USD Football 1997

Director ofAthletics

Page33

TOM IANNACONE Director Of Athletics

Tom Iannacone begins his tenth year as Director of Athletics at the University of San Diego. He w;is named Director of Athletics on September 1, 1988 after holding the same position the previous four years at St. Francis College of Pennsylvania. At USO, Iannacone directs an Athletic Department that includes sixteen NCAA Division I intercollegiate varsity teams, eight men's and eight women's, plus intramurals and recreation. In the last nine years behind his direction and leadership, Torero Athletics has enjoyed successes both on and off the playing field. His accomplishments at USO include an internal reorganization of the athletic department, plus improve– ments in the major areas of personnel, scholarship assistance, facilities, promotions and marketing, fund raising, drug education, academic support, and a university approved plan for scholarship support and sports sponsorship. In addition, he was instrumental in USO gaining membership to the Pioneer Football League, which began play in 1993. He is a member of the I-AA Athletic Directors Association

Executi ve Committee; and is past Chairman of the West Coast Conference Athletics Directors Committee. During Iannacone's tenure, facilities at the USO Sports Center, along with all athletic fields, have seen vast improvements. Improvements at the Sports Center include complete renovations of both the north and south wings that added offices for administrators and coaches; additional locker rooms for women's basketball, volleyball and women's soccer; an athletic department conference room; and an academic support room. Torero Stadium, where football, men's and women's soccer compete, was widened to accommodate soccer, and added a state-of-the-art lighting system and scoreboard. The Softball Complex has benefitted with a scoreboard, new dugouts and batting cages. Additionally, The Canyon Field received lighting for intercollegiate practices and intramural use. This fall the university will kickoff its Capital Campaign for the Jenny Craig Pavilion, a new 5,000 seat multi-purpose facility that will be home for USO basketball and volleyball, and benefit the entire university community. On the playing fields, USO has sent nineteen teams to NCAA Tournaments since Iannacone's arrival in the Fall of 1988. Additionally, the school has captured five conference championships; nineteen NCAA All-Americans; fifteen CoSIDN GTE Academic All-Americans; eleven conference Coaches of the Year; ten conference Players of the Year; and

three West Coast Conference Scholar-Athletes of the Year. Since '88 the uni vers ity has been the host site for NCAA Tournament events for women ' s volleyball, men's soccer and women's tennis. Prior to USO, Iannacone built an impressive list of credentials at St. Francis College as Director of Athletics between 1984-87 . His major contributions included the expansion of sports offerings and scholarships for both men and women, improved budgets, renovation of athletic faci lities, the hiring of additional staff, and the establishment of a master plan for the future and continual development of athletics. He served on several committees, most notably the Eastern Collegiate Athl etic Confer– ence (ECAC) Infractions committee and the Northeast Conference com– mittee on conference development. He served as assistant Director of Athletics at Fordham University between I 977-84. Along with his administrative duties, he was assistant football coach for the Rams. Between 1975-78, he acted as offensive coord inator and backfield coach as Fordham captured 19 victories in their fin al 24 games during this span. The '77 squad was and remains the highest scoring team in Fordham history, averaging 34 points per game. In 1983 he was presented the prestigious Jack Coffey Award by the Al umni Association for his outstanding contributions to Fordham athlet– ics. He also served on various Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference committees. Prior to Fordham, Iannacone taught physical education and coached track and field, and football in Connecticut Public School Districts from 1964-76. He made his collegiate football coaching debut as an offensive bad.fi eld coach at Western Connecticut State University in 1974. A 1964 graduate of the University of Connecticut, Iannacone received his master of science degree in physical education from Southern Connecticut State University in 1973. Tom and his wife, Cynthia, have three children: Tom Jr., Jennifer and Eric. All three are graduates of the University of San Diego.

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