Mike Buddie Introduced as TCU's New Director of Intercollegiate Athletics

The former Army Athletics Director met with stakeholders and media members to begin his tenure at TCU.

Mike Buddie is TCU's new Director of Intercollegiate Athletics / Barry Lewis - TCU Horned Frogs On SI

On Monday morning, TCU President and soon-to-be Chancellor Daniel Pullin introduced Mike Buddie as the new Director of Intercollegiate Athletics.

Buddie was announced last week as the new Athletics Director after Jeremiah Donati left for South Carolina last month. Buddie has spent the last six years as the AD at the United States Military Academy at West Point - the Army Black Knights.

The introduction was done in front of members of TCU's Board of Trustees, several TCU coaches, athletics department staff, student-athletes, Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark, and members of the media. It was an opportunity for everyone to get to know the person who will now oversee all 22 of TCU Athletics' teams.

In introducing Buddie, President Pullin described the university's strategic plan as having four distinct pillars, one of which is athletics. "We have great athletics," said Pullin. "We have great academics, great connection with the community, and great brand reputation set up with lifelong success."

Pullin mentioned several successes the TCU Athletics programs have had in recent years, and with those achievements, the bar has been set high.

We have built an incredible athletic foundation at Texas Christian University. What we now need is a leader that builds upon that excellence. TCU Athletics is a force to be reckoned with. We have the potential to go even higher. Through the search, it became clear that the leader we needed was at the United States Military Academy at West Point. That leader is Mike Buddie.

Great leaders lead. They lead with value. They lead with grit. Great leaders stand by their people. Great leaders innovate regardless of what the world gives them. Mike Buddie is that exceptionally gifted leader.

- Daniel Pullin, TCU President

Buddie attended Wake Forest College, graduating in 1992. The New York Yankees then selected him in the fourth round of the MLB draft. After his baseball career, Buddie returned to Wake Forest to kickstart his athletics administration career. In 2015, he was hired as the athletic director at Furman University, and in 2019, he took the job at West Point.

For more of Buddie's background, read the article we published last week by clicking here.

Buddie expressed his gratitude for being given the opportunity at TCU and had this to say about coming to Fort Worth:

I read about the collective values of TCU, and they are in complete alignment with my personal values. I love the innovation. There is no manual to follow on how to stay competitive in college athletics. TCU will not follow a manual. The future is an unwritten script. There is no better time and no better place to be in a place like Texas Christian University. I feel honored and thrilled to be a part of this. The only reason I am here is because of the thousand cadet athletes, coaches, and staff, who have elevated my profile by their success. I have never said that anyone works for me. We all work together.

- Mike Buddie, TCU's new AD

When asked about Name/Image/Likeness (NIL) and future revenue sharing between institutions and student-athletes, Buddie had this to say:

We are going to compete at the highest levels of revenue sharing. Great athletic programs elevate all the students, not just the student-athletes. NIL is going to take a back seat to revenue sharing. I’m thrilled TCU is one of the first institutions that committed to participating at the highest level with revenue sharing. NIL, fundraising, is all based on relationship building and trust and ability to articulate a vision Being active in the community, building relationships, building trust, taking the time to spend with our student-athletes. Learn how to adapt. We will do everything we can to lean in and give the student-athletes the opportunities

- Mike Buddie

In a separate gathering after the event with members of the media, Buddie talked about several topics including the future of Lupton Stadium, women's sports at TCU, the winning culture instilled as part of the football team, and the transfer portal. Here is what he had to offer on each of these topics:

Lupton Stadium - Home of TCU Baseball

President Pullin has a strategic plan, and one of those strategic plans is a facilities master plan, and I know that it (Lupton) is on the master plan. I don’t know the timelines, specifics, and funding sources. But I absolutely have heard from multiple sources that it’s common knowledge that it’s time to upgrade and modernize it. It is being discussed and is on the master plan.

- Mike Buddie

Women's Sports at TCU

One of the things I love is the commitment of the leadership of this institution to not take away opportunities for anyone. So, anything that we do to add can’t come at the expense of somebody else. I think young people who understand who they are and what they want to do, a TCU education and community will appeal to them. It’s not broken, so there’s nothing that needs to be fixed other than to continue to celebrate their success and find ways to put them on a pedestal and win national championships.

- Mike Buddie

Beyond Football Sports at TCU

As a former baseball player, what I love is, that every student-athlete at TCU, the 3-4 hours a day they are spending lifting, practicing, developing their talents is just as important to them as it is the starting quarterback. They just don’t get to do it in front of 60,000 fans. That doesn’t make it any less important to them, and therefore it’s no less important to me.

- Mike Buddie

Football's Winning Culture

What was really cool on December 28 in Shreveport, LA sitting in my hotel room, having done two rounds of interviews, praying to God that I would get the opportunity and the phone call. We were playing that night. I got to watch TCU completely dismantle Louisiana and just look so sharp. I got to talk to Coach Dykes and told him to get a team to play that well, and that crisp in a bowl game in today’s day and age says a lot about the culture that he has built in that program. It was a thrill to get to watch them play. Then, getting to watch the basketball double header the other day; since they offered me the job, TCU is undefeated.

- Mike Buddie

Transfer Portal

There are a lot of smart people that run athletic departments, conference offices, and institutions. We’ve got to find a better solution. Some of my thoughts are there needs to be multi-year contracts. You backload them with signing bonuses, retention bonuses. If you’re there your junior year you get a retention bonus. If they know that you care about them as a human being, and they understand the value of the degree this institution is going to give them, and you’re holding them accountable, and you’ve been transparent from the first meeting you had with them to say ‘Hey, I am going to hold you accountable. I do know there are going to be people that offer a little bit more money to you. But there’s always somebody who can offer you more money. Dig in. Be a part of our culture. Fight for playing time.’ With the right types of kids, that will resonate with them. That’s why was Army was able to succeed. There’s no magic wand solution, but I think multi-year contracts are going to be potentially a great opportunity. But you’ve just got to have a culture that people just want to be a part of it.

- Mike Buddie

In addition to talking to Buddie, we had the opportunity to talk about the new Athletics Director with TCU Women's Basketball head coach Mark Campbell. He was very enthusiastic about Buddie and what's going on at TCU these days.

This is a really exciting day for TCU athletics. His background coming from West Point, just a prestigious spot like that and to lead their athletic department and the things he has had to navigate in the college athletic landscape, I couldn’t be more excited to have him as our leader.

Our athletic department as a whole right now is achieving success at a very, very high level. TCU is a special place that gives you the opportunity to compete at the highest level, whether that’s on the court or the field, and Fort Worth is a special spot. It’s our job to keep this going.

- Mark Campbell, TCU Women's Basketball

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