FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 13, 2005
Contact: Mark Aydelotte or Tom Uribes 
(559) 278-2795 or 246-1717

Ohio University Athletics Director Thomas Boeh
Selected As New Fresno State Athletics Director

Fresno State’s search for a new Athletics Director has culminated in the selection of Thomas C. Boeh, the current athletics director at Ohio University.

Boeh’s appointment was announced today by California State University, Fresno President John D. Welty in the Joe Josephine Theater of the Duncan Athletic Facility.

“Boeh brings the combination of experience, performance and a commitment to high academic standards that Fresno State needs to compete at a national level,” said Welty.  “Fresno State was seeking an experienced athletics director with a solid record of performance. We have found one of the top athletics directors in the country to guide our program.”

Boeh (pronounced “bay”), who has served as athletics director of Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, since July 1995, was appointed by Welty following a national search conducted by a 15-member campus and community committee.

“I am grateful for the confidence that Dr. Welty and members of the university community have shown me today,” Boeh said.

“I am extremely enthused by the staggering potential of Fresno State Athletics,” Boeh said. “There are obvious challenges facing the program today, but we intend to meet them all head-on and build upon the great tradition of the Bulldog Athletics program.”

Boeh joins Fresno State after leading Ohio University’s Athletics Department for 10 years.  The Ohio University program is a 20-sport, NCAA I-A athletics program with 104 staff members, 565 student-athletes and a $14 million annual budget.

Boeh’s athletics program at Ohio University is one of the most highly regarded in the country.  In 2001 The Sporting News ranked Ohio’s overall program 32nd among 115 NCAA I-A institutions. The ranking included evaluations for competitive success, fan support, integrity and equity.

Ohio earned an “A” rating in graduation rates and NCAA compliance.  Ohio is a perennial national leader in student-athlete graduation achievement.  In 2004, the Ohio program had a 73 percent graduation rate.

In 2004, The Chronicle of Higher Education reported that Ohio University ranked second nationally among all NCAA I-A institutions relative to the equity of expenditures for men's and women's sports programs.

At Fresno State, Boeh will oversee an athletics program with a $22 million budget supporting 17 sports.  Fresno State has one of the largest and most rapidly expanding fan bases in the nation and ranks among the nation’s top programs in attendance.  Fresno State’s athletics program competes at a national level in many sports, including football, basketball, softball, golf, baseball, tennis and equestrian.

The university also has nationally known and highly respected sports facilities. The university’s softball, baseball and football facilities are considered to be among the best in the country, and the $103 million Save Mart Center is one of the finest arena and public events center at any university on the West Coast.

During Boeh’s tenure at Ohio University, his teams won conference championships in men’s basketball, baseball, women’s cross country, field hockey, soccer, swimming and diving, volleyball and wrestling.

Under Boeh's leadership, Ohio has been extremely aggressive in its efforts to achieve gender equity and compliance with Title IX. Since 1995, three women's sports programs have been initiated: golf, soccer and lacrosse.

Additionally, numerous women's facilities have been constructed, sports budgets have been restructured to reflect equity among men's and women's programs and operating and decision-making procedures have been reorganized to establish an authentic gender-neutral environment.

The most visible changes in the past 10 years have come in grounds and facilities. Ohio University's athletics facilities have undergone major renovation and are recognized as being among the best in the Midwest. The ambitious "Victory with Honor" campaign resulted in the completion of 41 state-of-the-art facilities used by Bobcat student-athletes.

Fund raising efforts have seen unprecedented and steady growth. Annual fund raising totals have risen more than 500 percent since 1995. Ohio University recently concluded its Bicentennial Capital Campaign, during which Ohio Athletics exceeded its $10 million departmental goal.

Prior to his tenure at Ohio, Boeh served as associate director of Athletics for External Affairs at Northwestern University, overseeing areas such as development, marketing and promotions, ticket operations, sports publications, media services, game management and broadcasting properties. Boeh led the initiative for Northwestern's first multimedia marketing plan, which included procurement of corporate support and electronic advertising.

Preceding Northwestern, Boeh spent four years at the University of Maine, first as the associate director of Athletics for External Affairs and then was promoted to senior associate director of Athletics for Administration and Development. Boeh also spent time in a variety of roles at Rasmussen Communications Management (RCM), the University of Illinois and his alma mater, Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa.

Boeh recently served a term as a Mid-American Conference (MAC) representative to the NCAA Management Council, is current the chair of the MAC Athletics Directors' Group and is one of three members of the MAC Executive Council.

Past service includes chair of the MAC Marketing and Broadcasting Committee and membership on the MAC Finance Committee.

Boeh received the General Robert R. Neyland Athletics Director Award for his outstanding achievements at Ohio. He was presented the award during the All-America Football Foundation banquet at the Chicago Athletic Club on July 23, 2001.

The 46-year-old Chicago-area native received a bachelor of arts degree in physical education at Loras College, with a minor in history in 1981, and a master of science degree in athletic administration from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana in 1988.

Boeh and his wife, Debby, currently reside in Athens, Ohio.

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