Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1467458
1 2 J U N E / J U L Y 2 0 2 2 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M programs under the auspices of the Col- lege Football Playoff. Penn State also has a backlog of fa- cilities projects that it is hoping to fund, including a rebuilt natatorium, an in- door practice facility and a sprawling headquarters for Intercollegiate Ath- letics. The most expensive and ambitious of those projects involves efforts to either refurbish or replace Beaver Stadium. Kraft declined to discuss the stadium's future when he was asked about it at his introductory news conference. But he said he learned at Boston College that it's possible to improve aspects of a sta- dium's operation without undertaking major construction projects. "I've got to really get into it," he said. "There are a lot of things you can do in the short term. [Boston College's] sta- dium was like that. A lot of older sta- diums are like that. You've got to really analyze it. … It's something that obvi- ously we're going to have to figure out." During his news conference, Kraft promised to bring a sense of purpose and enthusiasm to his new job. He also promised that Penn State will continue to compete at a high level across the range of its athletic programs. "We will continue the tradition of winning," he said. "We will have suc- cess with honor and win. That tradition is Penn State." Given his resume and the personal charisma he displayed at his open- ing presser, it's not hard to see why he emerged as a top Penn State target. He checks all the major boxes and most of the minor ones. He has all the signs of someone willing to fight for Penn State athletics and advocate for it at every turn. And he will start doing so before the fall athletics seasons begin. "This is the mountaintop," Kraft said. "I'm ready. And now it's time to get to work." ■ Incoming university president Neeli Bendapudi led the search process that ended with Kraft's appointment. She said she wanted an athletics director who "understood that we are a place where the student-athlete truly comes first." PHOTO BY RYAN SNYDER THE KRAFT FILE Hometown: Libertyville, Ind. Education: Indiana — Ph.D. sports management; master's degree, sports marketing administration; bachelor's degree, sports marketing management Family: Wife: Betsy; daughter: Annabelle; son: Joseph ADMINISTRATIVE CAREER YEARS SCHOOL TITLE 2022- Penn State Vice president for intercollegiate athletics 2020-22 Boston College Athletics director 2015-20 Temple Athletics director 2013-15 Temple Deputy athletics director 2011-13 Loyola University Chicago Associate athletics director 2009-11 Indiana Assistant athletics director