Former UMass Director of Athletics Bob Marcum passed away on Tuesday at the age of 87. Marcum helped the UMass athletics program shine throughout his tenure (1993-2002), conducting a decade of many conference championships and overall tremendous success for the Minutemen and Minutewomen.

During his 10 years in Amherst, the men's basketball team won four Atlantic 10 Championships (1993-96) and punched its ticket to the NCAA Tournament for six consecutive years (1993-98) under head coach John Calipari.

Calipari shared on Twitter/X that he spent a couple of hours in the hospital with Marcum, who was there due to complications from a stroke he suffered a few days prior. Calipari tweeted: “He and I had a great couple hours in the hospital. Talked about our time together at UMass, he as AD and me his coach. We laughed cried and prayed.”

Sad news. Bob Marcum passed away this morning. He and I had a great couple hours in the hospital. Talked about our time together at Umass, he as AD and me his coach. We laughed cried and prayed.
He had on the Kentucky 2012 national championship ring. He was a part of…

— John Calipari (@CoachCalArk) July 24, 2024

Elsewhere, UMass also won the 1998 NCAA I-AA football title, made the first two NCAA Tournament appearances in women’s basketball program history (1996 and 1998) and made back-to-back trips to the College World Series in softball (1997 and 1998). The UMass athletics programs captured a whopping 65 Atlantic 10 championships and made 70 NCAA Tournament appearances during Marcum’s time as AD.

Current Director of Athletics Ryan Bamford emphasized his gratitude for Marcum’s lasting impact on UMass athletics, and took to Twitter/X to say: “Bob was always great to me. Generous with his time and always supportive of our efforts to advance the department.”

The A-10 Commissioner’s Cup resided in Amherst six times in an eight-year stretch while Marcum was at UMass, and he was honored as the 1999 NACDA Northeast Region I-AA Athletic Director of the Year. UMass also produced more Atlantic 10 all-academic selections than any other league school over Marcum's final seven years and led the conference in academic all-league picks six times.

Raised in Huntington, West Virginia, Marcum was inducted into the UMass Athletics Hall of Fame in 2009. He left UMass to become the AD at Marshall University (2002-09). He also worked at South Carolina (1982-88) and Kansas (1978-82) after beginning his career at Iowa State in 1971, where he served as associate athletic director until moving to Kansas.