New AD Says Student-Athletes’ Well-Being Is Top Priority

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Craig Pintens, LMU’s next athletic director

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ATHLETICS | The new athletic director for Loyola Marymount, Craig Pintens, said that the alignment of Jesuit values with the quest for excellence is what convinced him that LMU was the right place for him. Pintens stressed that the student-athletes’ well-being is his highest priority. He has written about the Jesuit principle of cura personalis: “The values and pursuit of the institution itself are inexorably tied to shaping each of its students in every aspect of their being, and is the ideal mission of all collegiate athletic programs.”

In announcing the hire, President Timothy Law Snyder, Ph.D., said, “Craig Pintens will be a game changer for the LMU Lions. He is a leader, a champion, a builder, and a collaborator who will challenge our student-athletes to be fierce competitors with purpose and integrity. Together with our coaches, he will lionize our athletics programs and amplify LMU’s renown.” Pintens will start on June 25 and replaces outgoing Athletic Director William S. Husak, who is retiring after 20 years at LMU.

President Snyder also invites the LMU community to a welcome reception in Pintens’ honor, taking place on Wednesday, June 13 from 12-1:30 p.m. in Lawton Plaza. Lunch will be provided. Please RSVP by Friday, June 8.

Pintens said that his first order of business is to begin to develop relationships in the Athletics Department, coaches and staff, and across campus to better understand LMU’s priorities and challenges. “Once I understand that, we’re going to put a plan in place and accomplish things,” Pintens said.

He said that building the foundation of an athletic culture means excellence in all programs, and he expressed enthusiasm for the Lions’ women’s programs. Pintens also acknowledged that recruiting in the Los Angeles area is a challenge, but he said that LMU’s campus and its reputation for academic excellence are attractive to high school athletes. He said that improving the facilities will also be a factor.

Pintens comes to LMU from the University of Oregon, where he has served as senior associate athletic director for the past seven years. In that role, he helped guide Oregon’s athletic programs to tremendous success in competition and transformed the fan experience, strategic planning processes, athletics operations, promotions, and fundraising.

“I am honored to lead LMU’s athletic programs, and look forward to building the next generation of Lion champions,” Pintens said. “LMU is a top-tier university with a celebrated athletics history in the heart of a dynamic global city. We will compete for championships, we will graduate our student-athletes and we will make the LMU community proud. I thank President Snyder for this incredible opportunity and Jill, our children and I cannot wait to join the LMU family.”

Prior to his tenure at Oregon, Pintens worked in the athletic departments at Louisiana State University, Marquette University and the University of Texas-Pan American. At LSU, Pintens implemented strategic ticket sales plans, leading to record ticket sales and attendance numbers. At Marquette, he enacted fundraising initiatives that generated more than $2 million while increasing the donor base by 33 percent. At the University of Texas-Pan American, he managed sales, promotions, game-day operations; and he successfully negotiated the university’s first Spanish radio broadcast deal.

Pintens is an accomplished public speaker, appearing at conferences throughout the country. The National Association of Collegiate Marketing Administrators has honored him with 35 awards in the areas of season ticket campaigns, advertising, ticket sales, new media, video, and corporate sponsorship.

Pintens is also a member of the Wisconsin Bar; he earned his Juris Doctor from Marquette University School of Law and his Bachelor of Business Administration degree in marketing cum laude from the University of Wisconsin, Whitewater.

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