Georgetown University answered one man’s dream when it hired Bernard Muir as its 10th athletic director on June 9. As a basketball player at Brown University, Muir envisioned his future career in athletic administration. “I would love to be in your shoes someday,” Muir told his alma mater’s athletic director his first day on campus. This encounter began a series of relationships that would guide Muir towards achieving his goal of becoming a collegiate athletic director.
After graduating from Brown in the spring of 1990, Muir took an internship at Butler University in Indianapolis, Ind. Following eight years spent with the NCAA, working as the director of the Division I Men’s Basketball Championship, Muir’s next, and most recent stop was the University of Notre Dame. After five years in South Bend, where he worked as Deputy Director of Athletics, Muir received the invitation from Georgetown University President John J. DeGioia to serve as the Hoyas’ athletic director. He replaces Adam Brick who served as interim director for the 2004-2005 year after Joseph Lang retired following 32 years of dedicated service to Georgetown.
Muir now finds himself leading another Catholic university enriched with both academic and athletic prowess. Muir views these characteristics of Georgetown as valuable assets.
Georgetown prides itself on having its athletes develop intellectually and spiritually. Muir believes prospective students should be attracted to this diverse environment on the Hilltop. “At Georgetown we see the embodiment of the true student-athlete,” he said. “Here students will receive the total experience of mind, body and spirit.”
At 36 years old, Muir found himself the youngest athletic director in the Big East when he began his tenure on July 1. However, Muir doesn’t see his age and relative inexperience as a disadvantage. “My age makes me passionate and eager to learn,” he said. In addition, Muir has a committed network of prior contacts both inside and outside of Georgetown, which he can rely on to make his time here successful.
Since coming to Georgetown, Muir has enjoyed the atmosphere on campus. Staff, coaches, athletes and students have kindly welcomed him. The best part, however, starts now as the campus begins to fill with the energy of a new year.
“I love that the students are now back,” said Muir. “It’s electric on campus, and people are excited. Our student-athletes are fired up and off to a good start.”
Muir said he looks forward to meeting more of the athletes and students and seeing our teams play. He hopes this energy and excitement will continue to build and carry our teams throughout the year.
Muir envisions a bright future for Georgetown athletics under his guidance. “I am excited about the opportunities that lie ahead for us,” he said. He is anxious to promote Georgetown and give our teams an edge to win conference championships and play at the national level.
Recruitment will play an integral role in promoting Georgetown, with the need for administrators to be aggressive and bring the best to the Hilltop. “We need to celebrate the numerous things that make Georgetown special,” said Muir. “We have to find ways to highlight those things.”
The new multi-purpose facility presents an optimal way to highlight Georgetown athletics. With the surface ready for on-field action, a full-fledged stadium is the ultimate goal. “The facility will create a sense of community for a Saturday afternoon,” Muir said. “People will be able to come together and celebrate our programs.”
Muir’s start of his career as athletic director at Georgetown also coincides with the beginning of a bigger, stronger Big East Conference. The Big East added five teams in Cincinnati, DePaul, Marquette, Louisville and the University of South Florida. These additions provide an important challenge for schools in the conference, including Georgetown, but Muir welcomes the challenge.
“It’s going to provide many challenges,” he said. “But it will also provide opportunities for us to really be good across the board.”
The new schools give Georgetown bigger markets in the Midwest and Florida to benefit from. Muir realizes the significant opportunities these new areas provide for recruitment and publicity. He acknowledges that upgrades are needed to meet the new competition but is confident Georgetown will benefit from the change.
Muir called Georgetown a “great fit” for him, but Georgetown may have found an even greater fit in Muir. When asked if he had a new favorite athletic program, Muir emphatically responded on which side of the line he falls.
“There’s no question where the passion lies,” he said.
With the impressive goals of Bernard Muir and his capable leadership, passionate Hoya fans should have a new favorite man on campus because as Muir himself said, “Now the excitement really begins!”
