Bryan Felt Named Seton Hall's Director of Athletics
7/18/2019 12:00:00 PM | Baseball, General, Men's Basketball, Men's Cross Country, Men's Golf, Men's Soccer, Men's Swimming and Diving, Softball, Women's Basketball, Women's Cross Country, Women's Golf, Women's Soccer, Women's Swimming and Diving, Women's Tennis, Women's Volleyball, Pirate Blue, H.A.L.L. Program
South Orange, N.J. - Bryan Felt, a two-time graduate of Seton Hall University and former leader of the Pirate Blue Athletic Fund from 2004-2017, has been named Director of Athletics & Recreation. Felt, who has served as the Director of Athletics at Saint Peter's University since September 2017, succeeds Pat Lyons, who was promoted to Seton Hall University's Executive Vice President and Chief of Staff.
Felt will assume his position effective August 26. An introductory press conference will be held at a later date.
"Bryan Felt is an outstanding leader and a perfect fit to become our new Director of Athletics," said Seton Hall University President-Elect Dr. Joseph E. Nyre. "In his decade-plus service to Seton Hall, he has developed lasting relationships, cultivated athletic fundraising to record success and developed a wealth of institutional knowledge. No one is more prepared to build upon the success athletics has already achieved than Bryan."
"We're tremendously excited to welcome Bryan, his wife Tara, and their three children back to their home here at Seton Hall," Lyons said. "Bryan did a phenomenal job elevating our external units during his time here, and with the amount of experience he has and the relationships he has built here, we have no doubt that he is the perfect candidate to lead our student-athletes, coaches and administrators and execute the department's vision for success."
Felt has been synonymous with Seton Hall University for over 20 years. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree at The Hall in 1997 and then his Master of Arts in Corporate and Public Communication in 2005. After working in the television industry for both NBC and CNN, Felt began working at Seton Hall full-time in the University advancement department in 2001 and then was named the Executive Director of the Pirate Blue Athletic Fund in 2004.
In September 2011, Felt joined Lyons' senior administration as Associate Athletics Director for External Affairs and was promoted to Senior Associate Athletics Director in September 2015. He oversaw all components of the department's external units, including fundraising, tickets, communications, digital media and marketing. He also has served as the department's liaison with Learfield/IMG College regarding corporate partnerships and University licensing and branding. Additionally, Felt was sport administrator for the softball program.
With Felt's fundraising oversight, the Pirate Blue Athletic Fund saw record growth each year. In addition, during Felt's tenure, the department successfully launched and completed two capital campaigns resulting in over $40 million of athletic facility improvements.
"I am humbled and honored to receive this opportunity, and I'd like to thank President Nyre and Pat Lyons for their support and trust," Felt said. "They are visionary leaders, and I'm excited to work alongside them in achieving all of the University's goals.
"Seton Hall University has been a part of my life for over two decades, and the opportunity to lead the athletics department is a dream come true. I now look forward to working with our student-athletes, coaches, staff, Pirate Blue supporters and our entire University community to continue to inspire a championship culture of success on the field, in the classroom and in life."
Felt's most recent position was as Director of Athletics at Saint Peter's, where in less than two years he made a significant impact on the department. In men's and women's basketball, Felt hired new head coaches and instituted the department's first-ever season ticket plan. The excitement surrounding Peacocks basketball resulted in a 110 percent increase in ticket revenue and a 40 percent increase in home game attendance.Â
In addition to ticket revenue increases, Felt's stewardship also led to record fundraising as the department received a $5 million gift towards athletic facility improvements. Felt also contracted with Van Wagner Sports and Entertainment to further enhance the department's corporate partnership opportunities.
With a boost in fundraising, especially in funds going towards facility upgrades, Felt created a longterm plan to renovate all athletics facilities. Recently completed projects include a new varsity weight room, renovations to the basketball locker rooms and the installation of new scoreboards at the soccer, softball and baseball fields.
