Boston College Athletics
Thank You, Martin
May 21, 2020 | Boston College Athletics, #ForBoston Files
Boston College's Athletic Director accepted a position with UCLA on Tuesday.
After days of reports and sourced speculation, Martin Jarmond formally announced he would leave Boston College to accept the athletic director position at UCLA.Â
The decision ends a three-year term for Jarmond in Chestnut Hill. An energetic trailblazer, he now becomes a groundbreaking figure for one of the most storied, traditional powerhouses in college sports.
"This has been the hardest decision of my life," Jarmond said in a statement posted to social media on Tuesday. "The amount of time, energy and love over the past three years has stretched me professionally and personally in ways that I never imagined. Boston College is a special place...it forms you as a person. I am proud of what we have accomplished together."
The tenure was short, but Jarmond's time at the Heights rewrote the definition of wearing maroon and gold. BC hired him in 2017 as the youngest athletic director at a Power Five institution, spiriting him away from a deputy athletic director position at Ohio State.
The move, at the time, signaled a clear shift in Boston College's desire to improve its national perception. Jarmond was already a skilled fundraiser, but helped surge the Eagles back into the elite conversation within the Atlantic Coast Conference. He presided over a host of improvements on and off the field and spearheaded hires designed to bring BC into a new day.
He improved the entire fan experience by simply listening. He stressed the importance of fan engagement and reflected it in his initiatives. He brought sought-after beer and wine sales into Alumni Stadium and expanded the program into Conte Forum after it experienced initial success and growth.Â
Tailgating dramatically improved by including an extra hour to start games, and he always cautioned the trade-off by telling the fans he would work tirelessly if they would return the passion. This past year, he introduced the "Martin Jarmond Collection" from Under Armour, a reference to his work in returning the "classic" varsity logo to circulation.
That said nothing about the off-the-field measures for the student-athletes. The 24-7 fueling station and facilities improvements were clear benchmarks, but his infrastructure work zinged the national sports audience with unprecedented access. Media work rooms and press conference facilities ameliorated and increased the programs' visibility as BC transformed into one of the ACC Networks' leading institutions by streamlining procedures for a new-age audience.
More than everything, though, was the family atmosphere fostered within Boston College athletics. Martin destroyed walls between programs and developed camaraderie among the different teams. He understood the university's blending link between athletic excellence and academic rigors, and he combined the school's Jesuit values into perfect alignment.Â
It was most obvious in his coaching hires, all of whom displayed clear love and passion for student-athletes. The public hires of coaches like Joanna Bernabei-McNamee and Jason Kennedy stood out for immediate success, and hiring Jason Lowe pivoted women's soccer into a new era. His last hire brought Jeff Hafley to the football program, and the tantalizing sight of Martin Jarmond and his new coach at the press conference left star-laden images in the dreams of every Boston College fan.
That's why going to UCLA is a perfect opportunity. Martin Jarmond didn't necessarily return Boston College to a golden era as much as he laid the foundation for the next one. He built championship-caliber conversions to turn BC into the next potential ACC power. In many ways, he turned that expectation into the present tense. UCLA is too good of an offer to pass up, especially with the legacy-padding potential of turning the Bruins back into national championship contenders.
He's also going to be a trailblazer. Martin Jarmond arrived at Boston College as the first African American athletic director in school history, but now joins an institution synonymous with groundbreaking icons. UCLA was home to Donald Barksdale, Kareem Abdul-Jabaar, and Arthur Ashe, and Jackie Robinson was the school's first four-sport athlete before he broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball. With the hire, Jarmond becomes the first African-American athletic director in UCLA history.
On a personal note, I think there are telling signs that I'm sad to see Martin Jarmond leave BC. I almost never referred to him by his last name, and even typing it out always felt weird. He was always "Martin" because everyone always knew what that meant. He was always accessible and friendly, and he was always willing to chat, even if it wasn't for an interview.
The first time I met Martin face-to-face was for an interview in his office, and I remember how intimidated I felt by him. I got lost in Conte Forum, which speaks volumes, and my anxiety profusely sweated through every last nerve I possessed when I finally found my way up to him. My nerves were shot, and I think I fumbled the first two or three questions once we began recording.
I think he knew it because he completely disarmed me. He made me feel more at ease through that conversation, and within a few months, I couldn't help but smile every time he entered a room. He would walk out of the tunnel to watch a football practice or scrimmage, and he would immediately wave or say hi when he saw me.Â
He would always smile, and his tone of voice was always genuine. I grew comfortable enough to enjoy small talk about anything other than sports, which was critically important to my happiness. He made me feel part of the greater BC family, and that was something that I overvalue with any team I cover or write about.Â
My disappointment and sadness in watching him leave is strictly selfish, and I know he'll be great in Los Angeles. Without speaking to him, I know his decision was substantially tougher than words accurately describe, especially with the uncertainty of the times we're currently living in. He loves Boston College, and we love him right back. We're all going to be rooting for the Bruins (unless they play the Eagles), and in the small world of college athletics, we know we'll all cross paths with him again someday. I know he's still going to watch Boston College, and he will be wearing the maroon and gold (and that old logo) when Jeff Hafley, Coach Mac, and the rest of the Eagles crash the ACC party over the next few years.
Until then, join me in saying thank you and wishing Martin Jarmond the best of luck at UCLA. Their gain is incredibly great, and his legacy is intact, now and forever, here in Chestnut Hill.
