Feb. 6, 2008
SAN DIEGO, Calif. - Ky Snyder, Executive Director of Athletics at the University of San Diego, announced today that Steve Becvar has been hired as the Associate Athletics Director for Marketing and Sponsorship.
"I am very excited to have Steve Becvar join the USD family," stated Snyder. "He will be a great addition to our department and his vast experience will only help us continue to rise as an athletics department."
Becvar, 45, comes to USD after serving as the Executive Associate Athletic Director and General Manager of Aztec Sports Properties at San Diego State University since 2003. In this role, his responsibilities included overseeing the Aztecs' marketing and corporate sales efforts, along with media relations and faculty and operations departments.
During his tenure at SDSU, Becvar had a profound impact on the athletics department, as he was instrumental in surpassing San Diego State's fundraising goal by 30 percent in 2004, and helped increase the average football attendance from 22,626 in 2003 to 33,99 in 2004. The attendance increase was the third largest increase in the nation and included a school-record single-game crowd of 57,216 for the 2005 season opener. From April through July of 2005, Becvar served as the interim athletics director at SDSU.
"Given what I have learned about USD and the people I have met, I am very impressed with the level of quality and commitment to excellence. I look forward to increasing support for the University of San Diego and Torero athletics," stated Becvar. "Southern California has a vibrant mix of Business, corporate and community opportunities that compliment the quality of athletics found at USD."
Prior to working at SDSU, Becvar was the Director of Sponsorship/Corporate Sales for the NBA's Memphis Grizzlies from 2001-2003, where he navigated the team's corporate relations efforts by sparking the local community involvement, easing the team's relocation from Vancouver with the help of more than $10 million in corporate support.
The Maryland native was a key figure in laying the groundwork for the XFL's Memphis Maniax during the team's inaugural 2000-01 campaign, as the vice president of sales and marketing. In this role, Becvar oversaw many of the team's daily operations, including hiring staff, managing the budget, negotiating business contracts and developing facilities.
Prior to his stints with the Memphis Grizzlies and Maniax, he was the associate athletics director for development for the United States Air Force Academy. His accomplishments in this role included raising over $1 million for the new football scoreboard and the development of an in-house radio network.
Becvar and his wife Jo have three children, Stephanie (15), David (12)and Terrence(10) and reside in Valley Center.
