Jokes aside, Buddie leaned into TCU’s mission and values and the collective power of a team. He shared gratitude for his family and their commitment to his career, for student athletes and coaches who have elevated his profile, and for now “working together” for the 500 student-athletes at TCU.Get essential daily news for the Fort […]
Jokes aside, Buddie leaned into TCU’s mission and values and the collective power of a team. He shared gratitude for his family and their commitment to his career, for student athletes and coaches who have elevated his profile, and for now “working together” for the 500 student-athletes at TCU.Get essential daily news for the Fort Worth area.
Sign up for insightful, in-depth stories — completely free.TCU President Daniel Pullin said that when they went out to search for a new athletic director, they wanted to find someone who led with value and grit and had a focus on innovation. In Buddie, he said, they found that and more.
Republishing is free for noncommercial entities. Commercial entities are prohibited without a licensing agreement. Contact us for details. He’s ready to drink more sweet tea and make Fort Worth and TCU home. But first, he’s got to go to his living room in New York, take down the Christmas tree and vacuum up the needles.
“He has more than 20 years of D-1 athletics experience, taking top programs with a strategic mindset. He solves (problems) in complex situations,” said Pullin, who will become the university’s chancellor this June. “He has led with character and values at every turn, also in perfect alignment with TCU’s mission.”Shomial Ahmad is a higher education reporter for the Fort Worth Report, in partnership with Open Campus. Contact her at shomial.ahmad@fortworthreport.org.Fort Worth Report is certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative for adhering to standards for ethical journalism.Mike Buddie poses with his family sporting the ‘Go Frogs’ hand sign. From left to right: Zachary, Mike, Traci and Zoe. (Courtesy photo | TCU) “We packed a bag for a bowl game on Christmas night and then for a week vacation to relax in Florida. We were not prepared to be writing speeches and wearing ties,” said Buddie. “We didn’t expect our vacation to end in Fort Worth.”
“You can imagine our comfort level when we woke up this morning to 23 degrees. I don’t know who pulled that string just to make us feel right at home,” said Buddie, who was wearing a suit and purple tie. “It is not our doing.” He refrained from noting that Fort Worth was beating his former employer West Point, located an hour north of New York City, at 8 degrees warmer. There was a moment during the press conference, when 6-foot-3-inch Buddie towered over the podium and realized that Texas is now home — something that he didn’t see coming on Christmas Day.Under its previous director Jeremiah Donati, TCU announced it will participate in the highest permissible level of revenue sharing with college athletes at nearly million.At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