The decision ends a three-year term for Jarmond in Chestnut Hill. An energetic trailblazer, he now becomes a groundbreaking figure for one of the most storied, traditional powerhouses in college sports.
"This has been the hardest decision of my life," Jarmond said in a statement posted to social media on Tuesday. "The amount of time, energy and love over the past three years has stretched me professionally and personally in ways that I never imagined. Boston College is a special place...it forms you as a person. I am proud of what we have accomplished together."
The tenure was short, but Jarmond's time at the Heights rewrote the definition of wearing maroon and gold. BC hired him in 2017 as the youngest athletic director at a Power Five institution, spiriting him away from a deputy athletic director position at Ohio State.
The move, at the time, signaled a clear shift in Boston College's desire to improve its national perception. Jarmond was already a skilled fundraiser, but helped surge the Eagles back into the elite conversation within the Atlantic Coast Conference. He presided over a host of improvements on and off the field and spearheaded hires designed to bring BC into a new day.
He improved the entire fan experience by simply listening. He stressed the importance of fan engagement and reflected it in his initiatives. He brought sought-after beer and wine sales into Alumni Stadium and expanded the program into Conte Forum after it experienced initial success and growth.Â
Tailgating dramatically improved by including an extra hour to start games, and he always cautioned the trade-off by telling the fans he would work tirelessly if they would return the passion. This past year, he introduced the "Martin Jarmond Collection" from Under Armour, a reference to his work in returning the "classic" varsity logo to circulation.
That said nothing about the off-the-field measures for the student-athletes. The 24-7 fueling station and facilities improvements were clear benchmarks, but his infrastructure work zinged the national sports audience with unprecedented access. Media work rooms and press conference facilities ameliorated and increased the programs' visibility as BC transformed into one of the ACC Networks' leading institutions by streamlining procedures for a new-age audience.
More than everything, though, was the family atmosphere fostered within Boston College athletics. Martin destroyed walls between programs and developed camaraderie among the different teams. He understood the university's blending link between athletic excellence and academic rigors, and he combined the school's Jesuit values into perfect alignment.Â
It was most obvious in his coaching hires, all of whom displayed clear love and passion for student-athletes. The public hires of coaches like Joanna Bernabei-McNamee and Jason Kennedy stood out for immediate success, and hiring Jason Lowe pivoted women's soccer into a new era. His last hire brought Jeff Hafley to the football program, and the tantalizing sight of Martin Jarmond and his new coach at the press conference left star-laden images in the dreams of every Boston College fan.
That's why going to UCLA is a perfect opportunity. Martin Jarmond didn't necessarily return Boston College to a golden era as much as he laid the foundation for the next one. He built championship-caliber conversions to turn BC into the next potential ACC power. In many ways, he turned that expectation into the present tense. UCLA is too good of an offer to pass up, especially with the legacy-padding potential of turning the Bruins back into national championship contenders.
He's also going to be a trailblazer. Martin Jarmond arrived at Boston College as the first African American athletic director in school history, but now joins an institution synonymous with groundbreaking icons. UCLA was home to Donald Barksdale, Kareem Abdul-Jabaar, and Arthur Ashe, and Jackie Robinson was the school's first four-sport athlete before he broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball. With the hire, Jarmond becomes the first African-American athletic director in UCLA history.
On a personal note, I think there are telling signs that I'm sad to see Martin Jarmond leave BC. I almost never referred to him by his last name, and even typing it out always felt weird. He was always "Martin" because everyone always knew what that meant. He was always accessible and friendly, and he was always willing to chat, even if it wasn't for an interview.
The first time I met Martin face-to-face was for an interview in his office, and I remember how intimidated I felt by him. I got lost in Conte Forum, which speaks volumes, and my anxiety profusely sweated through every last nerve I possessed when I finally found my way up to him. My nerves were shot, and I think I fumbled the first two or three questions once we began recording.
I think he knew it because he completely disarmed me. He made me feel more at ease through that conversation, and within a few months, I couldn't help but smile every time he entered a room. He would walk out of the tunnel to watch a football practice or scrimmage, and he would immediately wave or say hi when he saw me.Â
He would always smile, and his tone of voice was always genuine. I grew comfortable enough to enjoy small talk about anything other than sports, which was critically important to my happiness. He made me feel part of the greater BC family, and that was something that I overvalue with any team I cover or write about.Â
My disappointment and sadness in watching him leave is strictly selfish, and I know he'll be great in Los Angeles. Without speaking to him, I know his decision was substantially tougher than words accurately describe, especially with the uncertainty of the times we're currently living in. He loves Boston College, and we love him right back. We're all going to be rooting for the Bruins (unless they play the Eagles), and in the small world of college athletics, we know we'll all cross paths with him again someday. I know he's still going to watch Boston College, and he will be wearing the maroon and gold (and that old logo) when Jeff Hafley, Coach Mac, and the rest of the Eagles crash the ACC party over the next few years.
Until then, join me in saying thank you and wishing Martin Jarmond the best of luck at UCLA. Their gain is incredibly great, and his legacy is intact, now and forever, here in Chestnut Hill.
#24 Baseball Defeats Northeastern in Beanpot Championship (April 14, 2026)
Wednesday, April 15
#24 Baseball Defeats Northeastern in Beanpot Championship (April 14, 2026)
Wednesday, April 15
#23 Baseball Defeats Virginia Tech (April 12, 2026)
Tuesday, April 14
#23 Baseball Defeats Virginia Tech (April 11,2026
Saturday, April 11
