Tom O'Connor named interim AD at Manhattan

Shown in background introducing Paul Hewitt in 2011, former George Mason athletic director Tom O'Connor was named to same position at Manhattan on an interim basis. (Photo courtesy of the Washington Post)

Manhattan College has decided to change the course of its athletic department, naming Tom O'Connor as its interim director of athletics Monday morning.

O'Connor, currently the president of Athletic Solutions Counseling, is perhaps best known from his longtime stint as the athletic director at George Mason University, where under his watch, the Patriots became one of the top mid-major men's basketball programs in the nation, reaching the Final Four as a No. 11 seed in 2006. He replaces Noah LeFevre, who departs after nearly two years at the helm in Riverdale following the retirement of longtime Jasper athletic director Bob Byrnes at the conclusion of the 2013-14 academic year.

"We are committed to providing the best experience for our student-athletes, coaches, and fans," said Manhattan's Vice President for Student Life, Richard Satterlee, in a release issued by Manhattan College this morning. "The College is confident that we will find a person who will best match the needs of a long-standing and robust Division I athletic program."

O'Connor also served as director of athletics at Loyola (Md.) University, Santa Clara, and St. Bonaventure before arriving at George Mason, and was a former chairman of the NCAA Division I men's basketball championship committee.