Fairfield University hires ChampSearch to assist with men's basketball coach search | Press Releases

Fairfield University will utilize the services of ChampSearch to assist in the search for the Head Men's Basketball Coach position. The firm will do initial screening to determine candidates who are interested and meet the University's criteria for the position. The announcement was made by Director of Athletics Eugene P. Doris on Tuesday afternoon.

"We are extremely pleased to have engaged the services of ChampSearch," Doris said. "Their expertise in presenting candidates for the right fit is one of the main reasons for choosing the firm to assist us in selecting our men's basketball coach."

ChampSearch will assist Fairfield University with an extensive candidate search to fill the position. The firm has conducted a number of successful searches over the last two years, including the men's basketball coaching position at Loyola Marymount, and the women's basketball coaching position at the United States Military Academy. In addition, the firm assisted with the search for the head men's basketball coach at the University of Tennessee.

The firm is represented by John Kasser, President of ChampSearch. Kasser worked at several universities as an Athletic Director and will assist Dana Pump with the search.

Tim O'Toole, who coached the last eight seasons at Fairfield University, announced that he would not return for the 2006-07 basketball season during a press conference following the team's first-round loss at the 2006 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) basketball tournament.

"I am grateful for the opportunity to coach at Fairfield University," O'Toole said. "I worked with tremendous people, specifically the staff and my players during my time. The team received a great deal of support academically, and I am grateful for that as well. I think we built a solid foundation, and hopefully, the next staff can continue to build on that foundation. Fairfield is a very special place, and I will always be proud of what I accomplished there."

After the news conference, Doris confirmed that O'Toole would not return for the following season.

"After a considerable amount of thought, evaluation, and reflection, Fairfield University has decided not to extend the contract of Tim O'Toole. The men's basketball program made a number of positive strides under Tim during his eight years as head coach, and there are measures that suggest or confirm that the program is better today than it was when he became head coach eight years ago. For that, both Fairfield University and I are most appreciative. We are all well aware of the accomplishments of our players in the classroom, in the community, and in life. Coach O'Toole and his staff deserve our collective thanks for their work with so many student-athletes over the past eight year."

"In the end, it is my responsibility as Director of Athletics to evaluate the state and progress of our 19 varsity athletic programs," Doris said. "Our goals for men's basketball at Fairfield have long been to compete regularly for conference championships and being competitive year in and year out. Given the resources we put into men's basketball, and the resources we have added over the past eight years, the program did not achieve the goals to which we remain committed and believe to be achievable."

"Our commitment to and support of our men's basketball program are as firm as ever," Doris said. "We believe we have most of the resources in place to sustain success on a regular basis, and where we need to provide additional resources or improve how we do business to support this, we will."