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Syracuse University Department of Athletics Accomplishments (January 2005 to present)
Administrative
• Navigated the collegiate sports landscape, and led effort to gain admission for Syracuse University into the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
• In addition to the financial benefits of this move, the inclusion into the ACC allowed Syracuse to align with the most prestigious academic conference among the Power Five, with eight of the 15 schools currently ranked in the US News and World Report Top 50.
• Successfully rebranded the University’s athletic programs as “New York’s College Team,” making strategic investments in marketing and branding in New York City that directly led to inclusion into the ACC.
• Television revenues have more than quadrupled in three years.
• Gained Syracuse access to the College Football Playoff revenue and business.
• Ensured Syracuse the opportunity to play for the Orange Bowl, or another BCS game.
• Negotiated one of the most profitable neutral site football games in the history of college athletics, which allowed greater investment in football, the retention of staff and a balanced budget.
• Capitalized on the conference move by re-negotiating the department’s multi-media rights agreement.
• Consolidated the Licensing business under the athletic umbrella.
• Negotiated new deal with Pepsi – outside of the media rights agreement – leading to an investment in new LED Daktronic scoreboards and a full LED ribbon ring inside the Carrier Dome, transforming the experience for fans and creating inventory for marketing and promotions, and the IMG partnership in IMG.
• Rebranded the entire athletics department under the “Block S” format, eliminating mixed and fractured branding with usage of multiple marks and independent marketing.
• Rebranded and restructured entire external communication operations, including new initiatives in digital media, marketing and communications, multiple redesign of websites, digital offerings and new formatting of all content under the ‘Cuse’ umbrella, including moving to Cuse.com.
Fundraising
• Reorganized and developed fundraising structure that led to Increased annual giving donation amount of $1,500,000 upon arrival in February 2005 to more than $15,900,000 in fiscal year 2014, which accounts to a cumulative total of $89,000,000 during the 10 year period ending fiscal year 2014.
• Generated an additional $15,400,000 in restricted Capital Gifts during the past 10 years, including several seven figure gifts.
• Introduced floor seating to the Carrier Dome for basketball, which increased the game day atmosphere by bringing 400 fans to the floor and added revenue.
• Developed Club 44, which allowed for premium seating and a premiere experience for donors and premium ticket buyers for Syracuse basketball, football and lacrosse games.
• Built the Executive Lounge in the Carrier Dome leading to annual incremental seating and donation revenue.
• Began courtesy car program to provide cars for coaches commensurate with peer institutions
Athletic Programs
• Took a department that was not ranked in the top 100 in the Learfield Director’s Cup to a program record 39th place in 2013, and to a first-ever 1st place ranking in the fall scoring in 2014-15. This steady climb gave Syracuse one of the best success ratios in the nation when factoring in number of programs offered by each institution.
• During 10-year tenure, Syracuse has played for six national championships, and has won 29 league championships.
• Syracuse has also won 29 coach of the year awards in the last 10 years.
• Hired and retained Hall of Fame and championship level coaches across the board, resulting in #1 national rankings for Men’s Basketball, Men’s and Women’s Lacrosse, Field Hockey and Men’s Soccer, which all achieved the #1 ranking in a 12 month period. Additionally, Men’s Cross Country and Women’s Cross Country have reached the Top 10.
• Since the opening of the Carmelo K. Anthony Basketball Center, the men’s basketball program has ranked in the top five winningest programs in the country.
• Syracuse and Louisville were the only two schools in the nation to win football bowl games and have the men’s and women’s teams make the NCAA Tournament in both the 2012-13 and 2013-14 seasons.
• Syracuse women’s basketball is in the NCAA tournament for the third year in a row, which is a school record and fourth appearance in eight years.
• Added the sport of Women’s Ice Hockey as part of meeting the third prong of Title IX requirement of history of expansion, providing opportunity to 30 student-athletes annually.
Facilities
• Led planning, fundraising and construction of the $19 million, 54,000 square ft. Carmelo Anthony Center, one of the leading basketball training centers in collegiate athletics today, which opened in 2009. The Center includes 2 practice courts, with room, men’s and women’s locker rooms, hydro therapy pools and training center, academic suite, coaches offices and lockers, equipment rooms and a Hall of Fame walk celebrating the history of Orange Basketball. Secured $3,000,000 gift from Carmelo Anthony for the naming right of the project.
• Led planning, fundraising and construction of $5.2 million in football program upgrades, including new investments in locker rooms, Hall of Fame, theater, cafeteria, training room, weight-room and coaches offices.
