MORRIS, Minn. - The University of Minnesota, Morris has announced that Athletic Director Mark Fohl will be retiring at the end of June. Fohl came to Morris in 1985 as an assistant football coach and head baseball coach. He became the athletic director in 1987 when former Athletic Director Willis Kelly retired.
 
Fohl served as an assistant football coach for 10 years, head baseball coach for 27 years, and men's golf coach for the past 15 years, most while serving as athletic director. He is Morris's all-time wins leader in baseball, with 286 wins.
 
In his 28 years as athletic director, Fohl oversaw the Cougar Athletics transition from the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) to National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II to NCAA Division III. Since the move to the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) and NCAA Division III in 2003, four Cougars teams have earned trips to the NCAA National Tournament—three in women's basketball and one in men's soccer. A number of individual athletes also have qualified for NCAA Championship events in cross country, track and field, and diving.
 
Fohl led Cougar Athletics during a time of significant growth. When the Morris P.E. Center opened in the early 1970s, rosters show 160 student athletes competing in nine sports, seven for men and two for women. By 1987 when Fohl began as athletic director, three additional women's sports had been added. Since then he managed the addition of women's golf, men's and women's soccer, men's and women's cross country, women's swimming and diving, and an indoor season for men's and women's track. Men's and women's wrestling were discontinued, and swimming and diving were added in 2003 when Morris moved to the UMAC. Today Cougar sports rosters show 450 student participants in 19 sports for men and women, on par with NCAA Division III averages. Approximately one in every five Morris students is a Cougar athlete.
 
"Mark Fohl has very ably led our efforts to build an increasingly competitive, student-centered NCAA Division III-affiliated athletic program at Morris that advances our college mission," said Sandra Olson-Loy, vice chancellor for student affairs. She points to NCAA Division III's work of providing talented students with the opportunity to excel in academics and athletics while gaining life skills as a philosophy embraced by Fohl.
 
As Olson-Loy notes, athletes' academic success has been a high priority for Fohl during his athletic director tenure. Morris student-athletes have consistently earned academic grade point averages at or above those of their peers, and they graduate at higher rates than the student body overall. Several Cougar athletic teams have earned National Team Academic awards, and numerous individuals have received Academic All-American honors. Hundreds have received Academic All-Conference honors. Four Cougar athletes have been named NCAA Post-Graduate Scholarship winners, a national award given to just 29 men and 29 women who excel academically and athletically across all NCAA divisions each sport season. An academic major in sport management was developed and approved during Fohl's tenure as coordinator of the Sport Studies and Athletics Discipline within the Division of Education.
 
Morris athletic facilities improved during Fohl's tenure as well. Big Cat Stadium, the shared-use football facility shared with the Morris Area High School, opened in 2006. The soccer field, built in 2001, continues to be recognized as one of the best collegiate fields in the state. Managed through a joint powers agreement with the Morris Area School District, city of Morris, and Stevens County, the Regional Fitness Center has adjoined the P.E. Center since 1999, adding much needed recreation and fitness resources for students and community members. Current Cougar athletes appreciate these facilities and recent upgrades to the P.E. Center weight room.
 
Fohl sees the most pressing facility needs ahead for Cougar Athletics centered on softball and baseball press box buildings and the opportunity to refresh the P.E. Center as it nears the half-century mark. He sees Morris's next athletic director playing a critical role in bringing these facilities to life.
 
In 1993 Fohl created the Cougar Hall of Fame to honor the achievements of Cougar athletes and supporters. Nine teams and 39 individuals since have been inducted. Fohl also worked with the Office of External Relations to establish awards to honor exceptional senior female and male athletes each year. The Willis Kelly Award honors the athletic director who preceded Fohl. Kelly was highly respected at Morris and in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference, serving as the first female athletic director for Morris and the conference. The Arnold Henjum Award celebrates Morris's long-time professor of education who made innumerable contributions to athletics and Minnesota public education.
 
 "I want to thank everyone who has been a part of Cougar athletics for the past 30 years," Fohl said. "There have been hundreds of coaches and thousands of athletes who have made the job as athletic director a rewarding one. I want to especially thank former Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Gary McGrath and current Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Sandy Olson-Loy for their support. We have made great strides in recent years, and that couldn't happen without the support of the administration.
 
It has been an exciting 28 years serving as director of athletics at Morris. As I enter retirement, I look forward to seeing alumni and friends at the inaugural Cougar Alumni Classic Golf Championship on Friday, July 10, at Greystone Golf Club in Sauk Centre and continuing to support Cougar Athletics."
 
Information on the golf event is available at morris.umn.edu/alumni/events/golf/.
 
A search is underway for Morris's next director of intercollegiate athletics, with an anticipated start date in July. This fall Fohl will continue to serve as Cougar men's golf coach and teach in the Sports Studies and Athletics Discipline. He also will continue to be one of the Cougar athletes' biggest fans.