Andy Noel, the Meakem*Smith Director of Athletics and Physical Education, has announced that Kent Austin, the Roger J. Weiss '61 Head Coach of Football, has accepted the joint position of vice president of football operations, general manager and head football coach of the Canadian Football League's Hamilton Tiger-Cats, effective immediately.

"Kent has provided terrific leadership for our program these past three years. The offense he established is explosive and exciting to watch, and the program is poised to compete for a championship," Noel said. In addition, Austin streamlined a number of processes that have benefited the Big Red program significantly. Noel said: "I will miss him dearly and will be forever grateful for the contributions he has made to our program. He is a first-class individual and an outstanding coach. It hurts to lose him."

The search for new head football coach at Cornell is under way, Noel said.

"I want to sincerely thank Cornell for the unbelievable opportunity they provided," Austin said. "In particular, I want to thank President David Skorton, Vice President Susan Murphy and Athletic Director Andy Noel. Their complete commitment to this program will ensure Cornell's success on the field for many years to come. They each have my utmost respect and admiration, and Cornell is very fortunate to have leaders of this caliber. Cornell is a special place with very special people, and I will miss them all."

During his three seasons on the Big Red sidelines, Austin posted an 11-19 record overall (6-15 Ivy League) and coached 14 All-Ivy performers.