Ira has covered Florida State for more than 15 years and college football for more than 25 years. He is a former sports editor and columnist at the Tallahassee Democrat and other outlets.
Even after an extremely challenging year marred by COVID-19 and unprecedented economic strain, Florida State University President John Thrasher still insists this is the best job he's ever held.
Which, of course, is saying a great deal when you consider he has been an officer in the U.S. Army, a successful attorney and lobbyist, a Florida state senator and Speaker of the House of Representatives.
But as rewarding as these past seven years have been -- with highlights that include helping FSU earn recognition as one of the nation's top 20 public universities and presiding over a successful $1 billion fundraising campaign -- Thrasher appears to have little reservation about his decision to retire before the start of the 2021-22 academic year.