OMAHA, Neb. (Aug. 30, 2021) – Following a national search, Creighton University President the Rev. Daniel S. Hendrickson, SJ, PhD, announced today that Marcus Blossom has been named as the McCormick Endowed Athletic Director at Creighton.
"Today is a historic day for Creighton athletics, our University community, and for Bluejay fans everywhere," said Hendrickson. "I am truly delighted to have Marcus directing the future of our program. We have found a collaborative and passionate leader, an individual called by faith, grounded in mission and family, familiar with Jesuit higher learning, who is committed to excellence on and off the field and court."
The announcement concludes what was a comprehensive and national search for a successor to Bruce Rasmussen, Creighton's longtime and celebrated athletic director, who announced his retirement earlier this month. The search was led by President Hendrickson, with critical insight and assistance provided by a Creighton University advisory committee, and the national search firm Collegiate Sports Associates. The search included an exceptionally strong pool of both internal and external candidates.
"It's hard to contain just how excited I am to join such an incredible program. Creighton doesn't just compete at the highest levels in the BIG EAST and nationally, it does so the right way, never forgetting its priorities, values, commitment to community, and most important, the growth of student-athletes and the entirety of their experience," Blossom said. "I remain humbled to follow in the footsteps of Bruce Rasmussen, a giant in college athletics and the architect of a remarkable program that I look forward to advancing."
Blossom takes over a Creighton athletics program that is consistently at or near the top of the BIG EAST Conference in multiple sports. Men's basketball has achieved unprecedented success in the NCAA Tournament, reaching the Sweet Sixteen last year for the first time since the expansion of the tournament to 64 teams. Volleyball earned the regular-season crown in the Midwest Division, the BIG EAST Tournament Championship, and its ninth-straight NCAA Tournament bid. Baseball, men's soccer and women's soccer each finished second in the BIG EAST regular season. Women's golf and rowing finished an unprecedented third at their conference meets.
Creighton's reputation as one of the nation's top academic institutions is reflected in the success Bluejay student-athletes have had across the board in the classroom. Bluejay student-athletes have owned GPAs of 3.30 or above in 27 straight semesters entering the fall of 2021.
As athletic director at Holy Cross, Blossom led the development of the athletics department's first-ever strategic plan, with a focus on creating a high-performance culture, achieving and sustaining competitive excellence, and increasing ticket sales, external support and community engagement, while also enhancing facilities.
Under his leadership, academic success within the Holy Cross athletics program was among the very best in the nation, ranking first for graduation success rate, with the school receiving more than a dozen Division I Academic Progress Rate (APR) public recognition awards from the NCAA. Several teams at Holy Cross posted multiyear APR scores in the top 10% of all squads in their respective sports.
Holy Cross' on-field success under Blossom's leadership has been equally impressive. Despite a pandemic-shortened season last year, the men's basketball team saw tremendous growth with an incredibly bright future under a new head coach. The Crusader football team won consecutive Patriot League championships, and following several impressive coaching hires, many other women's and men's sports saw ascension up the conference standings during his tenure.
Prior to his time at Holy Cross, Blossom spent five years at Boston College as senior associate athletics director for business and administration. While there, he was a member of the executive team and assisted with all aspects of strategic planning and vision execution for the department of athletics.
Blossom has a deep background with Jesuit higher education, and he is no stranger to the BIG EAST, having spent two years with Providence College as associate athletic director for business operations. Earlier in his career, he also served as assistant director of championships for the NCAA, managing the complex process of championship host-city selection, among other duties.
"Marcus' breadth of experience within athletic departments and with the NCAA certainly position him as an effective administrator, but just as important, as a strategic planner who understands what it takes to meet the pace of change we're seeing in college sports," said Jan Madsen, Creighton's executive vice president.
"I commend Fr. Hendrickson and Creighton for conducting a smart, consultative, and comprehensive search, reviewing an impressive field of candidates and selecting an athletic director with proven leadership who will be a great fit with Creighton athletics and the University as a whole," said Creighton trustee Mark Walter, co-founder of Guggenheim Partners and chairman of the Los Angeles Dodgers. "I would also like to extend by sincere congratulations to Marcus. His leadership will no doubt advance Creighton's history of excellence in the classroom, the community, and on the fields and courts of play.
Added Fr. Hendrickson, "I was struck by Marcus' incredible level of thoughtfulness, preparation, and graciousness. He is clearly and certainly a very capable administrator with a masterful grasp of both the near and long-term challenges facing college athletics. But he also understands the power of program culture, and will no doubt be a champion and advocate for our student-athletes. He is also the kind of passionate leader that Bluejay fans expect and deserve, and a fitting successor to an icon like Bruce Rasmussen."
