The 2024-25 Louisiana Tech Golf record book is a publication of the Strategic Communications Office. It has been designed as a source of information for the news media and Bulldog Golf fans.
News releases, photos, and other services are available to accredited members of the news media. Current releases, statistics, and photos can also be obtained at LATechSports.com
Editor: Kane McGuire
Covers, Layout and Design: Donnie Bell Design
Photography: Josh McDaniel, Kane McGuire, Tom Morris, Emerald McIntyre, Darrell James.
ATHLETIC VISION
Louisiana Tech University will be a conference leader in performance by investing strategically in student-athletes’ development, providing superior facilities and enhancing program support to achieve a local and national image of success and dominance.
ATHLETIC MISSION STATEMENT
Embody excellence in everything we do.
Develop student-athletes to maximize their potential in mind, body and spirit.
Bring pride, admiration, and loyalty to the University family, community and state.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Location Ruston, La.
Founded 1894
Enrollment 11,612 (as of Fall 2023)
Affiliation NCAA Division I
Nickname Bulldogs
Colors Blue and Red Conference Conference USA (since 2013)
President Dr. Jim Henderson
Athletic Director Ryan Ivey
SWA Mary Kay Hungate
Sport Administrator Mary Kay Hungate
Faculty Representative Dr. Donna Thomas
FACILITY INFORMATION
Home Course Squire Creek Country Club Year Opened: 2002
Location Choudrant, La.
COACHING STAFF
Head Coach Matt Terry (8th Season) Alma Mater: Alabama, 1996
Assistant Coach James Swash (2nd Season) Alma Mater: Louisiana Tech, 2022
SUPPORT STAFF
Academic Director Lindsey McKaskle
Athletic Trainer Nathan Lewis
Sports Performance Coach Chris Watson
TEAM INFORMATION
Players R/L 8/5
Newcomers 4
NCAA DI Team Appearances 1 Last: 2016 (Tucson Regional)
Oct. 26-27, 2024 Steelwood Collegiate Invitational Loxley, Ala.
Nov. 2-4, 2024 Ka'anapali Classic Lahaina, Hawaii
Feb. 3-4, 2025 Sea Best Invitational Atlantic Beach, Fla.
Feb. 10-11, 2025 Hal Williams Collegiate Mobile, Ala.
March 10-11, 2025 Louisiana Classics Lafayette, La.
March 16-18, 2025 Linger Longer Invitational Eatonton, Ga.
March 31-April 1, 2025 Maridoe Intercollegiate Carrollton, Texas
April 12-13, 2025 Aggie Invitational Bryan, Texas
April 21-24, 2025 Conference USA Championship Texarkana, Ark. May 12-14, 2025 NCAA Regionals TBD
MATT TERRY HEAD
COACH
Head coach Matt Terry heads into his eighth season at the helm of the Louisiana Tech Golf program following a second straight season of leading the Bulldogs into match play at the 2024 Conference USA Championship.
For the first time in program history, LA Tech finished first in stroke play at the CUSA event after shooting 280-294-286=860 (-4) to finish three strokes better than the second-place team. The Bulldogs' 860 was its lowest 54-hole total in a conference championship in school history, earning them the No. 1 seed for match play.
Meanwhile for a third straight season, Terry had a Bulldog receive a bid to compete as an individual at the NCAA Regionals. This season that Bulldog was Niilo Maki-Petaja who became the most decorated freshman in program history. The Conference USA and Louisiana Freshman of the Year and First Team All-CUSA selection was ranked as high as No. 200 in the country after registering five top-five finishes, including an individual title at the Aggie Invitational. He would compete at the NCAA Baton Rouge Regionals where he tied for 27th among the stellar field.
After signing a contract extension in the summer of 2022, Terry went on to become just the third LA Tech head coach in the program's history to earn conference coach of the year honors and the first in 40 years after being voted as the CUSA Coach of the Year.
