By Mike O'Brien, Vice President and Athletic Director
Sept. 1, 2020 
 
Dear Rocket Nation,
 
As we make our way into the third week of our fall semester, I wanted to take this time to update you on the latest developments in Rocket Athletics.
 
But first, allow me to express my gratitude for the overwhelming support many of you have shown for University of Toledo Athletics, and for our University in general, in the past several months. We have all faced many challenges related to the pandemic, but on a positive note I have been struck once again by the incredible generosity and positivity of our fans and supporters. Many of you have stepped up in so many ways. For example, even though our annual Reverse Raffle fundraiser was forced to go virtual, we sold every last ticket for the event. A recent virtual 50-50 raffle raised more than $12,000 for the department. And many of our donors and season ticket holders have let us know that they will continue their financial support no matter what happens with our football and basketball seasons. I'm more convinced than ever that the fans and supporters of Rocket Nation are an essential part of what makes The University of Toledo such a special place.
 
By now I'm sure you are all aware that our fall sports seasons have been postponed until the spring. Nevertheless, our student-athletes are still hard at work preparing for the time when competition resumes. Classes are back in full swing, both in-person and virtually. We are rightfully proud of the academic track record of our student-athletes and confident that they will continue to shine in the classroom despite the challenges created by the pandemic.
 
As for the latest on the eventual resumption of the 2020-21 athletic season, the Mid-American Conference has created working groups for every sport that will examine all issues related to the re-start of athletic competition, with an emphasis on the safety of our student-athletes. These groups are composed of administrators, coaches, medical personnel, faculty and student-athletes. They will be making recommendations to the MAC Council of Presidents, who will in turn be responsible for the ultimate decisions regarding the resumption of athletic events. While we are all eager to see our Rockets play this school year, we must be patient to allow for these working groups to create well-thought out plans that will help pave the way to the return of MACtion!
 
Another important topic at the top of our list right now is our budget. By now you are all probably well aware that the cancellation of last year's NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament and the postponement of football this fall has created a financial challenge for us. Our overall budget picture will become clearer very soon, but there is little doubt we are facing significant reductions in several areas, including staff compensation, operations, travel and team expenses. In the weeks and months to come, you will be hearing more about our plans to deal with these challenges. But in the meantime, you can rest assured that there are no plans to cut any varsity sports and that we remain steadfast in our commitment to providing the best possible experience for our student-athletes.
 
I would like to close by once again thanking you for your support through these trying times. Our program thrives because we know we can count on supporters like you to help us show the world what Rocket Pride is all about!
 
We will continue to share further updates as soon as information becomes available. In the meantime, I wish you and your loved ones continued health.
 
Take care, stay safe, and as always, Go Rockets!