Blossom, who is from Chicago and has strong Midwestern ties, earned his Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration with a concentration in finance at Northeastern University, a Master's Degree in Sport Management from West Virginia University and an MBA from the University of Rhode Island. While earning his undergraduate degree at Northeastern University, Blossom was a three-time GTE District I Academic All-American and three-time all-conference selection in men's basketball.
Blossom will spend the next several weeks transitioning his duties at Holy Cross, with an expected start date at Creighton on September 27. Until then, interim athletic director Jim Jansen will continue to serve in that capacity.
Creighton plans an introductory press conference to formally welcome Blossom on Tuesday, August 31 at 11:00 a.m. CT at D.J. Sokol Arena on its Omaha campus. The press conference will also be video webcast at https://youtu.be/rdokKZ6Hl7Q?t=388 .
About Creighton University: Creighton University, based in Omaha, Nebraska, is one of 27 Jesuit colleges and universities in the U.S. It enrolls 4,458 undergraduates and 4,312 graduate and professional students among nine schools and colleges. No other university its size offers students such a comprehensive academic environment with personal attention from faculty-mentors. Creighton ranks in the top third of U.S. News & World Report's rankings for National Universities.
Marcus Blossom Press Conference Transcript
Creighton University
August 31, 2021
Omaha, Neb. - D.J. Sokol Arena
Creighton President Fr. Daniel S. Hendrickson, S.J.: Good morning everyone, and welcome. It is a great day for Creighton University, and I am so excited to see so many of our colleagues and friends here. Members from every leadership position of the University have joined us today. We've got our Provost and Chief Academic Officer, Dr. Mardell Wilson, our Executive Vice-President Jan Madsen, So many of our Dean's, Vice-Presidents, Vice-Provosts.
I also see out there so many members of our Jesuit Community, including Fr. Santos, who is the rector of the community, and a member of the Board of Trustees, and of course our impressive coaches and colleagues in athletics who join us today. I would certainly like to extend a warm welcome to the members of the media who are in attendance, as well as other members of our faculty, staff and students.
Among those distinguished guests are College World Series chairman and President Jack Diesing, and University Trustee Frank Hayes
Before I share a few remarks about our new McCormick Endowed Athletic Director, I would first like to invite Jesuit scholastic Patrick Saint-Jean to the stage here to offer a short prayer.
Creighton's Dr. Patrick Saint-Jean: Let us pray.
Loving God, today we pray for Creighton University, for our new colleagues Marcus Blossom and his wife Karli and their daughters Mora.
In our campus today, in our new home, we welcome them.
For inspired leadership in Marcus, we pray you God, for our coaches and all of our athletics, families, and all the mentored and guide our student-athletes and we pray you God for the missions of the Jesuits and the college of higher educations as it instills the values and ideals for the excellent community. Imaginations, hope, and life in our community.
For these prayers, Amen.
Creighton President Fr. Daniel S. Hendrickson, S.J.: Thank you, Patrick. Before speaking about our newest Creighton colleague and leader, sitting right here in front of me, allow me, if you will, to say a few words about the three slightly more important people who are sitting next to him. That is, his wife, Karli, and their two daughters, Maya and Mora, who we're so eager to welcome to Omaha, and to Creighton.
I had the chance to meet Karli, Maya and Mora at the airport last night, and to spend some time with them back here on our campus and here's what I know so far. First, Maya and Mora are officially the newest and biggest fans of Ted and Wally's ice cream. Now, Marcus doesn't technically start until the end of September, but it appears that we may be obligated to send regular shipments of Ted and Wally's, addressed personally to Maya and Mora , between now and then.
And then second, it was in some of my official remarks in our press release actually, that I reflected on Marcus' thoughtfulness, his graciousness, and his grace – just some of qualities that I was so impressed by. After meeting Karli, it is deeply clear to me that he just gets all of those qualities from her. She is clearly a wonderful person, and I am so glad to welcome her here today, along with their incredible daughters.
Now on to the fourth most important person in the room today, our new McCormick Endowed Athletic Director, Marcus Blossom.
Marcus is the kind of passionate leader that Bluejay fans expect and deserve, and a fitting successor to Bruce Rasmussen, who as many of you know, retired earlier this month after leading Creighton athletics for almost three decades. I would once again like to thank Bruce for the blessing of his leadership, his legacy, and his service to Creighton. He has been the architect of an incredible athletics program here.
