On Monday, Rev. Daniel S. Hendrickson, SJ, PhD announced that Marcus Blossom would become Creighton’s next McCormick Endowed Athletic Director, beginning Sep. 27. 

“Today is a historic day for Creighton Athletics, our University community and for Bluejay fans everywhere,” Hendrickson said. “I am truly delighted to have Marcus directing the program.”

Blossom, previously the Athletic Director at College of the Holy Cross since 2019, will step up to lead the athletic department of a higher-profile D1 university at Creighton. 

Now 41, Blossom grew up in Chicago before attending Northeastern University in Boston where he played D1 basketball for four years. He was an Academic All-American and graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration. 

He then earned a Master’s Degree in Sport Management at West Virginia University and an MBA at the University of Rhode Island. 

Experience in athletic administration for Jesuit universities is certainly something that stuck out on Blossom’s résumé during the hiring process. The previous three schools he has worked at have all been Jesuit universities. 

“I can’t go and work everywhere,” Blossom said at his welcome ceremony Tuesday. “I only can work at certain institutions where their values are aligned with mine.” 

Prior to working at Holy Cross, Blossom was the Senior Associate Athletic Director for Business and Administration at Boston College for five years and the Associate Athletic Director for Business Operations at Big East foe Providence College for two years. 

“I’m going to infuse the Jesuit principles of men and women for others, of the whole-person development of the student athlete and also the pursuit of excellence,” Blossom said.

Blossom also has experience with national championship tournaments, serving as Assistant 

Director of Championships for the NCAA earlier in his career, which oversees the selection of tournament host-cities along with other duties. 

Some are surprised that the Bluejays strayed away from hiring a candidate more local to Nebraska, Omaha or Creighton. 

In hiring a candidate that has experience in a different region of the country, Blossom will bring new ideas and perspectives to Creighton and the Athletic Department that will help continue and further improve what his successor has left behind. 

“Creighton is in the strongest position it’s ever been and I’m confident that the staff we have in the Athletic Department will certainly be able to function without me,” former AD Bruce Rasmussen said in an interview last month. 

Rasmussen retired on Aug. 16 after serving as the McCormick Endowed AD for 27 years and having accomplished much for the university in many aspects to change Creighton into the high-profile university that it is today. 

“Bruce’s leadership and what he’s done for this department, what he’s done for Creighton, and his impact on college athletics has been tremendous and quite frankly was one of the reasons that made me attracted to this opportunity,” Blossom said.

Rasmussen was instrumental in Creighton’s transition from the Missouri Valley Conference to the Big East, construction of state-of-the-art facilities on campus, and the hiring of five of the six winningest coaches in school history.

“Marcus knows he has big shoes to fill,” Hendrickson said.  

However, Blossom is eager to prove that he is more than qualified to be the successor of Rasmussen, and that Hendrickson and the advisory committee made the right choice to conclude their AD search process. 

“It’s hard to contain just how excited I am to join such an incredible program,” Blossom said. “I think we have the best fans in the country and I can’t wait to engage with all of you.”