Rick George didn’t hire Tad Boyle, yet given their longstanding relationship, one that has endured throughout arguably the most successful era of Colorado men’s basketball, it sometimes feels as if they have always been a package deal.
That working relationship is nearing an end, as George, Colorado’s athletic director since 2013, announced last week he will retire from his post next summer, although George will remain active as a special athletics advisor to the chancellor.
When George took the reins of the athletic department in the summer of 2013, Boyle’s program had just finished the second of what became a run of three consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances while shattering attendance records at the CU Events Center during the 2012-13 season that still stand.
Boyle’s Buffs were the least of George’s concerns when he took over. And that has basically remained the same in the 12-plus years since.
“I knew at some point it was coming. I just didn’t know when,” Boyle said. “He and I have talked about both of our situations and we’ve shared things together. I’ve appreciated that Rick, obviously he got the Champions Center built. That was a heavy lift on his part and all our fundraisers. He’s been very supportive of me, but hasn’t been really hands-on. He’s been really hands-off. Which I’ve appreciated. And he’s done a lot of good things for this department and this university.
“He’s just going to be in a different role. He’s stepping down, I guess. But he’s not stepping away. I think that’s a positive thing for us, because he’s been a positive influence on Colorado athletics since he’s been here, there’s no doubt.”
While George has spent the bulk of his tenure trying to get the CU football program to a consistent level of national relevancy — a goal that has been elusive except for standout seasons in 2016 and 2024 — Boyle has made George’s job easy in terms of fielding a competitive men’s basketball program.
In Boyle’s 15 full seasons at CU, the Buffs have reached the NCAA Tournament six times, a total that would be seven if the 2020 tournament hadn’t been canceled at the start of the COVID pandemic. Boyle has worked essentially on a perpetual five-year contract, as a clause stating either side can opt-out of an automatic one-year extension has never been invoked by Boyle or the university.
Under George’s watch, the Buffs emerged from the ashes of the Pac-12 Conference to join the Big 12 in 2024, which was a significant step forward in terms of men’s basketball. Boyle is just one of four current CU coaches that George inherited — also soccer coach Danny Sanchez, women’s lacrosse coach Ann Elliott Whidden and men’s golf coach Roy Edwards — and Boyle’s job security has never wavered under George’s watch.
Having a new boss in the building could stir a sense of unease for anyone, but Boyle said he’s eager to work with a new voice as the landscape of college athletics continues to evolve at a rapid pace.
“I’m anxious to see what direction we go. I’m anxious to see who we hire,” Boyle said. “I think it’s a very, very important hire as we move forward and continue (in) the changing landscape of college athletics. I still think there’s probably another round or two of conference realignments, I think. If there is, we have to be positioned well. And our athletic director, that’s part of his job.
“Rick, seeing that landscape change when USC and UCLA went to the Big Ten, we were the first program to leave the Pac-12 (after the Los Angeles schools). I’m not saying we’re proud of that, but kudos to him for being on top of it. And our next athletic director is going to have to be on top of the continued changing landscape of revenue sharing, obviously fundraising is a big part of it, and positioning this athletic department.”