Marcus knows he has big shoes to fill and is clearly and certainly a very capable administrator with a masterful grasp of both the near and long-term challenges facing college athletics. Additionally, he also understands the power of program culture, and will no doubt be a champion and advocate for our student-athletes.
Marcus joins Creighton from the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts, where he led the development of the athletics department's first-ever strategic plan, with a focus on creating a high-performance culture. Under his leadership, academic success within the Holy Cross athletics program was among the very best in the nation, ranking first for Graduation Success Rate, with the school receiving over a dozen Division I Academic Progress Rate public recognition awards from the NCAA. Several teams at Holy Cross posted multi-year APR scores in the top 10-percent of all squads in their respective sports.
Holy Cross' s on-field success under Marcus's leadership has been equally impressive. Despite a pandemic-shortened season last year, the men's basketball team saw tremendous growth with an incredibly bright future under a new head coach. The Crusader football team won consecutive Patriot League championships, and following several impressive coaching hires, many other women's and men's sports saw ascension within the conference standings during his tenure.
Prior to his time at Holy Cross, Marcus spent five years at Boston College as senior associate athletics director for business and for administration. While there, he was a member of the executive team and assisted with all aspects of strategic planning and vision execution for the department of athletics.
Marcus has a deep background with Jesuit higher education, and he is no stranger to the BIG EAST, having spent two years with Providence College as associate athletic director for business operations. Early in his career, he also served as assistant director of championships for the NCAA, managing the complex process of championship host-city selection, among other duties.
Marcus earned his bachelor's degree in business administration with a concentration in finance at Northeastern University, a master's degree in sport management from West Virginia University, and an MBA from the University of Rhode Island.
Marcus was also an Academic All-American and three-time all-conference selection in men's basketball while at Northeastern.
So that's my introduction. In a moment I'll ask Marcus to come to stage, but before I do so, I would like to express my gratitude to a group of people who I consider to be the best in the business – our Department of Athletics, many of whom as I indicated at the start, are here today. More than they know, I have appreciated their patience and their professionalism as we conducted a search, as well as their input from the get-go.
In fact, I would like to take a moment to address the search process, the likes of which Creighton has not undergone for nearly 30 years. First, the level of interest, both internally and externally, was strong to say the least. Before engaging a confidential process with my key advisors, my consultation was broad, candid, and instructive. I spoke with our five top head coaches, several of our administrative staff in athletics as well as administrators and leaders around campus, alumni, Jaybackers, and to be sure, our Creighton trustees.
I wish I could say more about the process, but out of respect for confidentiality and the impressive candidates involved, I will simply thank my advisory team for their intensive and authentic engagement, including some late night calls from their President. I promised an expeditious but thorough process, which is what we achieved.
I am also thankful for Jim Jansen, Creighton's general counsel, who graciously stepped in to serve as interim athletic director over the past several weeks.
With that, I am so happy to introduce the new leader for our program, an individual called by faith, grounded in mission, familiar with Jesuit higher learning, and who is committed to excellence on-and-off the field. Friends and colleagues, Marcus Blossom.
We will start him off with a Creighton jersey and a hat to wear.
McCormick Endowed Athletic Director Marcus Blossom: I was told to turn this mic on that I have in my pocket, so give me a second. Wow, I will tell you what, I am so excited to be here today. The welcome I received has been nothing short of remarkable. I would like to thank God for this amazing opportunity to be in front of you today. My heart is just filled with tremendous amount of gratitude and I will always have that for as long as I am here in Omaha. I would like to thank Father Hendrickson for showing the confidence in me to lead this great program. I would like to thank the advisory committee, the Board of Trustees, and everyone involved and I can assure you that I am going to lead with integrity, I am going to infuse the Jesuit principles of men and women for others, of the whole person, development of the student-athlete, and also the pursuit of excellence, while also striving for more and not being comfortable with the status quo. I am going to do that on a daily basis and in everything we do. So thank you again.
There is a lot of people throughout my career, a lot of friends, colleagues, mentors, family, that have helped me get to this point. None greater than my family, my wife Karli, my two daughters Maya and Mora, who's trying to figure out what the heck is going on. We're a long way from Worcester, Massachusetts, right? So, you know, they have been with me every step of the way. They have supported me throughout my career. They support this move. I overheard one of them say last night, "this is the best day ever". So when your daughter's say this is the best day ever, you did something pretty cool as a Dad, so good day for me. Maybe they will listen to me when I get back home to Worcester, but thanks to them, they have been my rock, and I can't get through this opportunity without them.
