Former Michigan athletics director Dave Brandon has a sweet new gig.
Brandon, who resigned from his post in Ann Arbor in the middle of last football season, is set to become the new CEO of Toys"R"Us, the company announced Tuesday. Brandon will take over following the retirement of current CEO Antonio Urcelay on July 1.
Don't expect toy sales to skyrocket in Michigan, where Brandon was essentially run out of town for all sorts of things, chief among them the complete mishandling of the aftermath of Shane Morris' concussion in the Wolverines' loss to Minnesota. But Brandon made plenty of other missteps last season and before, including botching a promotion with Coke that resulted in promising fans free tickets for purchasing two bottles of pop, offending fans with insult-packed e-mails and seeing attendance at the Big House decrease thanks to the Wolverines' poor play on the field.
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Fans obviously had enough of Brandon, starting a petition for his firing and even protesting against the AD on the university president's front lawn.
Brandon officially resigned on Halloween, and head football coach Brady Hoke was fired a little more than a month later once the season came to an end.
Jim Hackett took over for Brandon and hired Jim Harbaugh as head coach, a hiring which before a game has been played has received universal applause.
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But cry not for Brandon, who now really has the job we all wanted as kids: running a toy store.
"I consider it a tremendous privilege to assume this important leadership role at Toys"R"Us, one of the most well-known retail brands in the world," Brandon said in the company's announcement. "And, I feel fortunate to be succeeding such an experienced and accomplished leader as Antonio. I believe our best days are ahead of us, and I’m eager to get started. Meeting our employees and vendors is something I very much look forward to, as we begin to work together to drive future growth and create memorable shopping experiences for our customers."
Let's just hope the Minnesota defense doesn't come after Geoffrey Giraffe.