Colorado athletics director Rick George will step down from his role at the end of the academic year and become a special advisor to the chancellor, the school announced Thursday.

George has been the AD in Boulder since 2013, returning to the school where he once served on legendary football coach Bill McCartney’s staff as the recruiting coordinator and assistant athletic director for football operations. This coincided with Colorado’s only national title in 1990.

“It has been the honor of a lifetime to serve as Athletic Director for the University of Colorado for the last 13 years, but after considerable thought and discussions with my family dating back to last spring, I have decided it is time for new leadership to guide the department,” said George. “I wanted to make this announcement now in order to give Chancellor Schwartz plenty of time to find the right person for Colorado, and I look forward to doing everything I can to ensure a smooth transition.

“I also wanted to time my announcement so that I could support Coach Prime and our football team this season, which I’m looking forward to continuing in my new role.”

During his tenure as athletics director, George oversaw the development of a new athletics building attached to Folsom Field and was named the Athletic Director of the year in 2023-24 by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics.

His time as AD will perhaps be most remembered by his hiring of Deion Sanders as football coach, which generated significant national interest in Colorado football. He also returned Colorado to the Big 12, which represented a significant domino in the collapse of the Pac-12 following UCLA and USC’s departures for the Big Ten.

George also spent time as a member of the College Football Playoff Selection Committee and served on the Division I Council.

“Rick’s contributions to our university in his 13 years as head of our athletic department have been incalculable,” Chancellor Justin Schwartz said. “He is a nationally respected leader who has always kept CU at the forefront of the dynamic and highly competitive landscape of college athletics. I am grateful for his leadership and am elated he has decided to stay on as a Special Advisor and AD Emeritus.”

Prior to becoming AD, George was the Chief Operating Officer for the Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball.

The school did not announce a timeline for hiring a replacement.

Victor Osimhen scored an extra-time brace and Chidera Ejuke added a goal to give Nigeria a 4-1 win over Gabon in the CAF World Cup playoff semifinals in Rabat, Morocco, on Thursday.

Nigeria, who finished in second place in their group during CAF qualifying and were forced into the playoff route to reach the World Cup, will face Congo DR on Sunday hoping to clinch a spot in the six-team inter-confederation playoff in March.

The Super Eagles opened the scoring late in the second half of a tense, back and forth affair when Akor Adams pounced on a wayward pass by the Gabon defense, rounded the keeper and finished into an open net.

With time running out on Gabon, Mario Lemina‘s shot from the left side of the penalty area deflected off a Nigerian defender and beat keeper Stanley Nwabali at his near post to level the score.

Nigeria star Osimhen missed two golden chances to seal the win for the Super Eagles in second-half added time as the game went to extra time where Osimhen and Ejuke put their team through with a pair of well-taken goals. Red-hot Galatasaray striker Osimhen then added his second goal in extra time to put the game well out of reach for Gabon.

The Super Eagles preparation for Thursday’s semifinal had been interrupted by a standoff between players and the Nigerian federation over unpaid bonuses. However, that was resolved on Wednesday, with team captain William Troost-Ekong posting on social media: “We are together and, as before, focused on the games ahead!”

Nigeria missed out on the 2022 World Cup after losing to Ghana in that cycle’s qualification playoff. Gabon has never qualified for a World Cup final.