I would remiss if I didn't thank the College of the Holy Cross. Holy Cross to me is an amazing institution. It has a special mission. It has a very special community, very similar to Creighton, and that's what made this opportunity attractive for me. I would like to thank Father Boroughs, President Rougeau, the entire Board of Trustees at Holy Cross, who I respect so much, for really believing in me, for trusting, and giving me trust and the leadership of that athletic department and quite frankly, for trusting and supporting our student-athletes. The student-athletes there are tremendous, the coaches and the staff are tremendous. It was an emotional day for me yesterday. I was embarrassed because there was a little tears, but I told them today there would be no tears today. This is all about me being excited and if they're watching, I made a bet, no tears today. So, thank you if you're watching. Holy Cross has meant so much to me, and I am rooting for them always, so thank you to Holy Cross.
Now, about this wonderful opportunity at Creighton, right? A conventional wisdom will tell you, don't follow the guy, right? You want to follow the guy that follows the guy, if you're smart, right? But, we can all be fools sometime, and occasionally, I'm no different, but Bruce's leadership of this department, what he has done for Creighton, his impact on college athletics has been tremendous. I know he can't be here today, but I wanted to point that out, that I have been watching from afar. Its been tremendous, and quite frankly, that was one of the reasons that made me attracted to this opportunity. So, I hope Bruce is watching. So if we can give Bruce a round of applause so he can hear us. Thanks to Bruce Rasmussen.
There's also several other reasons that make this opportunity so special to me. First, and most importantly, Creighton is a top-ranked academic institution that is committed to academic excellence, committed to not only providing student-athletes with a great degree, but developing leaders through service to others and through a focus on the common good, and that was very important to me when I looked at my next place. Academics had to be important, we had to develop leaders, and often times these student-athletes, they're listening. If you graduate from college, that necessarily guarantee you anything. You have to compete, you have to engage academically, just as much as you do athletically. So, I saw this as a place that valued that, and that was important to me.
Secondly, it's the BIG EAST Conference. BIG EAST, great coaching staff, I felt we were positioned extremely well to compete and win BIG EAST Championships, and I think if you are winning BIG EAST Championships, you are one of the best programs in the country, you're one of the best teams in the country, and you can make deep runs in the NCAA Tournament and compete for National Championships and that was important to me as well. And, one of the last reasons is the city of Omaha and the amazing fan base and support. You know, I've watched from afar, but I quite honestly, I think we have the best fans in the country, and I can't wait to engage with all of you at basketball games, soccer games. We have a tremendous volleyball program. That's the first thing our volleyball coach told me and said: "You're going to a stellar volleyball program". So, I can't wait to really, really get involved and support our student-athletes in a myriad of ways. So, my vision for this wonderful place is to be the best overall program in the BIG EAST, and I mean that. I really respect the BIG EAST. I respect what Val Ackerman has done since she took over this league and I want to be the best. I really want to be the best and we'll do so again by committing to academic excellence and creating an environment that's welcoming, that's inclusive, that's equitable and that consistently, consistently lives by our great Jesuit principles on a daily basis. Also, if you want to be the best in the BIG EAST, you've got to win BIG EAST championships. So, I am extremely confident that we're going to win BIG EAST championships. And again, if you win the BIG EAST, you're going to compete nationally in a lot of our programs so that's one of my expectations. That's a real, real strong vision of mine.
And lastly, I'm really excited to get engaged in the community. I want to be a trusted and aligned division of Creighton University. And I want to be a proud partner and representative of the city of Omaha and the state of Nebraska. So that's my vision for Creighton Athletics. I do want to talk to the student-athletes if there are any here. I can't wait to support you. I can't wait to meet you. I can't wait to do whatever I can to help your journey. You are the reason that I got into college athletics. I was one of you. And being whatever positive influence on your journey is extremely, extremely important to me. I also can't wait to engage our coaching staff and our administrative staff. A stellar group of individuals. A stellar group of coaches. And I want to help you and join you in supporting our student athletes. So I will be there. I'll engage. I'll listen. I'll challenge you. And I expect you to do the same thing for me.
And lastly, the great alums, the former student athletes, I want to meet you as well. I want to hear your story, whether you are back in Omaha supporting the Jays. Or whether I am traveling the country. If you see me and I got on the Creighton Bluejay polo, please stop and say hello. I want to meet you. I want to get a chance to get to know you. And I want to talk Creighton Bluejays as much as possible.
So I like to thank everyone the entire Creighton Family for this amazing opportunity. I can assure you we are going to do great things. We are going to do spectacular things, we are going to win championships. And we are going to do it together. And I can't wait to get to work. Go Jays!
