Jan. 29, 2021

By Paul Helgren, Associate Athletic Director for Communications

There were two important personnel announcements in our Athletic Department this week. One you probably heard about, the other you probably didn't. But both of them will have a big impact on Rocket Athletics, and, I might add, on me personally.

On Thursday, our long-time Athletic Director Mike O'Brien announced that he would be retiring at the end of his current term on the NCAA Men's Basketball Committee in April of 2022. Mike has been the AD here since January of 2002. His resume of accomplishments could fill many pages but at the top of my personal list is the fact that he is a terrific boss and an even better person. I think if you took a poll of all the coaches and administrators who have worked for Mike over the years, just about everybody would second my opinion.

A day earlier, Brian DeBenedictis, whose association with the Rockets began as student employee in the Athletic Communications Office in 1993, worked his last day at The University of Toledo. Except for a two-year stint as an intern at Purdue in the late 90's, Brian's wardrobe has been dominated by Midnight Blue & Gold for the past 28 years. He took his first full-time job at his alma mater as the assistant athletic communications director in 2000. He was promoted to associate director in 2013, then added duties as the director of player development & community engagement for the women's basketball team in 2017. He is taking his talents to Central Catholic High School, where he will begin his new job as the director of marketing & communications on Monday. I've known Brian for almost his entire time at UToledo so I feel confident in saying that the Fighting Irish have added a superb addition to their staff.

What Mike and Brian have in common is a dedication to their work and a rare devotion to Toledo Athletics. In the world of college athletics, there tends to be a fair amount of movement from job to job. It says a lot about both of them – and this great University – that they would make this their work-home for so long.

So much has changed since Mike arrived here from Kansas State in Janaury of 2002. Back then, the Rockets did not have an indoor practice facility. Savage Hall and most other facilities were in need of major upgrades. Our student-athletes' combined semester grade point averages hovered around 2.8. And, quite frankly, staff morale was lagging.

Look at us now. The Fetterman Training Center will soon be celebrating its 11^th birthday as a premier indoor athletic facility; Savage Arena is one of the most beautiful and versatile facilities of its kind in the country; renovations to the Glass Bowl and the Larimer Building have made our football program the envy of the Mid-American Conference; soccer has a beautiful on-campus venue; and the list goes on.

The action inside these venues has been historic. In Mike's 19 years at the helm, the Rockets have 36 Mid-American Conference titles, made 11 bowl appearances in football, four NIT appearances in men's basketball, and won the post-season WNIT (2011) and made it to the NCAA Tournament (2017) in women's basketball. And the success hasn't been limited to revenue sports. Women's soccer won their first-ever title in 2006 and went on to win five more. Women's Swimming & Diving and Women's Cross Country won their first-ever league titles, while men's golf and softball broke through for the crown for the first time in 18 and 27 years, respectively.

And if you don't already know about the academic achievements of our student-athletes, you should. When Mike arrived on campus, the goal was to get the combined department GPA above a 3.0. That landmark has long since been shattered, as the Rockets have surpassed a 3.3 GPA in each of the past four semesters, while winning the MAC Academic Institutional Achievement Award for highest GPA in six of the past nine years.

Not surprisingly, morale in the Athletic Department has never been better, in my humble opinion. That's part of the reason why someone like Brian has been so loyal to this program. The other has been the close bond he had with Tricia Cullop and the Women's Basketball Program. Brian has been the team's biggest booster for the past 21 seasons. For all of that time he has promoted the team to the media and served as the team travel coordinator, all the while also covering other sports such as football, soccer and baseball. When Coach Cullop asked Brian to become the team's director of player development & engagement four years ago, he enthusiastically answered the call. His final night with the Midnight Blue & Gold came on Wednesday vs. Central Michigan.

So while we are happy for Brian that he is moving on to new challenges, we know there will be big shoes to fill in both the Athletic Communication Office and in the Women's Basketball program. For the past 21 years, Brian, associate athletic communication director Steve Easton and I have made up what very well could be the longest tenure for a sports information staff (they keep official records for a lot of things, but probably not that). It sure will be strange not having him around Savage Arena. I will miss him more than he knows.

As for Mike, happily he will be here for another 15 months. When he finally calls it a career following the 2022 Final Four, he will have compiled a record of achievement that few ADs could match. More importantly, he will leave behind the respect, admiration and love of hundreds of Rocket student-athletes, coaches, administrators and fans. Same goes for Brian.

I don't think anyone could ask for a better legacy than that.

Go Rockets!