MOUNT VERNON – Vince Brautigam will not return as Cornell’s head football coach after leading the program the past 10 seasons, it was announced Tuesday by Director of Athletics Keith Hackett.

Brautigam’s teams went 42-56 since he took over in 2000. The Rams finished 4-5 this fall, including a 1-3 mark in the Midwest Conference South Division. Cornell beat Macalester, 17-14, in the MWC’s seventh-place game Saturday in Mount Vernon.

“We are grateful to Coach Brautigam for his efforts over the last 10 years and wish him the best in his future endeavors,” Hackett said. “My expectations are that we can and will do better. Our student-athletes and their experiences on and off the field at Cornell are my highest priorities at all times.”

A national search will begin immediately. CarrSports Consulting will serve as a search counsel. No further comments will be made until the conclusion of the search process.

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi Athletics has unveiled a strategic plan that raises the bar for Islanders Athletics, Director of Athletics Jon Palumbo announced Tuesday. The plan, titled “Making Waves”, establishes a new mission and vision along with a set of core values for the program.

Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi Athletics consulted with CarrSports and received input from several stakeholder groups including university leadership, coaches, student-athletes, staff, community members and fans. Each of the six themes is guided by a set of core values and contains several goals and metrics to chart progress and accountability.

The full strategic plan can be found at: https://www.goislanders.com/makingwaves

But athletic director Josh Morton recently revealed that the school’s hope is to have a conference invite by December of 2020, which means things are about to heat up. The Vikings have secured the services of Carr Sports Consulting, a respected firm that specializes in advising colleges on athletics.

With that in mind, Morton and Augustana president Stephanie Herseth Sandlin sat down recently for a wide-ranging interview with the Argus Leader to discuss the state of Vikings athletics, the latest on preparation for the transition and what the school hopes will be waiting for them at the next level.

CarrSports Consulting, LLC (CarrSports) has named Mike Thomas vice president and chief operating officer.

Bill Carr, CarrSports founder and president, announced the appointment today. “We are extremely pleased to have Mike Thomas join us in this key leadership position focusing on our firm’s internal operations and business development,” said Carr. “He brings outstanding experience, knowledge and achievement in every aspect of college athletics current trends, issues and challenges.

“Mike is well-known and respected across the entire nation. Further, Mike has already displayed his capability by assisting in executive search with us, and we have collaborated with him in strategic planning. We expect great things from Mike and look forward to the impact of his significant productivity.”

Thomas brings 35 years of experience in collegiate athletics, including 17 years as the Director of Athletics at four NCAA Division I schools, where he has hired coaches who then led teams to conference championships and national prominence, achieved historic levels of fundraising, managed capital projects totaling nearly $400 million, raised student-athlete academic achievements to conference-leading levels, instituted cultures of strict NCAA compliance, negotiated multi-million dollar media sponsorship and marketing contracts, and revamped staffing and financial systems. He also has served in leadership positions at both the conference and NCAA level, most recently on the NCAA D1 Council.

As an AD, Thomas has served at the University of Akron, University of Cincinnati, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Cleveland State University. He also served in various athletics administration roles at the University of Virginia, University of Denver and the University of Iowa.

Over the past two decades, the name CarrSports Consulting has become synonymous with integrity, effectiveness and excellence. I am honored to be affiliated with Bill Carr, Gerald O’Dell and all team members at CarrSports Consulting.”

Thomas began his new role on June 5, 2019.

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CarrSports Consulting is the true pioneer in presenting executive search and management consulting services to intercollegiate athletics. CarrSports is well-respected and known for integrity, expertise and creativity. Our unique record of excellence includes the successful completion of over 120 leadership searches and more than 50 intensely-focused management consulting projects conducted from coast to coast, providing our clients with outstanding service and best options for meaningful solutions.

University of Arkansas at Little Rock recently made a decision to hold off on introducing football. The group of consultants was chosen to assist the University of Arkansas at Little Rock Athletics in studying the feasibility of a joint venture between Football and Marching Band.