• Led planning, fundraising and construction of the $14 million Cliff Ensley Athletic Center. A state-of-the-art $14 million, 130 yard long indoor practice center for use by the football program, and all other intercollegiate sports at Syracuse. Modeled after the Carmelo Anthony Center, the facility gives Syracuse Football the resources needed to compete at the highest levels.
• Led the additional following facility enhancements totaling an additional approximately $13 million.
• Conversion of natural grass fields to field turf fields for football practice facility, and lacrosse.
• Renovation of $900,000 Men’s Lacrosse locker room
• Construction of new $1.2 million Women’s Lacrosse locker room
• Made major investment of $1.25 million in Women’s Field Hockey with renovated locker rooms, new astro-turf and water cannons.
• Manley Field House Renovations and Manley Hall of Champions Lobby Reconstruction
• Softball Improvements – new infield
• Men’s Soccer locker room renovation
• Women’s Soccer locker room renovation
• Women’s Ice Hockey locker room and Tennity Ice Pavilion enhancements
• Ten Eyck Boathouse improvements
Academics
• Annually improved graduation rate from 63 percent in 2006 to 84 percent in 2012, the highest in SU history.
• Improved individual Syracuse team APR dramatically in Men’s Basketball (969), Football (965), Men’s Lacrosse (974), Men’s Track and Field –Indoor/Outdoor (991), Women’s Basketball (991), Women’s Cross Country (1000), Field Hockey (981), Women’s Lacrosse (995), Women’s Soccer (996), Softball (980), Women’s Track and Field (992)
• Most recent single-year recording (2012-13) of 1000 APR scores in Men’s Basketball, Women’s Cross Country, Women’s Lacrosse, Softb all, Women’s Soccer and Women’s Volleyball.
• Half of the 2014 Syracuse Football team recorded a GPA of 3.0 or better, and 54% of all student-athletes are performing at 3.0 or better.
Cultural
The cultural transformation over 10 years has dramatically taken Syracuse from an entity that was operating as an independent “Football Department” and “Basketball Department” into a world class, leading intercollegiate athletic department that now competes at the highest levels across the board, on the field and in the classroom, in fundraising and business, and strives to provide the premiere student-athlete experience possible in an effort to create global leaders.
• Navigated the collegiate sports landscape, and led effort to gain admission for Syracuse University into the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
• In addition to the financial benefits of this move, the inclusion into the ACC allowed Syracuse to align with the most prestigious academic conference among the Power Five, with eight of the 15 schools currently ranked in the US News and World Report Top 50.
• Successfully rebranded the University’s athletic programs as “New York’s College Team,” making strategic investments in marketing and branding in New York City that directly led to inclusion into the ACC.
• Television revenues have more than quadrupled in three years.
• Gained Syracuse access to the College Football Playoff revenue and business.
• Ensured Syracuse the opportunity to play for the Orange Bowl, or another BCS game.
• Negotiated one of the most profitable neutral site football games in the history of college athletics, which allowed greater investment in football, the retention of staff and a balanced budget.
• Capitalized on the conference move by re-negotiating the department’s multi-media rights agreement.
• Consolidated the Licensing business under the athletic umbrella.
• Negotiated new deal with Pepsi – outside of the media rights agreement – leading to an investment in new LED Daktronic scoreboards and a full LED ribbon ring inside the Carrier Dome, transforming the experience for fans and creating inventory for marketing and promotions, and the IMG partnership in IMG.
• Rebranded the entire athletics department under the “Block S” format, eliminating mixed and fractured branding with usage of multiple marks and independent marketing.
• Rebranded and restructured entire external communication operations, including new initiatives in digital media, marketing and communications, multiple redesign of websites, digital offerings and new formatting of all content under the ‘Cuse’ umbrella, including moving to Cuse.com.
Fundraising
• Reorganized and developed fundraising structure that led to Increased annual giving donation amount of $1,500,000 upon arrival in February 2005 to more than $15,900,000 in fiscal year 2014, which accounts to a cumulative total of $89,000,000 during the 10 year period ending fiscal year 2014.
• Generated an additional $15,400,000 in restricted Capital Gifts during the past 10 years, including several seven figure gifts.
• Introduced floor seating to the Carrier Dome for basketball, which increased the game day atmosphere by bringing 400 fans to the floor and added revenue.
• Developed Club 44, which allowed for premium seating and a premiere experience for donors and premium ticket buyers for Syracuse basketball, football and lacrosse games.
