St. John’s employed former Fordham athletic director and New York native Ed Kull to function its new athletic director, the non-public Catholic college introduced Wednesday.
Ed Kull graduated with an M.B.A. from St. John’s Tobin Faculty of Enterprise in 2005
“Ed Kull has demonstrated a dedication to excellence on and off the sphere of competitors,” mentioned St. John’s President, the Rev. Brian J. Shanley.
“This is a vital rent at a vital time within the shifting panorama of faculty athletics, and I’m happy to have Ed rejoin our group.”
Kull grew up in Queens, not removed from St. John’s, and was a star baseball participant at Stony Brook College on Lengthy Island. He graduated with a B.A. in 2003. Kull labored as a graduate assistant in Carnesecca Area as nicely. Two years later, he graduated with an M.B.A. from St. John’s Tobin Faculty of Enterprise.
Excited to welcome Ed Kull again to Queens as the brand new Director of Athletics! 🔴🌩
🗞️ https://t.co/Fi3gSLtUfb pic.twitter.com/riRKF7YMi0
— St. John’s Pink Storm (@StJohnsRedStorm) September 11, 2024
“To say that is the distinction of my skilled life could be an understatement,” Kull mentioned. “I perceive the work that we now have forward of us won’t be simple, however I wholeheartedly consider that we are going to commit each useful resource essential to revive St. John’s to its pure place atop the collegiate athletic panorama.”
St. John’s has been with out an athletic director since Mike Cragg, and the college mutually agreed to half methods after he spent six years on the Huge East faculty. Kull was named as one in all SJU’s high candidates to supervise basketball coach Rick Pitino’s workers.
Kull had beforehand labored at Fordham since April 2020
He left faculty sports activities for a number of years, earlier than returning to St. John’s from 2011 to 2017, together with a stint as vp of athletics the place he labored on income initiatives for the college president.
“I’m glad to welcome Ed again dwelling to St. John’s,” mentioned Joseph Oliva, Senior Vice President and Chief Working Officer. “We loved an amazing working relationship previously. Ed has the expertise and drive to attain athletic targets. His ardour and love for St. John’s… will assist to remodel our athletic division.”
Kull had been at Fordham since April 2020. He took over the full-time submit in February 2021. Underneath Kull, Fordham’s males’s basketball program discovered some success below the 2 coaches he employed, Kyle Neptune and Keith Urgo. Neptune left after one season to return to Villanova and substitute Jay Wright as head coach.
Earlier than Kull employed Neptune, the Rams had gone 45-95 over the earlier 5 seasons, together with a 2-12 mark in 2020-21. In his lone yr on the helm, Neptune led the Rams to a 16-16 file and an look within the Atlantic 10 Quarterfinals for the primary time in 15 years.
Urgo led the Rams to their greatest season in three many years in 2022-23. Fordham’s soccer group made the FCS playoffs in 2022. Moreover, the Rams have earned convention titles and NCAA berths in water polo, males’s soccer, softball, and girls’s tennis below Kull.
Kull additionally benefitted Fordham Athletics’ fundraising. The Rams concluded their third straight fiscal yr with a file fundraising whole, together with a $7.6 million determine in 2023-24. It was greater than $2.5 million greater than the earlier yr’s mark.