Rutgers AD Pat Hobbs resigns due to health concerns

Rutgers athletic director Pat Hobbs abruptly resigned Friday afternoon, ending the tenure of an athletic director with the longest continuous tenure in the Big Ten.

Hobbs will be replaced on an interim basis by Deputy Athletic Director Ryan Picari as the school begins a search for a permanent replacement.

Hobbs’ resignation note, which was distributed internally at Rutgers, noted his health and a recent meeting with his “cardiac team.”

“After meeting with my cardiac team this week and being informed of the results of my latest round of tests, it is clear that I cannot continue to serve as athletic director due to the requirements of the position,” Hobbs wrote in an email. to school president Jonathan Holloway. “I recognize this is not the ideal time frame to exit, but other factors need to take priority.”

Hobbs is under contract until 2028.

“I want to thank Pat for his remarkable nine-year tenure at Rutgers, during which we saw our men’s and women’s teams become leaders and compete successfully in the Big Ten both on and off the field,” Holloway said in a message. University leaders. “I have asked Ryan Pisarri, deputy athletic director and chief of staff, to serve as interim director of intercollegiate athletics. A search for a new permanent athletic director will begin as soon as possible.

Hobbs has been the athletic director at Rutgers since 2015, and his tenure has been highlighted by the hiring of Steve Pikiell in basketball and the return of Greg Schiano as football coach. Those hires helped lift Rutgers out of Big Ten limbo, as Pikiell led the Scarlet Knights to a pair of trips to the NCAA Tournament and Schiano led Rutgers to its first winning season last year since 2014.

Hobbs overcame a rough start at the school, which included a rocky tenure under football coach Chris Ash, whom Hobbs hired and went 8-32. Hobbs is the former dean of Seton Hall Law School and has a background as a tax attorney. Picarri is in his 14th season at Rutgers.

In an internal note from Hobbs to staff, he said: “It has been an honor and a privilege to serve with you. I look forward to enjoying all of your success this season and in the years to come.”