Creighton President Fr. Daniel S. Hendrickson, S.J.: We would be happy to field a couple of questions if anyone would like to ask?
Creighton Sports Information Director Rob Anderson: If you got a question raise your hand. Glen will come around with a microphone.
Jon Nyatawa, Omaha World-Herald: Test, Test. Marcus, Jon Nyatawa, with The World-Herald. You spent two years at Holy Cross I wonder what you learned during that time that you feel prepared you to take this next step in your career?
McCormick Endowed Athletic Director Marcus Blossom: You said Jon right? You know what, I think the most important thing I have learned at Holy Cross, is that it's a community. And its very similar to Creighton. Its obviously not in the BIG EAST. But I have had the chance to really get engaged with our alums, our student athletes, our coaches. We had to do things together. I joked with some of our colleagues I spend more time with our coaches and staff than anything, so it really a people business. I have learned that more over the two years as the AD, than I may have learned in the past. So dealing with people, making sure they are heard, and understanding how important the community is one of my big learnings from Holy Cross.
Andy Kendeigh, KETV: Hey Marcus right here. Andy Kendeigh with KETV here in Omaha. Welcome to Omaha! With ever changing landscape in college athletics we've seen you know teams shifting conferences and what have you, where do you see Creighton place not just in the BIG EAST but nationally as we continue to evolve?
McCormick Endowed Athletic Director Marcus Blossom: I think Creighton is positioned well. One thing that makes any program extremely attractive is the following. I think the fan base here, 17,000-18,000 strong at basketball games is a distinguishing factor for us. The fact that the entire city of Omaha gets behind Creighton is also very important. But make no mistake about it, we have to be number...the conference has to be on the cutting edge of doing things different if we need to. So I plan to work with our BIG EAST colleagues to figure out if there is a next best step. We are also always looking at out of the overall college landscape to make sure our position now, grows and not go backwards.
Adam Krueger, KMTV: Hi Marcus, I'm Adam Krueger with CBS Omaha. Welcome to Omaha! What would you say maybe learned playing days, that you still apply today in your business dealings?
McCormick Endowed Athletic Director Marcus Blossom: That's an excellent question. You know again, I think I was a hard player to coach. So you know I think learned to listen more. I talk to some of my coaches and they wish I understood what I do now back then. So I think you don't always have the answer. You know if I play for Coach Mac he draw up a play, and I would say I don't like that play. But now I think I'm listening more to the people that are skilled in certain areas. Obviously there is certain times that you have to make the overall decision, but I plan on really listening to our coaches, listening our staff, a very talented staff. A lot of things have been accomplished. So I plan to come in and listen. Listen and learn and then make the right decision from there.
Joe Nugent, WOWT: Hi Marcus! Joe Nugent from WOWT. Also big fan of Ted and Wally's by the way. Hey I think its interesting that you come from the East Coast to join the BIG EAST. What is it about the conference that stands out to you?
McCormick Endowed Athletic Director Marcus Blossom: You know, I mentioned before the leadership is great. Val is tremendous. College basketball I think is the best basketball conference in the country. So I think you know primarily that's most important as far as me making the decision to move here. Also being from here to is unique that I could come back, not from Omaha but from the Midwestern area. Unique that I can come back to this region and be a part of the BIG EAST. I can see my parents a little more, my wife can see her parents a little more. And you know I can still go out east and see you know my colleagues you know different institutions there so, its a win-win for all of us.
Creighton Sports Information Director Rob Anderson: We have time for about one more question. Then we will do everything else up front here.
Max Fritsch, Creightonian: I'm Max Fritsch of the Creightonian, which is our campus newspaper.
McCormick Endowed Athletic Director Marcus Blossom: Hey Max.
Max Fritsch, Creightonian: So what has your time in administration at Providence College, Boston College, and Holy Cross taught you about Jesuit Universities and Jesuit communities?
McCormick Endowed Athletic Director Marcus Blossom: Jesuit University and Jesuit?
Max Fritsch, Creightonian: Jesuit Universities and Jesuit communities.
McCormick Endowed Athletic Director Marcus Blossom: You know, I really believe and I say this all the time. I can't go and work everywhere. I can work in certain institutions were their values are aligned with mine. At the places I have been, I really felt that they care about the person whether they are succeeding on the field, or on the ice, or on the court, or not. So that's the most important thing that I have learned. And that was from my conservation with Father. That was extremely attractive for me taking this opportunity because I think it's similar here.
Creighton President Fr. Daniel S. Hendrickson, S.J.: Thank you very much everyone. Thanks for coming!
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