Fresno State president Dr. Jose I. Castro announced Thursday that Terry Tumey has been hired to replace Jim Bartko as Athletic Director. Bartko left the Bulldogs in November 2017.
Tumey is currently the director of athletics, physical education and recreation at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps University in Claremont. According to a news release from Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, Tumey became their athletic director two years ago. Claremont’s president Dr. Hiram E. Chodosh said Tumey’s last day will be June 30th.
According to the release, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps finished this past year with three national championships and a No. 3 ranking in the Division III Learfield Directors Cup. The national titles were in women’s volleyball and in men’s and women’s golf.
Before being hired by Claremont-Scripps-Mudd, Tumey was the athletic director at University of California at Davis from 2012 to 2015. According to the Davis Enterprise, Tumey left the Aggies to “pursue other opportunities” in April 2015.
Tumey will have his work cut out for him. He will be taking over an athletic program whose budget is among the lowest in the Mountain West Conference and which is facing money challenges. Online reports say that, last year, Fresno State’s program was looking at a potential deficit of $2 million dollars. Another challenge facing Tumey will be growing fan and community support for the program.
Tumey was one of three finalists recommended to Castro by a 14-person search committee that was convened in April, five months after Bartko left, allegedly for “personal reasons.” The committee included Debbie Adishian-Astone, vice president of administrative services; head football coach Jeff Tedford; women’s swimming and diving coach Jeanne Fleck; alumni and a student.
Tumey played defensive lineman at UCLA from 1984 to 1987 and was an assistant coach there and with the Denver Broncos. He then went to work for the San Francisco 49ers in a front office job in 2001. He ended his stint with the 49ers as the assistant to the player personnel director and director of football administration.
Tumey then left the NFL to become athletic director at Dominican University in San Rafael. While at Dominican, he oversaw the school’s transition to NCAA Division II from the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. NAIA members are typically religious colleges and universities. He also raised $4.5 million for new facilities at Dominican.
One week ago, Bartko, former athletic director for Fresno State, and his lawyers released information to the public saying Bartko had not willingly resigned in November 2017.
Bartko accused Castro, Adishian-Astone and interim Fresno State athletic director Steven Robertello of forcing him to resign on Nov. 6, 2017 after allegedly engaging in a “whisper campaign” vilifying him.
In a tort claim filed in early May, Bartko claimed he was branded “an incompetent alcoholic” by campus officials several months after he publicly revealed in January 2017 he had been sexually abused as a child by a Catholic priest.
The tort claim alleged the university, Castro, Adishian-Astone and/or Robertello wrongfully terminated him. Bartko also alleged the university officials retaliated and discriminated against him “on the basis of mental disability/medical condition” and failed to “engage in a good-faith interactive process.”
Bartko alleged intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress and defamation by Castro, Adishian-Astone and Robertello. The claim notified Fresno State Bartko could seek at least $3 million in damages.
The university released two statements that Bartko had signed a release of claims in exchange for $75,000 in severance payments and that he had cashed the checks. A spokesperson also said the tort claim had been rejected on behalf of Fresno State by the California State University chancellor’s office in Long Beach shortly after it had been filed.
Castro also announced Tumey will be formally introduced to the community at a news conference on Monday, June 25th.