Patrick Kraft Named Director of Athletics

Starting a new job always comes with a learning curve. But during a global pandemic? “It’s crazy. A good kind of crazy,” said Patrick Kraft, who in July was named the William V. Campbell Director of Athletics at Boston College. “Every day brings another challenge in this COVID-19 world.”

Kraft’s hiring follows the departure of Martin Jarmond, who left BC in May to become the director of athletics at UCLA. Kraft, 43, comes to Chestnut Hill at a time when college coaches, trainers, and athletes across the country are navigating a new normal—one that includes masks and regular COVID screenings, but no fans. Here at BC, student-athletes will dine, work out, and live together under the University’s coronavirus-response plan. “What we’re doing is creating a bubble within the greater Boston College bubble,” Kraft said. 

This may be an unusual season, but Kraft—who works with athletes to prioritize the alignment of mind, body, and spirit—remains optimistic and excited about working at a school that so aligns with his ethos. “This was the job for me,” he said. “I believe deeply in the Jesuit principles, and it is rare when the professional and personal come together in such a perfect way.” 

Kraft comes to BC after leading the athletics program at Temple University for seven years. There, he focused on hiring new coaches and making investments in the university’s athletic facilities. During his tenure, Temple won the 2016 AAC football championship, appeared in five straight bowl games for the first time in school history, won the 2015–2016 men’s basketball AAC regular season championship, and made the NCAA women’s basketball tournament for the first time in five years. Previously, Kraft was the executive senior associate athletic director at Loyola University Chicago, a Jesuit institution. 

A native of Libertyville, Illinois, Kraft played football at Indiana University. He went on to earn three degrees from the school: a Ph.D. in sports management, a master’s degree in sports marketing administration, and a bachelor’s degree in sports marketing management. 

While Kraft may be taking over at a time of great uncertainty, he said that whatever comes to pass, BC athletics will be prepared. “We don’t know what this season is going to look like,” he said. “But we will all go at it together as a family and do the best we possibly can.”