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University of Massachusets Athletics
McCutcheon Named Director of Athletics
 |  Athletic Director John McCutcheon (right) at the men's basketball game against Dayton on February 8, 2004. |
March 17, 2004
In the midst of one of the coldest winters in decades, the University of Massachusetts selected John McCutcheon as its new director of athletics. McCutcheon comes to UMass to restoke, energize and invigorate the fire of an athletic department that had been without a leader since last September. "My family and I are ecstatic to be here," McCutcheon proclaimed following his introductory press conference. "Having been in Massachusetts before, I've always been aware of the University of Massachusetts and always had a good deal of respect for both the institution and the athletic programs."
BACKGROUND
McCutcheon joins the University of Massachusetts family after spending 11 and a half years as director of athletics at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, Calif. He is quite aware of the temperature disparities between the locales, having spent the previous 14 years in New England before heading West. He feels more than prepared stating, "My family and I are not foreigners to snow and cold weather, and the good thing about winter, as we all know, is that its followed by spring!"
A native of Pittsburgh, Pa., McCutcheon earned his undergraduate degree from Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 1975, and a master's of education from Ohio University in 1977. Following a year-long internship in Saudi Arabia, McCutcheon landed at the University of Maine in Orono as an assistant athletic business manager.
After spending three seasons with the Black Bears, McCutcheon moved to Chestnut Hill and Boston College. Serving as the Eagles' athletic business manager for eight years, McCutcheon became an assistant athletic director in July of 1988, while continuing to oversee the business and operations aspects of Boston College Athletics. While there, he was a driving force in the creation and design of the Silvio Conte Forum, which serves as the home of the Eagles' men's and women's basketball teams, as well as the hockey team and the athletic administrative offices. In June of 1991, he was promoted to associate athletic director for business and operations, where he remained until his migration to the west coast in August of 1992.
He is currently a member of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics, and has held positions as the Big West Conference representative to the NCAA Management Council and the Big West Conference Executive Committee. He was also chair of the Big West Conference Finance Committee, and held numerous positions on Caly Poly administrative boards, including the Provost's Council and the Admission's Advisory Committee. On a grander scale, McCutcheon was on the California State University system-wide gender equity advisory panel and the Division I-AA Athletic Director's Association Executive Committee.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
While at Cal Poly, McCutcheon spearheaded, among other things, the university's move to Division I and the Big West Conference. Under McCutcheon's leadership, he also oversaw a reclassification of the football program from Division II status to Division I-AA.
Another one of his major accomplishments included the development of an athletic facility master plan, which addressed current and projected intercollegiate athletic and recreation needs. The blueprint encompassed a 37-acre sports complex which featured six multipurpose fields, a 2,500-seat baseball stadium, a 2,000-seat softball stadium, the renovation of a gymnasium and track & field facilities, design for a new 12,000-seat football / soccer stadium, a new varsity weight training center, a new academic center, locker room renovations, the construction of a new tennis facility, the reconstruction of a pool facility and the concept planning for a future convocation center. "We created a resource for the university and for the student-body in general, something they did not have before," said McCutcheon. Overall, more than $19 million of facility improvements or new construction took place.
During his tenure, McCutcheon also saw 15 coaches earn conference Coach of the Year honors, 14 teams capture conference championships and 11 teams earn NCAA postseason bids. Additionally, Cal Poly had 240 Academic All-Conference selections, 112 All-Conference selections, 23 All-America selections and a pair of NCAA National Championships, under his leadership.
A LOOK AHEAD
McCutcheon is looking forward to the future as well, eager to get going with his new duties in Amherst. "With the level of competition and the type of physical resources that exist on this campus, I really feel that the opportunity here is a very positive one," said McCutcheon. "We can do great things, and we can take the programs to a higher level of achievement across the board."
With his duties set to officially set to begin on March 1, McCutcheon has said his family will probably come in stages to join him. His wife Susan, daughter Molly (14) and son Jack (11) will probably be the first to arrive in Amherst, while elder son Justin (16) is making a name for himself on the golf circuit, and will probably stay in California as not to disrupt his future plans. But make no mistake, a new era has begun for UMass Athletics. "We are going to try and make this something our alumni are proud of and want to be a part of," said McCutcheon. "We are going to be doing it the right way, with integrity, as we want to represent the state and the institution. We want our alumni to feel good about coming to events, and we want them to have a great experience so that they want to come back."
With the spring athletic season just around the corner, UMass Athletics is sprouting a new life. And with the quality, experienced leadership which McCutcheon brings, a new era of success is sure to follow.