Terry's Bulldogs ended up reaching the match play portion of the 2023 CUSA Championship for just the second time in program history, which included a win over No. 2 seed Middle Tennessee to reach the finals. That was not the only highlight from the postseason event as James Swash claimed the CUSA individual title, the first Bulldog to be an individual medalist since 1980. In doing so, the First Team All-Conference USA selection earned an automatic qualifier to the NCAA Norman Regional where he tied for 21st, the second-highest finish by a LA Tech golfer ever at a regional.
It was the second straight season Terry coached an individual to an NCAA Regional, having guided Sam Murphy in 2022. As a team, LA Tech registered four top-five finishes and set a program record for posting nine rounds at par or better. The season started out with placing fourth at the Jim Rivers Intercollegiate, a home event where the Bulldogs shot a combined 854 (-10), their lowest 54-hole total since 2015 and fourth lowest on record. It was also an event that saw Murphy take home first-place honors after firing a 203 (-13). Murphy, a Second Team All-Conference USA selection, ended the season tying for 23rd at the NCAA Norman Regional.
In the 2020-21 season, Terry was named the LSWA Louisiana Coach of the Year after LA Tech recorded three top-five finishes: LaTour Intercollegiate (1st, -12), Jim Rivers Intercollegiate (4th, -4), and Linger Longer Invitational (4th, -4). The team finished the LaTour Intercollegiate 18 strokes ahead of second place Jacksonville State as they registered a combined -12 (288-276=564). Tech's -12 (276) second round performance tied for the lowest team round score in program history. Mac Murphy went on to be named Third Team all-Conference USA.
In the COVID-19 shortened 2020 season, The Bulldogs placed in the top-10 at five of their six tournaments during the season and routinely outpaced higher-ranked teams. In 2018-19, the Bulldogs picked up five top-ten finishes, including a victory at the Jerry Weeks Match Play tournament. Terry coached Swash who earned C-USA Freshman of the Year honors that season.
Prior to coming to Ruston, Terry spent 15 years building highly success men's and women's golf programs at Troy University. Terry spent all 15 seasons at the helm of the Troy men's golf team, the final four as the Director of Golf, and 11 seasons guiding the women's golf team. Under his leadership and vision, the Trojans reached its pinnacle in 2015 as both the men's and women's teams competed in the NCAA Regionals.
That started a three-year stretch where the Trojans competed in the NCAA Regionals in 2015, 2016, and 2017 while the Troy women advanced to the NCAA Regionals three times in the span of four years (2014, 2015, and 2017).
Terry saw his hard work pay off as the Troy men's team won the 2016 Sun Belt Conference Championship -- its first ever as a member of the league -- while earning its second straight NCAA Regional bid. The Trojans played in the Franklin Regional as the Sun Belt's automatic selection. The Trojans made their first appearance in an NCAA Regional under Terry after earning an at-large bid to the New Haven Regional in 2015.
The 2017 season saw the program earn its third straight berth into the NCAA Regionals as the Trojans were tabbed as an at-large selection into the NCAA College Grove Regional at The Grove. The Trojans finished in the sixth place, just one spot from qualifying as a team for the NCAA Championships.
In addition to the team accomplishments, Troy sent two individuals to the NCAA Championships as Tolver Dozier (2015) and Cam Norman (2017) both played their way through the Regionals to advance to the highest stage.
Six of Terry's former players are currently playing professionally -- James Swash, Sam Murphy, Mac Murphy, Ryan Alford, Karsten Green, and Sofia Björkman.
Prior to coming to Troy in the fall of 2002, Terry served as the head coach at Shelton State Community College in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. During his three seasons there, he led the Buccaneers to the national tournament three times, finishing in third place twice before winning the championship in 2002.
A native of Moulton, Alabama, Terry has been an avid golfer since dropping baseball to concentrate on the sport in high school. He served as director of the Tuscaloosa Junior Golf Tour, supervising up to 175 children ages 8 to 18. Terry also has experience as a teacher, serving as the assistant pro at the Turtle Creek Golf Club in Rockledge, Florida.
