The original plan for FIU athletic department leadership, as stated by athletic director Pete Garcia two years ago, was his retirement this summer. The 2017 football season changed all of that.
FIU announced a three-year contract extension for Garcia on Wednesday.
What changed in the interim, most obviously, was the success of FIU’s highest-profile program. Sure, the tennis team won its first Conference USA title in 2017-2018 and the men’s soccer team finished the 2017 regular season as one of the two unbeaten teams in the nation. FIU’s best athletic and academic program during the last six years, women’s swimming and diving, churned to its fourth consecutive CUSA title.