Penn State hires Patrick Kraft as its next athletic director
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Patrick Kraft, who has held leadership roles at Boston College, Temple, Loyola Chicago and Indiana for the past 15 years, has been named Penn State’s next athletic director.
Kraft will assume his new position July 1 and replace Sandy Barbour, who previously announced she will retire this summer. Barbour has been Penn State’s athletic director since 2014.
Kraft’s appointment was approved by the Penn State Board of Trustees Subcommittee on Compensation on Friday morning. It follows a national search led by President-elect Neeli Bendapudi with support from a search advisory committee comprised of student-athletes, coaches, faculty members, staff and administrators.
“I am thrilled to welcome Pat Kraft and his family — Betsy, Annabelle and Joseph — to the Penn State family,” Bendapudi said in a statement. “He is an exceptional and inspiring leader with the vision, experience and drive to excel in this role and to build upon our tradition of intercollegiate athletic success.
“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. With Pat at the helm of our athletics department, the possibilities of what we can accomplish ahead are unlimited.”
Kraft, who has taught business and sports marketing and management during his career in education, played football at Indiana from 1997-99. He has been at Boston College since 2020, leading 31 varsity teams, with approximately 700 student-athletes and 215 coaches and staff members. Among the school’s accomplishment’s during Kraft’s tenure, women’s lacrosse won its first NCAA championship, the sixth in Boston College’s history and the first women’s NCAA title at BC.
Boston College student-athletes also set national records for cumulative GPAs and graduation rates during Kraft’s time at the school. Among the student-athlete population, 70% earned GPAs of 3.0 or better in the fall and spring of 2021.
“This is a special opportunity, and I am incredibly honored to join Penn State’s best-in-class athletics program,” Kraft said in a statement. “I am appreciative of President-elect Bendapudi for her support and invitation to come back to Pennsylvania to be part of the Penn State family.
“In the coming months, I am so excited to meet the community and to begin to work alongside Penn State’s talented student-athletes and dedicated coaches and staff to uphold and advance excellence for Penn State. My focus will be to provide the best experience for our student-athletes and staff, continue to grow our sports programs, and to enhance the best atmosphere in the Big Ten for our community and fans.”
Kraft met several fundraising goals at Boston College, including support for a future practice facility for men’s and women’s basketball and fully endow head coach positions for ski and women’s ice hockey.
“In the ever-changing landscape of college athletics, Pat has proven to be a bold leader,” football coach James Franklin said in a statement, “whose mindset and ability to adapt is as important as ever. It is clear to me that Pat embraces the proud tradition of Penn State and our 31 athletic programs.
“Pat’s background as a Big Ten college football player has helped mold his understanding of how impactful a successful football program can be for the entire university and community.”