Terry has professional experience playing on the Hooters, Central Florida/Tommy Armour, and North Florida PGA Winter tours. He also participated in the 1988 PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament, better known as q-school.
Born in Augusta, Georgia, Terry received his bachelor's degree in marketing from the University of Alabama in 1996. He is married to the former Dixie McCreless and the couple has three children: Mya, Alyssa, and Sawyer.
@CoachMattTerry
If you’ve been a part of the CUSA family for years, we’re proud to have you here. If you’re new to us, welcome. No matter when you got here, know this: You’re part of more than a college athletics conference.
Every school, every town, every alumni and fan is an essential part of who CUSA is today, and equally important in taking us to the next level. With unstoppable energy, there are no limits on us.
So hop on, because we’re heading up.
FIU - JACKSONVILLE STATE - KENNESAW STATE - LIBERTY - LA TECH - MIDDLE TENNESSEE - NEW MEXICO STATE - SAM HOUSTON - UTEP - WKU MIAMI, FL - JACKSONVILLE, AL - KENNESAW, GA - LYNCHBURG, VA - RUSTON, LA - MURFREESBORO, TN - LAS CRUCES, NM - HUNTSVILLE, TX - EL PASO, TX - BOWLING GREEN, KY
2024-25 ROSTER
ISAAC ADAMS FRESHMAN LONGVIEW, TEXAS
JAKE PLUMB SOPHOMORE CAMBRIDGE, ENGLAND
MORTON BAILEY FRESHMAN CRAWLEY, ENGLAND
REEVES PULLIN JUNIOR CHOUDRANT, LOUISIANA
JT STEPHENS REDSHIRT JUNIOR RUSTON, LOUISIANA
RILEY HNATYSHYN JUNIOR ABITA SPRINGS, LOUISIANA
ALEJANDRO SANCHEZ JUNIOR MEXICO CITY, MEXICO
FREDDIE SURGEY FRESHMAN WEYBRIDGE, ENGLAND
GRAY KINGREA SOPHOMORE WEST MONROE, LOUISIANA
SCHUVALOW SOPHOMORE HELSINKI, FINLAND
TERRY HEAD COACH
NIILO MAKI-PETAJA SOPHOMORE HELSINKI, FINLAND
GRANT SMITH SENIOR MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA
OSKARI
MATT
JAMES SWASH ASSISTANT COACH
2023-24
LA TECH TOURNAMENT RESULTS
ARGENT FINANCIAL CLASSIC (SEPT. 10-12, 2023)
Squire Creek Country Club (Choudrant, La.)
Par 72 | 7,105 yards (16 teams, 93 players)
Louisiana
GMAC INVITATIONAL (SEPT. 24-26, 2023)
Limestone Springs Golf Club (Oneonta, Ala.)
Par 72 | 6,987 yards (13 teams, 84 players)
BANK
OF TENNESSEE INTERCOLLEGIATE (OCT. 8-10, 2023)
Blackthorn Club at the Ridges (Jonesborough, Tenn.)
