Bobby Valentine to be named athletics director at Sacred Heart University

Former Major League Baseball player and manager Bobby Valentine is expected to be named the next athletics director at Sacred Heart University, a source told Hearst Connecticut Newspapers on Thursday.

Valentine will replace Don Cook, who is retiring as Sacred Heart AD on July 1. The source said Valentine will officially be named as Cook's replacement next Tuesday.

"An intriguing opportunity has been presented to me and it's something I really feel I can enjoy doing and I feel could be mutually beneficial," Valentine said in a phone interview with the Connecticut Post.

Sacred Heart is located in Fairfield, Conn., not far from Valentine's home in Stamford.

Valentine managed the Red Sox last season and was fired after the team posted a 69-93 record, the worst in 47 years. Valentine also served as the manager of the Texas Rangers (1985-1992) and New York Mets (1996-2002) after spending eight years as a utility player in the majors.