MarkCoyle.JPG

Former Syracuse athletic director Mark Coyle is moving out of Syracuse in grand fashion.

(Chris Carlson | ccarlson@syracus)

This story has been updated since it was originally published to include a comment from the University of Minnesota.

Syracuse, N.Y. — Mark Coyle arrived at Syracuse and talked about working in the background. He left in near-secrecy, leaving ACC athletic directors waiting at the league's spring meetings and popping up in Minnesota the same day he accepted the school's athletic director position.

His exit from Syracuse did not offer that type of subtlety.

Parked on the street outside Coyle's house and taking up half the street at the end of a Dewitt cul-de-sac was an enormous Minnesota football equipment truck, presumably to cart the family's belongings from Syracuse to Minnesota.

There was no answer when a reporter rang the doorbell at the home and there were no movers visible.

Minnesota's Paul Rovnak, the school's director of communications for the football program, said in a statement that the school doesn't own the truck and the decision to use that specific design to move Coyle was made without the knowledge of Coyle or the athletic department.

"A University of Minnesota football equipment truck has occasionally been used to move new employees to Minnesota," Rovnak said. "In this situation, a different truck should have been used by the transportation company who owns the vehicle. Mark Coyle and members of the Minnesota athletic department were not aware that this truck was being used."

The truck was first noticed by News Channel 9's meteorologist Jim Teske.

It sat outside Coyle's house with a rear door open, and with the giant block "M" of Minnesota, the school slogan "Ski-U-Mah" and images of the team mascot on full display.

Perhaps it's a Big Ten thing. Penn State coach James Franklin received notoriety two years ago for moving from Vanderbilt to Penn State in similarly flashy fashion.