Par 72 | 7,118 yards (15 teams, 90 players) Louisiana
The Champions Club at Julington Creek (Jacksonville, Fla.) (Par 72; 6,872 Yards)
1. South Alabama 299-290-290=879 +15
2. Little Rock 312-302-289=903 +39
3. Arkansas State 297-305-306=908 +44
4. Lamar 296-310-305=911 +47 New Orleans 307-312-292=911 +47
6. UT Pan American 309-304-301=914 +50
7. WKU 310-304-301=915 +51
8. UL-Lafayette 299-305-313=917 +53
9. Louisiana Tech 300-313-305=918 +54
10. Jacksonville 308-301-326=935 +71
t-10 Jeff Shell 73-79-73=225 +9
t-14 Andy
+25
1996 SUN BELT CONFERENCE
April 15-17, 1996
LeTriomphe Golf Club (Broussard, La.) (Par 72; 7,004 Yards)
1. South Alabama 288-287-292=867 +3 2. UL-Lafayette 291-293-287=871 +7 3. Little
+42
8. WKU 309-300-307=916 +52
9. New Orleans 317-302-298=917 +53 10. Jacksonville 331-324-315=970 +106
t-10 Andy Stinson 75-75-73=223 +7
t-18 Matt Jordan
1997 SUN BELT CONFERENCE
April 14-16, 1997
The Club at Cimarron (Mission, Texas) (Par 72, 6,821 Yards)
1. UL-Lafayette 280-285-294=859 -5 2. South Alabama 288-286-286=860 -4
3. Arkansas State 290-283-288=861 -3 4. Little Rock 282-288-292=862 -2 5. Jacksonville 298-285-296=879 +15 Lamar 297-285-297=879 +15 UT Pan American 299-285-295=879 +15
Jimmie Austin OU Golf Club (Norman, Okla.) (Par 72; 7,452 Yards)
1. Oklahoma 277-285-276=838 -26
2. Auburn 280-276-292=848 -16
3. Ole Miss 287-281-281=849 -15
4. Texas 282-286-284=852 -12
5. Utah 280-292-288=860 -4
6. South Carolina 278-295-293=866 +2
7. Louisville 297-284-290=871 +7
8. San Diego State 290-293-290=873 +9
9. Kansas State 302-288-292=882 +18
10. Missouri 294-296-295=885 +21
11. Kent State 307-293-288=888 +24
12. UT Martin 296-306-308=910 +46
13. Rider 304-311-301=916 +52
t-23 Sam Murphy* 71-70-76=217 +1
* - denotes competing as an individual
2023 NCAA Regionals
May 15-17
Jimmie Austin OU Golf Club (Norman, Okla.) (Par 72; 7,452 Yards)
1. Alabama 281-280-275=836 -28
2. Oklahoma 279-284-276=839 -25
3. Colorado 284-281-276=841 -23
4. Texas Tech 278-287-277=842 -22
5. Duke 283-285-275=843 -21
6. North Florida 285-281-278=844 -20
7. Wake Forest 294-281-279=854 -10
8. LSU 292-280-283=855 -9
9. Kansas 288-289-281=858 -6
10. Ole Miss 293-280-286=859 -5
11. UNC Wilmington 296-282-285=863 -1
12. Princeton 293-296-280=869 +5
13. UL-Lafayette 297-290-287=874 +10
14. Arkansas-Pine Bluff 313-307-306=926 +62
t-21 James Swash* 72-71-69=212 -4
* - denotes competing as an individual
2024 NCAA Regionals
May 13-15
University Club (Baton Rouge, La.) (Par 72; 7,401 Yards)
1. Auburn 285-290-268=843 -21
2. Virginia 280-290-281=851 -13
3. Texas Tech 292-287-277=856 -8
4. Ohio State 289-294-281=864 E
5. LSU 295-289-284=868 +4
6. Houston 289-296-285=870 +6
7. Duke 291-291-291=873 +9
8. South Carolina 293-298-284=875 +11
9. Oregon 292-299-292=883 +19
10. Louisville 301-301-283=885 +21
11. Lipscomb 294-298-296=888 +24
12. Yale 320-304-295=919 +55
13. Loyola Maryland 310-315-304=929 +65
14. Arkansas-Pine Bluff 321-328-327=976 +112
t-27 Niilo Maki-Petaja* 71-73-76=220 +4
* - denotes competing as an individual
INDIVIDUAL CHAMPIONS
2023 James Swash, CUSA 75-71-68=214
1980 John Dowdall, SLC 77-69-72=218
1975 Scott Morgan, SLC 74-71-73-72=290
ALL-CONFERENCE USA
2024 Niilo Maki-Petaja First Team
2023 James Swash First Team
2022 Sam Murphy Second Team
2021 Mac Murphy Third Team
2020 Mac Murphy First Team
2016 Victor Lange First Team
2015 Victor Lange First Team
2014 Victor Lange Second Team
ALL-WESTERN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE
