Report: Stanford AD Bernard Muir expected to resign

According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, Stanford athletic director Bernard Muir is set to resign. Muir spent over a decade with the program and was in charge of one of the most successful athletic departments in college sports. Now, the Cardinal will be searching for somebody new as its leader moving forward.

“Sources: Stanford athletic director Bernard Muir is expected to resign from his position,” Thamel said via X “He’s been the athletic director at Stanford for 13 years.”

Muir took over the position from Bob Bowlsby in 2012 after Bowlsby left Stanford in favor of becoming the commissioner of the Big 12. The 13-year tenure was his third-ever job as an athletic director, previously being with Georgetown and Deleware.

Just two football coaches were at Stanford while Muir was the athletic director. He inherited David Shaw and saw a ton of success, mainly in the early portions of the job. Eventually, a change was needed as Troy Taylor was hired to be Stanford’s lead man.

Overall, Muir oversaw three Pac-12 Championships plus a Rose Bowl win as the Stanford athletic director. Not a bad resume by any means in the sport almost every AD would consider the most important.

However, Olympic sports is the area where the athletic department really thrived. Not just in one specific sport but as an all-around program. Stanford has dominated the Directors Cup over the years, winning eight of the possible 12 trophies available.

Winning in 2012-2013, Muir’s first year in charge, a seven-year streak lasted through 2020-2021 when Texas dethroned Stanford. For a while, taking down the Cardinal in the competition seemed near impossible.

There was no award handed out during the 2019-2020 season due to COVID-19.

Of course, the biggest move Muir ever made as the athletic director just took place. With the Pac-12 falling apart, Stanford was set to be without a home. However, alongside rival Cal and SMU, Stanford received an invitation from the ACC. Despite having to travel across the entire country, finding a long-term home was a massive victory.

The 2024-2025 athletic season was the first year the Cardinal competed in ACC sports. It’s still early but thus far, no conference championships have been acquired by a school used to winning.

No official word on Muir’s resignation has come from him or the university quite yet. At some point in the near future, there will be somebody new leading the athletic department.