Kansas Athletics Mourns Passing of Former AD Bob Marcum
7/24/2024 2:36:00 PM | General
LAWRENCE, Kan. -- Former Kansas Director of Athletics Bob Marcum, who served at KU from 1978-1982 as the seventh-ever AD, passed away on July 23. Marcum, who served more than 40 years as an administrator in college athletics, was 87 years old.
While at Kansas, Marcum re-hired football coach Don Fambrough to a second term in 1979. Fambrough had served as KU coach from 1971-74 and was the 1981 Big Eight Coach of the Year in guiding KU to the 1981 Hall of Fame Bowl.
Under Marcum, Kansas Athletics flourished winning 15 Big Eight Conference titles in six sports. KU won Big Eight titles in women's basketball (1979, 1980, 1981), women's swimming and diving (1979, 1980, 1981, 1982), softball (1979). men's swimming and diving (1979), men's indoor track and field (1980, 1981, 1982) and men's outdoor track and field (1979, 1980, 1982).
Following Kansas, Marcum was the athletics director at South Carolina from 1982-88 and served the same role at the University of Massachusetts from 1993-2002. After UMass, Marcum was the athletics director at Marshall from 2002-09. Marcum began his career in college athletics at Iowa State in 1971 where he was an associate athletics director before taking the Kansas AD position. From 1988-90, Marcum stepped away from college athletics and was the president and general manager of the Charlotte Motor Speedway.
A native of Huntington, West Virginia, Marcum was inducted into the UMass Athletics Hall of Fame in 2009.
While at Kansas, Marcum re-hired football coach Don Fambrough to a second term in 1979. Fambrough had served as KU coach from 1971-74 and was the 1981 Big Eight Coach of the Year in guiding KU to the 1981 Hall of Fame Bowl.
Under Marcum, Kansas Athletics flourished winning 15 Big Eight Conference titles in six sports. KU won Big Eight titles in women's basketball (1979, 1980, 1981), women's swimming and diving (1979, 1980, 1981, 1982), softball (1979). men's swimming and diving (1979), men's indoor track and field (1980, 1981, 1982) and men's outdoor track and field (1979, 1980, 1982).
Following Kansas, Marcum was the athletics director at South Carolina from 1982-88 and served the same role at the University of Massachusetts from 1993-2002. After UMass, Marcum was the athletics director at Marshall from 2002-09. Marcum began his career in college athletics at Iowa State in 1971 where he was an associate athletics director before taking the Kansas AD position. From 1988-90, Marcum stepped away from college athletics and was the president and general manager of the Charlotte Motor Speedway.
A native of Huntington, West Virginia, Marcum was inducted into the UMass Athletics Hall of Fame in 2009.
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