Cal's athletic department will be under new leadership moving forward. Monday, athletic director Jim Knowlton announced his retirement following seven years leading the department.
"It has been an incredible honor to serve at the University of California, Berkeley, the No. 1 public university in the country," Knowlton said in a statement released by the athletic department. "The expectation of holistic excellence helps to drive everyone associated with the university, and our department is no exception.
"The combination of a world-class education, athletic excellence, an inclusive community, an awe-inspiring location and, most importantly, truly special people, make Cal a magnificent place to serve."
Knowlton served in his post through several challenging moments for the athletic department including the COVID-19 pandemic and conference realignment.
However, his role had seemingly been diminished as of late with the arrival of football general manager Ron Rivera, who reported to chancellor Rich Lyons and not Knowlton as part of his duties to help the program reach a new level on the field.
"On behalf of the Cal community, I want to thank Jim for his leadership, his integrity, and his devotion to the academic and athletic success of our student athletes," Lyons said. "Jim's work and accomplishments have set the stage for the next era of excellence across Cal Athletics."
Knowlton will remain in his current position as the athletic director through July 1 at which point deputy athletic directors Jay Larson and Jenny Simon-O'Niell will take over as the new co-directors of the department.
The release from the school said that Lyons will "use this period of transition to put in place a new leadership structure," however it is not known what the structure will look like as the athletic department moves in a new direction following Knowlton's retirement.
Knowlton was named Cal's athletic director on May 21, 2018 following three years at Air Force as the athletic director for the service academy. The school achieved 10 national championships under Knowlton's guidance.
"I could not be prouder of our Cal Athletics team – the student-athletes, coaches, staff, alums and donors – simply the best," Knowlton said. "I am grateful to have been able to serve side by side with so many amazing individuals!"
However, his time at Cal has not been without controversy or fiscal problems. In addition to the fallout from an abuse scandal involving former swim coach Teri McKeever, which eventually reportedly included an investigation into Knowlton, the athletic department finds itself among the programs with the highest debt in all of college sports following the previous renovation of California Memorial Stadium plus challenges stemming from the pandemic in addition to the smaller revenue share after Cal's move to the ACC last year.
It will leave plenty on the plate of the next athletic director at Cal with college sports moving into the revenue sharing era following the recent House settlement approval.
Under Knowlton, the two top earning sports have mostly underachieved. The men's basketball program did not have a winning record throughout Knowlton's time leading the athletic department with the team earning victories in no more than 14 games in any one season. That included winning just three games in the final season under previous head coach Mark Fox, who was hired by Knowlton in 2019.
On the football side, the Bears have not had a winning record in a season since 2019. Several reports, including from On3's Pete Nakos, indicate that the power structure within football will change with head football coach Justin Wilcox now reporting to Rivera as opposed to Knowlton, which had been the setup previously when the general manager stepped into his role this spring.
Knowlton's contract extension, which he announced himself in 2021, runs through 2029 though it is unclear how much Cal will owe following his decision to retire before the end of that deal.
