June 8, 2004

AMHERST, Mass. - The University of Massachusetts has promoted Thorr Bjorn to the position of senior associate athletic director, it was announced today by athletic director John McCutcheon. Bjorn has served as UMass' associate athletic director for external affairs for the last two years. He is responsible for all of the athletic department's marketing and corporate sales activities, including the UMass radio network, coaches shows and signage. He also served as UMass' interim athletic director from September 2003-February 2004.

Bjorn returned to UMass in April of 2003 after a three-year stint as the director of regional sales and marketing for Resorts Sports Network in Portland, Maine. At RSN, a company which provides cable systems with programming and sells the advertising to ski resorts, he was personally accountable for $1 million in television and web advertising revenue.

Before joining RSN, Bjorn served as UMass' associate athletic director for marketing from 1996-2000. He directed all aspects of UMass' corporate sponsorship program and under his watch saw annual sponsorship revenue climb over 135 percent. Bjorn also directed the department's retail merchandise program, coordinated advertising campaigns and directed the ticket office.

After graduating from UMass and spending six months as assistant business manager at the University of Connecticut, he returned to his alma mater as assistant athletic director for tickets and game operations in December of 1990, a position he held until being promoted in 1996.

Bjorn, who received both his bachelor's and master's degrees from UMass, earned three varsity letters for the Minuteman football team from 1987-1989.