{"id":105087,"date":"2025-11-05T17:14:53","date_gmt":"2025-11-05T17:14:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/?p=105087"},"modified":"2025-11-05T17:14:54","modified_gmt":"2025-11-05T17:14:54","slug":"thorr-bjorn-to-step-down-as-athletics-director-after-nearly-two-decades-of-service-to-uri","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/2025\/11\/thorr-bjorn-to-step-down-as-athletics-director-after-nearly-two-decades-of-service-to-uri\/","title":{"rendered":"Thorr Bjorn to step down as athletics director\u00a0after nearly two decades of service to URI"},"content":{"rendered":"
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After nearly two decades of service, Thorr Bjorn will step down as URI athletics director. (URI Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

KINGSTON, R.I., Nov. 5, 2025\u2014After nearly two decades of dedicated service to the University of Rhode Island, Vice President and Director of Athletics Thorr Bjorn will step down from his position to accept a leadership opportunity at his alma mater, the University of Massachusetts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bjorn joined URI in 2007 and, during his 18 years in Kingston, emphasized an athletics culture rooted in excellence, transforming URI into one of the Atlantic 10\u2019s most consistent and well-rounded member schools. Under his leadership, Rhode Island teams won 40 league championships, including 11 titles across six sports in the past three years\u2014one of the strongest competitive stretches in school history. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rhode Island\u2019s athletics achievements during his tenure include landmark moments across multiple programs. The men\u2019s basketball team won the 2017 Atlantic 10 Tournament title and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Championship in consecutive years (2017 and 2018). Baseball claimed its first NCAA Regional victory in 2016, while men\u2019s track and field and women\u2019s rowing combined for numerous A-10 crowns and NCAA appearances. Recent highlights include women\u2019s basketball\u2019s first conference title, football\u2019s 2024 CAA championship and return to the FCS postseason for the first time since 1985, and baseball\u2019s A-10 championship and NCAA appearance this past spring.<\/p>\n\n\n

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During his 18 years in Kingston, Bjorn emphasized an athletics culture rooted in excellence and has been instrumental in advancing the University\u2019s athletics facilities and fundraising efforts. (URI Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The department\u2019s success extends well beyond athletics. Last fall, URI student-athletes achieved a record 3.26 cumulative GPA, with over half earning Dean\u2019s List honors. Community engagement also is a hallmark of Rhody athletics, with URI student-athletes and coaches regularly contributing to local and statewide initiatives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThorr\u2019s leadership has been instrumental in elevating Rhode Island athletics to new levels of competitive success, academic achievement, and community engagement,\u201d said URI President Marc Parlange. \u201cThe remarkable achievements of our student-athletes and our teams reflect URI\u2019s commitment to developing student-athletes who excel in all areas of their lives.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bjorn also has been instrumental in advancing the University\u2019s athletics facilities and fundraising efforts. With the support of state leaders and private donors, last year URI secured $65.8 million in state funding to enhance athletics infrastructure and support upgrades to football, baseball, softball, track and field, soccer, and swimming facilities. Those projects, along with the recently opened $8 million Soloviev Basketball Practice Facility, demonstrate URI\u2019s continued investment in long-term athletics success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A respected leader nationally, Bjorn served as chair of the Atlantic 10 Athletics Directors and represented CAA Football on the NCAA Division I Football Championship Committee. He also is a two-time NACDA FCS Athletics Director of the Year (2016, 2025).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs I close this remarkable 18-year chapter, I\u2019m filled with gratitude for everyone who made this journey so special,\u201d Bjorn said. \u201cThank you to President Bob Carothers for giving me a chance, to President David Dooley for 12 years of partnership, and to my friend President Marc Parlange for his belief and support that helped elevate URI Athletics. I\u2019m also deeply grateful to the Board of Trustees, my leadership colleagues and our academic deans, and our elected state leaders for their strong support. To Rhody Nation\u2014your unwavering spirit has been the heart of it all. To our dedicated staff, coaches, and thousands of student-athletes\u2014you\u2019ve inspired me every day. And to our season ticket holders, donors, and alumni\u2014thank you for strengthening the Rhody family. Most of all, thank you to my wife, Cyndy, and our daughters, Stephanie, Robyn, and Rachael, for their love and support. I leave with nothing but gratitude.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bjorn\u2019s final day at URI will be Nov. 29. In his new role as senior deputy athletics director and chief administrative officer at UMass, Bjorn will assume oversight of the school\u2019s FBS football program and will assist with all administrative and managerial aspects of the athletics department, with a particular focus on external and public-facing units. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The return to Amherst, Massachusetts, is a homecoming of sorts for Bjorn. In addition to his decade and a half as a staff member, he earned both bachelor\u2019s and master\u2019s degrees from UMass and was a three-year letterwinner in football for the Minutemen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThorr and his wife, Cyndy, welcomed Mary and me to URI when we arrived in Kingston,\u201d Parlange said. \u201cThey have been a constant source of friendship, and I am grateful to both of them for their countless contributions to URI and to our South County community. Mary and I wish them great success in this next chapter.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brittney Miles, associate athletics director for internal operations, will serve as interim athletics director while the University engages in a national search for its next athletics director. Miles joined URI in 2013 as an academic advisor and student-athlete affairs coordinator and has served as associate athletics director since 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe remain committed to ensuring our student-athletes have the resources and support necessary to compete for championships, excel academically, and contribute meaningfully to the community, while also providing our alumni and loyal fans with experiences that strengthen their Rhody pride and engagement with URI,\u201d Parlange said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

KINGSTON, R.I., Nov. 5, 2025\u2014After nearly two decades of dedicated service to the University of Rhode Island, Vice President and Director of Athletics Thorr Bjorn will step down from his position to accept a leadership opportunity at his alma mater, the University of Massachusetts. Bjorn joined URI in 2007 and, during his 18 years in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":105093,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[1917],"class_list":["post-105087","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-archives","tag-athletics"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105087","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/20"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=105087"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105087\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":105100,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105087\/revisions\/105100"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/105093"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=105087"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=105087"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=105087"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}