In the classroom, Saint Peter's has seen significant growth under Felt's leadership. The department reached a 92 percent NCAA Graduation Success Rate, the highest in program history, and the cumulative grade-point average sits at 3.16 at the end of the 2018-19 academic year with 45 percent of all student-athletes qualifying for the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Honor Roll.
To enhance Saint Peter's reach and visibility, Felt also made improvements to the Peacocks All-Access Digital Network with the purchase of a custom mobile production van that will allow the department to broadcast all home events through the MAAC's partnership with ESPN3.
Felt will assume his position effective August 26. An introductory press conference will be held at a later date.
"Bryan Felt is an outstanding leader and a perfect fit to become our new Director of Athletics," said Seton Hall University President-Elect Dr. Joseph E. Nyre. "In his decade-plus service to Seton Hall, he has developed lasting relationships, cultivated athletic fundraising to record success and developed a wealth of institutional knowledge. No one is more prepared to build upon the success athletics has already achieved than Bryan."
"We're tremendously excited to welcome Bryan, his wife Tara, and their three children back to their home here at Seton Hall," Lyons said. "Bryan did a phenomenal job elevating our external units during his time here, and with the amount of experience he has and the relationships he has built here, we have no doubt that he is the perfect candidate to lead our student-athletes, coaches and administrators and execute the department's vision for success."
Felt has been synonymous with Seton Hall University for over 20 years. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree at The Hall in 1997 and then his Master of Arts in Corporate and Public Communication in 2005. After working in the television industry for both NBC and CNN, Felt began working at Seton Hall full-time in the University advancement department in 2001 and then was named the Executive Director of the Pirate Blue Athletic Fund in 2004.In September 2011, Felt joined Lyons' senior administration as Associate Athletics Director for External Affairs and was promoted to Senior Associate Athletics Director in September 2015. He oversaw all components of the department's external units, including fundraising, tickets, communications, digital media and marketing. He also has served as the department's liaison with Learfield/IMG College regarding corporate partnerships and University licensing and branding. Additionally, Felt was sport administrator for the softball program.
With Felt's fundraising oversight, the Pirate Blue Athletic Fund saw record growth each year. In addition, during Felt's tenure, the department successfully launched and completed two capital campaigns resulting in over $40 million of athletic facility improvements.
"I am humbled and honored to receive this opportunity, and I'd like to thank President Nyre and Pat Lyons for their support and trust," Felt said. "They are visionary leaders, and I'm excited to work alongside them in achieving all of the University's goals.
"Seton Hall University has been a part of my life for over two decades, and the opportunity to lead the athletics department is a dream come true. I now look forward to working with our student-athletes, coaches, staff, Pirate Blue supporters and our entire University community to continue to inspire a championship culture of success on the field, in the classroom and in life."
Felt's most recent position was as Director of Athletics at Saint Peter's, where in less than two years he made a significant impact on the department. In men's and women's basketball, Felt hired new head coaches and instituted the department's first-ever season ticket plan. The excitement surrounding Peacocks basketball resulted in a 110 percent increase in ticket revenue and a 40 percent increase in home game attendance.Â
In addition to ticket revenue increases, Felt's stewardship also led to record fundraising as the department received a $5 million gift towards athletic facility improvements. Felt also contracted with Van Wagner Sports and Entertainment to further enhance the department's corporate partnership opportunities.
With a boost in fundraising, especially in funds going towards facility upgrades, Felt created a longterm plan to renovate all athletics facilities. Recently completed projects include a new varsity weight room, renovations to the basketball locker rooms and the installation of new scoreboards at the soccer, softball and baseball fields.
In the classroom, Saint Peter's has seen significant growth under Felt's leadership. The department reached a 92 percent NCAA Graduation Success Rate, the highest in program history, and the cumulative grade-point average sits at 3.16 at the end of the 2018-19 academic year with 45 percent of all student-athletes qualifying for the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Honor Roll.
To enhance Saint Peter's reach and visibility, Felt also made improvements to the Peacocks All-Access Digital Network with the purchase of a custom mobile production van that will allow the department to broadcast all home events through the MAAC's partnership with ESPN3.
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