2013 Victor Lange First Team Travis Wilmore First Team
2012 Cody Blankenship Second Team
2011 Clinton Shepard Second Team
2008 Matthew Harvey First Team
2005 Preston Smith Second Team
ALL-SUN BELT CONFERENCE
1999 Kevin Fetzner
1998 Andre Prejean
Sean Richardson
1997 Matt Jordan
ALL-AMERICAN SOUTH CONFERENCE
1990 Darrell Dyson
ALL-SOUTHLAND CONFERENCE
1986 Jeff Bogan
1982 Mark Blackwood Freddy Killam
1981 Freddy Killam
1980 John Dowdall
1979 Mark Bradshaw Randy Carstens
ALL-GULF STATES CONFERENCE
1966 Ray Mulhern
1965 Johnny Morris
HONORS & AWARDS
ALL-CENTRAL REGION TEAM
2016 Victor Lange CUSA
Victor Lange CUSA
CUSA ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
2024 Niilo Maki-Petaja Hunter Battles
2023 James Swash
2016 Victor Lange
2014 Victor Lange
ALL-FRESHMAN TEAM
2024 Niilo Maki-Petaja CUSA
James Swash
GOLFER OF THE YEAR
Victor Lange
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
2024 Niilo Maki-Petaja CUSA
2019 James Swash CUSA
Jack Lempke WAC
COACH OF THE YEAR
2023 Matt Terry CUSA 2021 Matt Terry LSWA
Kris Ford Southland
Richard Mulroy Southland
ALL-LOUISIANA
2024 Niilo Maki-Petaja First Team
2023 James Swash Second Team
2022 Sam Murphy First Team
2021 Mac Murphy First Team Sam Murphy Second Team
2020 Mac Murphy First Team
2019 James Swash Second Team
2016 Victor Lange First Team
2015 Victor Lange First Team
2014 Victor Lange Second Team
2013 Victor Lange First Team Travis Wilmore Second Team
2011 Clinton Shepard Second Team
2008 Matthew Harvey First Team
2005 Preston Smith First Team
2004 Preston Smith Second Team
LSWA LOUISIANA NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR
2023 Thomas Henson
2019 Mac Murphy
2006 Trey McNeill
LSWA LOUISIANA FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
2024 Niilo Maki-Petaja
GCAA ALL-AMERICAN SCHOLAR
2024 Hunter Battles
Lake Juban
Thomas Henson
Will Patrick
2023 Hunter Battles
Thomas Henson
Lake Juban
Will Patrick
James Swash
2022 James Swash
Hunter Battles
2021 James Swash
Hunter Battles
Lake Juban
2020 James Swash
2016 Victor Lange
2015 Victor Lange
2013 Travis Wilmore
ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT
2024 Will Patrick
2023 James Swash
2021 James Swash
2002 Chris Baker
CUSA ALL-ACADEMIC TEAM
2023 James Swash
2016 Victor Lange
2015 Victor Lange
MISSION = Advance the LA Tech Athletics brand with your Time and Talent
TIME
You can simply spend time consuming our content. Attend or stream our live events, listen to our radio broadcasts, follow and engage on social media, read and share our team’s and student-athlete’s stories, proudly wear your Bulldog and Lady Techster gear, display our infamous logos.
TALENT
You can also advance the brand by investing your unique talents through gifts, skills, knowledge, or relationships. Purchase season or singlegame tickets, become a member of LTAC, T-Club, or the Aillet Society. Join the LA Tech family during our annual giving day. Introduce us to new potential partners. Or simply reach out and share your perspective on how we can help serve you better.
Everyone has TIME and TALENT to
offer.
You bark. We bark. Louder Together.
DR. JIM HENDERSON
UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT
@DrJBHenderson
Dr. Jim Henderson became the 15th president of Louisiana Tech University on Jan. 1, 2024. His ties to the institution go back more than 80 years when his father, Clem Henderson, was recruited to play for famed Louisiana Tech football coach, Joe Aillet. His mom, Martha, was a two-time Tech grad.
