As Colorado State’s search for a new athletic director heats up, one name keeps popping up – Toledo AD Michael O’Brien.
While the search for a replacement for Mark Driscoll has been cloaked in secrecy the past month, several athletic directors around the country say they have heard CSU is interested in O’Brien.
O’Brien could not be reached for comment Thursday. He has been at the Mid-American Conference school since January 2002 after serving as Kansas State’s director for development between 1997-2001. He had earlier stints at Pittsburgh and Ball State.
A year after arriving at Toledo, O’Brien cut men’s swimming and men’s track and field for budgetary reasons.
CSU hired consultant Chuck Neinas to identify candidates. Neinas will not comment on a search while it is ongoing.
CSU is looking to move fast, with Driscoll officially leaving the job March 31 to return to the banking business.
New Mexico, the other Mountain West school that was looking for an athletic director, recently filled its vacancy by hiring Bowling Green’s Paul Krebs.
