Western Kentucky (2010-12) after five years as senior associate athletic director at UCLA.
If you or a loved one has questions and needs to talk to a professional about gambling, call the Ohio Problem Gambling Helpline at 1-800-589-9966 or the National Council on Program Gambling Helpline (NCPG) at 1-800-522-4700 or visit 1800gambler.net for more information. 21+ and present in Ohio. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-Gambler.
CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – The Cleveland Division of Police is investigating after a man was shot and killed after a fight on Cleveland’s west side Tuesday night.
According to police, at around 6:39 p.m., officers responded to the 2000 block of West 105th Street for a report of a man shot.
When officers arrived, they found a 39-year-old man in the street with a gunshot wound.
Cleveland EMS and Fire rendered first aid, and the man was taken to the hospital.
Advertisement
Medical staff later pronounced him dead.
Investigators believe two men got into a fight in the street just before shots were fired.
Cleveland Police arrested a 29-year-old man on the scene, and charges are pending.
The Cleveland Division of Police Homicide Unit is still investigating the shooting.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Homicide Unit at 216-623-5464.
Ohio State Buckeyes football recruiting newscleveland.com
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Four-star athlete and Ohio State commit Legend Bey has delayed his commitment decision until Friday.
National Signing Day’s early signing period began on Wednesday, but Bey will delay his signing until Dec. 5. On3 reported the news late in the morning on Wednesday.
Bey is the No. 175 overall prospect and No. 9 athlete in the 247Sports composite rankings. He plays quarterback for North Forney High School in Texas, but will be an athlete at Ohio State.
The Buckeyes’ intention was to use him as a hybrid type of player that can play both running back and wide receiver. Much in the same way that Curtis Samuel was used at Ohio State, Bey was set to have a similar role.
Now, his future with the Buckeyes will be unclear for the next 48 hours.
Advertisement
Andrew Gillis covers Ohio State football and recruiting for Cleveland.com. He provides updates on Ohio State football as a whole, its prospects and the Buckeyes each week. He previously covered the Bengals for…
Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Shontel Brown’s (OH-11) legislation to name the Collinwood neighborhood Post Office in Cleveland, Ohio in honor of Tech Sergeant Alma Gladys Minter (1920-2007) today passed the House Oversight Committee and is one step closer to becoming law.
In July, Brown introduced legislation (H.R. 4635) to name the post office on East 152nd Street in Cleveland in honor of Minter, a long-time Cleveland resident who served in the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion during World War II. The “Six Triple Eight” was the first and only all-Black Women’s Army Corps unit to serve overseas during the war. Brown’s legislation is supported by the Minter Family.
Bill Text Available Here
“Alma Minter delivered for our country, and today Congress is one step closer to finally delivering for her. I am proud that my bill to rename the Collinwood post office in honor of Tech Sergeant Minter is one step closer to becoming law. Putting her name on the post office on East 152nd is a way to say thank you, to keep the story of Six Triple Eight alive, and to right past wrongs. These women served with courage and excellence, yet far too many never lived to see their country recognize them. The least we can do now is make sure their names and their stories are remembered. I am grateful for the support of my colleagues and will continue to work with members of both parties to get this done,” said Congresswoman Shontel Brown.
Advertisement
In 1945, Minter along with over 800 other women, were deployed to clear a backlog of over 17 million pieces of mail in Europe. The Six Triple Eight completed their mission in less than 90 days, ensuring that mail from the Homefront could reach American troops in Europe.
The Six Triple Eight was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal by an act of Congress in 2022 and honored at a ceremony at the Capitol this year. In February, Congresswoman Brown spoke on the House floor in Washington to recognize Minter’s service and share her story. She also presented Minter’s family with additional military medals at her State of the District address in Cleveland.
The legislation is cosponsored by: Rep. Troy Balderson (OH-12), Rep. Joyce Beatty (OH-03), Rep. Mike Carey (OH-15), Rep. Warren Davidson (OH-08), Rep. Jim Jordan (OH-04), Rep. Dave Joyce (OH-14), Rep. Marcy Kaptur (OH-09), Rep. Greg Landsman (OH-01), Rep. Bob Latta (OH-05), Rep. Michael Rulli (OH-06), Rep. Emilia Sykes (OH-13), Rep. Dave Taylor (OH-02), Rep. Mike Turner (OH-10), Rep. Gwen Moore (WI-04), Rep. Andre Carson (IN-07), Rep. Shomari Figures (AL-02), and Rep. Deborah Ross (NC-02).
For more information on the Six Triple Eight, click here.
