Jim Boeheim, the longtime coach of the Syracuse University men's basketball team, will retire in three years, according to a statement from the institution.
The announcement of Boeheim's imminent retirement — as well as the immediate resignation of Athletic Director Daryl Gross — came Wednesday in the wake of a scandal that resulted in penalties being levied against the athletic program by the NCAA.
"Dr. Gross cares deeply about our university, our student-athletes and the athletics department," wrote Syracuse Chancellor Kent Syverud in a statement issued Wednesday. "As part of my discussions with him, Dr. Gross has asked to conclude his tenure as director of athletics and transition to a new role at the university."
On Boeheim's decision to retire, Syverud wrote, "His goal in making this decision and announcement now is to bring certainty to the team and program in the coming years, and enable and plan for a successful, longer-term transition in coaching leadership."
Boeheim is as closely tied to Syracuse basketball as any coach is to any college athletics program in history. He played for Syracuse from 1962 to 1966, then started as an assistant coach there in 1969. He took over as the team's head coach in 1976 and has held the position since.
During his career at Syracuse, he's led the Orange to four Final Four appearances and a national championship win in 2003.
On March 6, the NCAA's infractions committee reported its findings of a nearly 8-year investigation into the Syracuse athletic program. The committee suspended Boeheim for nine conference games, took away 12 scholarships and ordered 108 wins be vacated from the basketball program's history, according to ESPN.
The NCAA violations included a pair of basketball players being paid over $8,000 from a Syracuse athletics booster during the 2004 season.
Clint Davis is a writer for the E.W. Scripps National Desk. Follow him on Twitter @MrClintDavis.
