CAC Directory
For information concerning conference policy, championships,
league standings, or statistics please contact:
Tom Byrnes
Commissioner
115 Grantley Hall
York College of Pa.
York, Pa. 17405
Office Phone: (717) 815-6817
Cell Phone: (717) 654-1716
FAX: (717) 849-1676
email: tbyrnes@cacsports.com
After a comprehensive national search, Tom Byrnes was hired as the first full-time Commissioner of the Capital Athletic Conference (CAC), effective January 1, 2008. Byrnes took over for Richard C. (Dick) Cook who announced his plans to retire in July, 2007.
"The search process for the Commissioner position yielded an extremely talented and experienced pool of finalists," noted Scott Devine, current President of the Board of Directors and Athletic Director at St. Mary's College of Maryland. "On behalf of the Board, I am pleased to announce Tom Byrnes as our new Commissioner. Tom has an excellent blending of conference office experience and sports information skills and I know all of the conference athletic directors look forward to working with Tom in his new role."
Cook was selected as the conference's first Commissioner in June of 1993 and served in a part-time capacity for over 14 years. The CAC Board of Directors thanked Cook for his service and dedication by naming the conference's all-sports award in his honor.
"Dick Cook has played an enormous role in the development of not only the Capital Athletic Conference, but the Commissioner's position as well," said Sean Sullivan, current Vice President of the Board of Directors and Assistant Dean of Athletics and Recreation at York College of Pennsylvania. "Due to his steady leadership, our member institutions have been able to follow a clear path towards increased conference relevance and competitive improvement. His guidance will be sorely missed."
Byrnes joined the CAC after nearly 20 years of college athletics administrative experience, primarily in the sports information field and previous work in a conference office setting.
"I'm extremely honored that the search committee selected me to be the first full-time Commissioner of the Capital Athletic Conference," stated Byrnes. "I hope to build on the solid foundation established over the past 14+ years by Dick Cook and the athletic administrators. I'm joining an outstanding group of educational institutions with superior athletic programs that win NCAA Division III championships and compete successfully on the national level in all sports. I'm looking forward to continuing the building process and make the Capital Athletic Conference a premiere organization known for success."
Byrnes is graduate of Shippensburg University, with a bachelor's degree in Journalism (1980) and a master's degree in Organizational Communications (1987). He had more than a decade of experience as a full time and part time sportswriter at the Chambersburg Public Opinion before accepting a two-year internship as the first full-time sports information director at Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, Pa. Byrnes was promoted twice in his 12-year tenure at F&M to Assistant Athletic Director.
In 2000, Byrnes was named the Assistant Executive Director/Media Relations at the Patriot League, a Division I conference that includes American, Army, Bucknell, Colgate, Holy Cross, Lafayette, Lehigh and Navy. Byrnes was responsible for coverage of all 23 championship sports, but served as the primary contact for football, men's basketball, men's and women's soccer, men's and women's lacrosse and golf.
Four years later, Byrnes returned to a campus setting as the Sports Information Director at California University of Pa. In addition to the many duties he also performed at F&M, such as production and distribution of all press releases, event programs and media guides, primary statistician and website manager, Byrnes added responsibilities of hosting weekly TV shows and broadcasting games via radio and the internet, either as play-by-play announcer or analyst.
Byrnes also has more than 30 years experience as a collegiate and scholastic sports official (soccer, basketball and softball). He is a member of CoSIDA and serves on the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Committee since 1992. He was also a long-time member of ECAC-SIDA and has served on numerous committees. He has also volunteered as an event coordinator for the Pa. Senior Games for two decades.
Byrnes and his family - wife Coreena, son Nathan and daughter Lauren - live in York, Pa.