Henderson previously served as the president and CEO of the University of Louisiana System, one of the nation’s largest University systems. As the longestserving UL System president, he led the Universities of Louisiana in the creation of a strategic framework that charged its member institutions to produce the most educated generation in Louisiana’s history. Through various Systemic initiatives such as Compete LA, the Reginald F. Lewis Scholars, and the challenges associated with a global pandemic and fiscal uncertainty, he developed a notion of System that will continue to benefit each of the nine institutions for decades to come.
Henderson also served as president of his alma mater, Northwestern State University, where he reinvigorated student life and campus culture leading to the highest enrollment in the school’s 135-year history. Before taking the helm of NSU, Henderson served as chancellor of Bossier Parish Community College. During his tenure, the institution ranked among the five fastest growing colleges in the nation for five consecutive years.
In 2012, Henderson was named a Northwest Louisiana Business Hall of Fame Laureate and in 2017 he was inducted into Northwestern State University’s hall of honor, the Long Purple Line. Henderson holds a master of science in administration from University of West Florida and a doctor of management from University of Maryland—University College. In 2010, he completed the Institute of Educational Management at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. He currently serves as the Chair of the Board of Visitors of the Marine Corps University.
The smartest decision Henderson has made is marrying his college sweetheart,
Tonia who founded her own media company after a successful career in advertising. The Hendersons have three children, Reagan, Nicholas, and Alexander who is majoring in chemical engineering at Louisiana Tech; and four grandchildren, Zachary, Miguel, Maria, and Lucille.
RYAN IVEY
VICE PRESIDENT & DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS
@rivey35
Louisiana Tech University President Dr. Jim Henderson introduced Ryan Ivey as Vice President and Director of Athletics in front of a packed Club Level at the Davison Athletics Complex.
Ivey comes to Ruston with more than 18+ years of experience in intercollegiate athletics with the past 11 as an athletics director at Stephen F. Austin, Austin Peay, and Texas A&M-Commerce.
“The Louisiana Tech athletics brand is synonymous with excellence. When you think about the student-athletes, coaches, administrators, and teams that have called this University home, it is really astounding. We have an opportunity to build upon, grow and establish future success,” Ivey said. “Our goal will be to build a nationally prominent athletics department with individuals that excel in everything that we do. We will be relentless in our pursuit of excellence, respecting those that have come before us, but building and charting our own path and successes. Now is the time to be part of this amazing University and department!”
He spent more than five years in Nacogdoches, Texas at SFA, leading the department through a conference transition from the Southland Conference to the Western Athletic Conference, raising private support that included the launch of the Purple Lights Fund that helped secure the four largest single gifts in the department’s history, and increasing ticket sales by 189 percent.
He also helped complete more than $30 million in facility improvements including the Loddie Naymola Basketball Performance Center, a 42,000-square foot building that houses offices, locker rooms, weight room, training room, and practice courts for the SFA basketball programs. Other construction improvements included a baseball indoor pitching facility, beach volleyball competition facility, indoor golf practice facility, soccer locker room renovations, and more.
Under his leadership, the Lumberjacks celebrated 18 conference championships, three NCAA Tournament appearances, and the 2019 Bowling National Championship won by the Ladyjacks after going a perfect 4-0, defeating top-ranked Vanderbilt in the title match.
Prior to joining SFA, Ivey spent three years (2015-18) at Austin Peay in Clarksville, Tennessee, overseeing the department of athletics and its 16 sponsored sports.
While at the helm of the Governors, he helped raise $6.5 million in gifts which were funneled into facility improvements and the athletic departments budget on top of increase football and basketball ticket revenue a combined 39 percent.
While at Austin Peay, the Governors posted several accomplishments on the court/field including two postseason appearances by men’s basketball in 2016 and 2018, an eight-win season by football in 2017 that tied the program record for singleseason victories reached some 40 years prior in 1977, and a volleyball program that claimed both the Ohio Valley Conference regular season and tournament titles.
