Rutgers AD Mulcahy to step down

Dec 10, 2008 - 9:54 PM PISCATAWAY, New Jersey (Ticker) -- Rutgers athletic director Robert Mulcahy will step down at the end of the month, school president Richard McCormick announced Wednesday.

In the last decade, the 72-year-old Mulcahy helped transform the Rutgers football program from a laughingstock into a perennial bowl contender.

On December 29, the Scarlet Knights make a school-record fourth straight bowl appearance when they face North Carolina State in the PapaJohns.com Bowl.

However, Mulcahy came under fire following a scathing report that detailed unsupervised spending within the school's athletic department.

A number of stories in the Newark Star-Ledger detailed spending in the hundreds of thousands of dollars that never appeared in the Rutgers budget, including secret contract enhancements given to football coach Greg Schiano.

A special review committee, appointed by McCormick, issued a sharp rebuke for the lack of oversight.

"Bob Mulcahy has provided outstanding leadership for ... a decade," McCormick told the Newark Star-Ledger. "I applaud his accomplishments and tireless efforts. Bob's successor will build on all he has achieved."

After a 1-5 start, the Scarlet Knights won their final six games to secure another bowl bid.