• Built the Executive Lounge in the Carrier Dome leading to annual incremental seating and donation revenue.
• Began courtesy car program to provide cars for coaches commensurate with peer institutions
Athletic Programs
• Took a department that was not ranked in the top 100 in the Learfield Director’s Cup to a program record 39th place in 2013, and to a first-ever 1st place ranking in the fall scoring in 2014-15. This steady climb gave Syracuse one of the best success ratios in the nation when factoring in number of programs offered by each institution.
• During 10-year tenure, Syracuse has played for six national championships, and has won 29 league championships.
• Syracuse has also won 29 coach of the year awards in the last 10 years.
• Hired and retained Hall of Fame and championship level coaches across the board, resulting in #1 national rankings for Men’s Basketball, Men’s and Women’s Lacrosse, Field Hockey and Men’s Soccer, which all achieved the #1 ranking in a 12 month period. Additionally, Men’s Cross Country and Women’s Cross Country have reached the Top 10.
• Since the opening of the Carmelo K. Anthony Basketball Center, the men’s basketball program has ranked in the top five winningest programs in the country.
• Syracuse and Louisville were the only two schools in the nation to win football bowl games and have the men’s and women’s teams make the NCAA Tournament in both the 2012-13 and 2013-14 seasons.
• Syracuse women’s basketball is in the NCAA tournament for the third year in a row, which is a school record and fourth appearance in eight years.
• Added the sport of Women’s Ice Hockey as part of meeting the third prong of Title IX requirement of history of expansion, providing opportunity to 30 student-athletes annually.
Facilities
• Led planning, fundraising and construction of the $19 million, 54,000 square ft. Carmelo Anthony Center, one of the leading basketball training centers in collegiate athletics today, which opened in 2009. The Center includes 2 practice courts, with room, men’s and women’s locker rooms, hydro therapy pools and training center, academic suite, coaches offices and lockers, equipment rooms and a Hall of Fame walk celebrating the history of Orange Basketball. Secured $3,000,000 gift from Carmelo Anthony for the naming right of the project.
• Led planning, fundraising and construction of $5.2 million in football program upgrades, including new investments in locker rooms, Hall of Fame, theater, cafeteria, training room, weight-room and coaches offices.
• Led planning, fundraising and construction of the $14 million Cliff Ensley Athletic Center. A state-of-the-art $14 million, 130 yard long indoor practice center for use by the football program, and all other intercollegiate sports at Syracuse. Modeled after the Carmelo Anthony Center, the facility gives Syracuse Football the resources needed to compete at the highest levels.
• Led the additional following facility enhancements totaling an additional approximately $13 million.
• Conversion of natural grass fields to field turf fields for football practice facility, and lacrosse.
• Renovation of $900,000 Men’s Lacrosse locker room
• Construction of new $1.2 million Women’s Lacrosse locker room
• Made major investment of $1.25 million in Women’s Field Hockey with renovated locker rooms, new astro-turf and water cannons.
• Manley Field House Renovations and Manley Hall of Champions Lobby Reconstruction
• Softball Improvements – new infield
• Men’s Soccer locker room renovation
• Women’s Soccer locker room renovation
• Women’s Ice Hockey locker room and Tennity Ice Pavilion enhancements
• Ten Eyck Boathouse improvements
Academics
• Annually improved graduation rate from 63 percent in 2006 to 84 percent in 2012, the highest in SU history.
• Improved individual Syracuse team APR dramatically in Men’s Basketball (969), Football (965), Men’s Lacrosse (974), Men’s Track and Field –Indoor/Outdoor (991), Women’s Basketball (991), Women’s Cross Country (1000), Field Hockey (981), Women’s Lacrosse (995), Women’s Soccer (996), Softball (980), Women’s Track and Field (992)
• Most recent single-year recording (2012-13) of 1000 APR scores in Men’s Basketball, Women’s Cross Country, Women’s Lacrosse, Softb all, Women’s Soccer and Women’s Volleyball.
• Half of the 2014 Syracuse Football team recorded a GPA of 3.0 or better, and 54% of all student-athletes are performing at 3.0 or better.
Cultural
The cultural transformation over 10 years has dramatically taken Syracuse from an entity that was operating as an independent “Football Department” and “Basketball Department” into a world class, leading intercollegiate athletic department that now competes at the highest levels across the board, on the field and in the classroom, in fundraising and business, and strives to provide the premiere student-athlete experience possible in an effort to create global leaders.
