Published Jan 1, 2025
A Change in Army West Point’s Top Athletic Position Announced
Special to GoBlackKnights.com
Courtesy of Army West Point Athletic Communications

A Change in Army West Point’s Top Athletic Position Announced: Buddie to TCU; Howard to Serve as Interim

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West Point, N.Y. – The U.S. Military Academy announced today that Athletic Director Mike Buddie has accepted a new position at Texas Christian University.

“Mike Buddie has been an extraordinary teammate, truly committed to the ideals of Duty, Honor, Country,” said Lt. Gen. Steven W. Gilland. “He has made a lasting impact on Army Athletics, including the Michie Stadium Preservation Project, Army Football’s move to the American Athletic Conference, and numerous conference championships and postseason appearances. Yet, his true legacy over the past five and a half years is the thousands of cadet-athletes who developed into leaders of character for our Nation. On behalf of the West Point community and the Long Gray Line, we wish Mike and Traci all the best in their new chapter.”

Buddie has served as Army West Point’s athletic director since the spring of 2019.

During his Army tenure, Buddie saw cadet-athletes flourish in athletic competitions and in the classroom, earning four Rhodes Scholarships, 12 conference championships and NCAA postseason appearances; 12 Patriot League Coach of the Year honorees, and one AAC Coach of the Year through Buddie's five seasons.

“I would like to express my gratitude to Mike Buddie and Traci for their exceptional contributions to West Point and their unwavering commitment to shaping leaders of character,” said Corky Messner, chair of the Board of Directors, Army West Point Athletics. “TCU is fortunate to welcome Mike as their athletic director, as he brings a proven track record of success and a history of positioning organizations for excellence in the ever-evolving landscape of college athletics. We have implemented our succession plan to immediately find a new athletic director.”

Most recently, Buddie oversaw the football program’s move to the American Athletic Conference beginning with the 2024 season, giving the program increased opportunities with an established conference while maintaining the fight for the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy between service academy rivals.

Buddie was a driving force behind the success of Army football’s historic 2024 season, which featured 12 wins, the most ever in program history as the Black Knights won the American Athletic Conference championship in their first season in the league. Head coach Jeff Monken was named the AAC Coach of the Year as the Black Knights went a perfect 9-0 in conference play, including a victory over Tulane in the title game.

Buddie also led the transformational Michie Stadium Preservation Project. The project will rebuild and modernize the stadium’s former east stands. This will preserve and protect Michie Stadium’s 100-year history and tradition while providing a world-class experience for cadets, graduates, families, and fans. Expected completion is slated for summer 2026.

Buddie is expected to start his new role at TCU effective immediately.

Abby Howard will serve as Army’s interim athletic director until a permanent athletic director is announced. Howard joined the staff at Army West Point as a senior associate athletics director and corporate counsel in October 2022. In March 2024, she was named deputy athletics director, chief administrative officer and general counsel. Howard earned a Bachelor of Science in business administration with honors in marketing, transportation, and logistics from The Ohio State University in 2005. She was a four-year letterwinner on the women's swimming and diving team. She subsequently earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Kansas.

A national search committee is being organized and will be overseen by Gilland and Messner.

**To chat with other Army fans about this article and more, please visit The 12th Knight message board**

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