Air Force athletic director moves up retirement

AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. (AP) — Air Force Academy athletic director Hans Mueh will retire in January, five months ahead of schedule, after a decade leading the athletic program.

Academy officials announced Mueh’s early departure Wednesday and told the Gazette (http://bit.ly/1xt022R ) it’s not related to a report on the athletic department given Tuesday to Superintendent Lt. Gen. Michelle Johnson.

The academy has been under renewed scrutiny over past allegations about sexual misconduct and drug use by athletes, leading to the review by the academy’s inspector general.

“It has nothing to do with the review,” academy spokesman Lt. Col. Brus Vidal said of Meuh’s departure.

Mueh did not mention the review in a statement on his retirement and said he made his decision to leave after Air Force beat Navy in football.

“Upon reflecting, it looks like the hiring process will work as planned, so I feel that, with the impending hire of our new athletic director, it would be best for the academy, for the new athletic director and for my family that I retire in January,” he said in a statement.

Mueh, an Air Force Academy graduate, originally planned to retire in June at the end of his contract. He worked as a chemistry professor at the school before being named athletic director in 2004. The school’s hockey and football programs improved during his tenure.

Johnson praised Mueh, a combat veteran, for his service and commitment.

Mueh’s successor will earn $170,000 a year. Johnson has said she hopes the relatively low pay for the position would attract someone interested in more than winning championships.

___

Information from: The Gazette, http://www.gazette.com

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Federal News Network Logo
Log in to your WTOP account for notifications and alerts customized for you.

Sign up