URI Athletic Director Leaving for UMASS

URI Athletic Director Leaving for UMASS

Thorr Bjorn, the long-time University of Rhode Island athletic director, is leaving to go to the University of Massachusetts athletic department to oversee the struggling football program. The Cage Hicks Sage X page was the first to report Bjorn’s move to UMASS.

Bjorn was promoted to Vice President and Athletic Director by President Marc Parlange last year. He came to URI in July 2007 as the 11th Director of Athletics in the University's history.

Under his tenure, the football program has seen a reinvention, but the men’s basketball program for the past seven years has seen a major drop-off since the departure of Dan Hurley to UConn.

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The men’s basketball program under the present coach, Archie Miller, has seen 49 players cycle through the program in five years.

His annual salary was $367,000  according to state records.

In addition, the URI sports program is one of the smallest in the country. There are only seven men’s sports and nine women’s sports.