Penn State officially names Pat Kraft its next athletic director
Penn State has officially found its next athletic director.
Pat Kraft was announced as the school’s choice to replace the retiring Sandy Barbour on Friday. Blue-White Illustrated and numerous other media outlets reported Tuesday that Kraft was the school’s top choice. He’ll start this summer.
“Along with having a bold vision for excellence and an impressive record of achievement, Pat values teamwork and cares above all about the success and development of student-athletes and coaches on and off the field,” Penn State president-elect Neeli Bendapudi said in a released statement.
“With Pat at the helm of our athletics department, the possibilities of what we can accomplish ahead are unlimited.”
Get to know Pat Kraft
Kraft has had a quick ascension in the world of college athletics administrators.
He comes to Penn State after a nearly two-year stint at the helm of the Eagles’ athletic department. Before that, he oversaw Temple athletics from 2015-2020. The Indiana alum was a walk-on football player for the Hoosier and eventually earned a scholarship and also three degrees. Later, he’d then got his professional start at the school. Kraft also worked at Loyola Chicago before moving on to Temple.
Per his Boston College bio, Kraft’s successes at Temple include but are not limited to the following:
“Kraft also led an effort to improve student-athlete classroom performance that resulted in a 2018-2019 NCAA Academic Performance Rate of 993, fourth among Division I FBS institutions, followed by a school record 90 percent Graduation Success Rate for 2019. He led planning and fundraising efforts for more than $55 million in construction and renovation projects, including the Temple Sports Complex for men’s and women’s soccer, field hockey, lacrosse, and track and field, enhancements to locker room facilities for all 19 sports, an all student-athlete lounge, multiple student-athlete nutrition centers, and updated practice facilities for several sports.”
With the Eagles, Kraft created apparel and footwear partnership with New Balance for most sports and Adidas for football. His resume also boasts of academic, fundraising, and facility-building achievements in Chestnut Hill.
Put it all together, and it’s clear to see why Kraft was a top Penn State target. He checks all of the major boxes and most of the minor ones.
When will Kraft start at Penn State?
Kraft will take over for Barbour on July 1, according to a news release. Barbour announced earlier this year that she would retire this summer.
