Cleary, 66, reportedly felt with most of his major projects completed, it was time to move on.
The task now falls upon Knowles to name a successor to the position. Harvard has only had six athletic directors since the position was first filled by William J. Bingham '16 in 1926. Knowles will quickly move to form a committee that will conduct a national search for his replacement.
No names have as yet surfaced as potential candidates. However, talk in the athletic office is that the person will most likely come from within the Harvard athletic community--all previous directors have been College alums. Without a doubt, sources say, Cleary will have a strong hand in choosing his successor.
"You should never use the word 'replacement' [when talking about Cleary]," Knowles said. "Such people are simply irreplaceable."