His first Director of Athletics position came at NCAA Division II Texas A&M-Commerce. During his two-year stint with the Lions, the athletic programs experienced new heights by winning six team Lone Star Conference championships in the 2014-15 season, the most ever in Lion Athletics history.
In particular, the football program secured back-to-back winning seasons and postseason appearances for the first time since 1990, seeing a 160 percent increase in attendance and a record number of season tickets sold.
Along the way, he helped drive in more than $2.8 million in facility enhancements, including a $1.4 million softball field that saw a first-year program in 2015 finish with a winning record and gain a spot in the Lone Star Conference tournament. He also created the Lions Athletic Club, the fundraising arm of Texas A&M-Commerce Athletics.
Ivey’s first work experience in the state of Louisiana came at McNeese where he assumed the role of assistant athletic director for internal affairs with his efforts primarily focused on growing corporate sponsorship revenue for the Cowboys and Cowgirls.
He spent six years in Lake Charles, the last three of which were as associate director of athletics where he continued his work in revenue generation while overseeing operations for all 16 of the institution’s athletic programs.
Under his guidance, corporate sponsorship yield over $750,000 before accepting his first athletic director position at Texas A&M-Commerce.
Prior to breaking into athletic administration, Ivey served as the director of basketball operations for the Memphis women’s basketball team from 2005-07, which followed a short stint as an athletics marketing coordinator at the University of South Dakota.
Following his graduation from Memphis in 2004, Ivey secured a position with the Memphis Redbirds – the triple-A affiliate of the MLB’s St. Louis Cardinals – as a stadium operations assistant.
A student-athlete at Memphis, Ivey suited up for the Tigers’ football team for four years as the squad’s punter and holder. Most notable, Ivey held or Lou Groza finalist and eventual three-time Super Bowl champion Stephen Gostkowski.
Ivey earned both his bachelor’s (sports management, 2004) and master’s (sports and leisure commerce, 2010) from the University of Memphis.
Ivey is married to the former Kelley Holt from Fayetteville, Tennessee. The couple has two sons – Jett and Ace.
WHAT THEY ARE SAYING ABOUT RYAN IVEY
Tommy McClelland, Rice Vice President and Director of Athletics
“I commend Dr. Henderson and the committee on an outstanding hire. Ryan Ivey is one of the most well-respected athletics administrators in the entire country. He has demonstrated success every place he has been. Having worked alongside Ryan for over five years, I can attest to his work ethic, leadership, and vision for an athletics department and its student-athletes. More importantly, he is a wonderful person, husband, and father. Ryan, Kelley, Jett, and Ace will be great additions to the Ruston Community. He is a perfect fit for Louisiana Tech!”
Brian Thornton, Western Athletic Conference Commissioner
“Ryan has proven to be an exceptional leader and even better person. During his time in the WAC, he was a huge contributor towards our goals building the league into a premier conference. He is a tireless worker who is always willing to roll up his sleeves and jump in whenever needed. It won’t take long for Ryan to have a pulse on how to take LA Tech to the next level!”
Jamie Boggs, Grand Canyon Vice President of Athletics
“Ryan is one of the best in the business. He is a culture-builder, a strategic thinker, and a selfless, humble leader. He will invest in the people and community at Louisiana Tech and he will move every area forward. Congratulations on an outstanding hire.”
Jeremy McClain, Southern Miss Director of Athletics
“Congratulations to Ryan and Louisiana Tech … this is a great hire for all involved! Ryan Ivey is one of the most genuine leaders in our industry and will positively impact everyone around him. His track record of success at multiple institutions speaks for itself, and that experience will allow him to be a difference maker in Ruston.”
Graham Neff, Clemson Director of Athletics
“I could not be more excited for Ryan and the LA Tech Family – a perfect fit! Ryan’s reputation as an innovator that ‘gets it done’ will be invaluable leadership for the Bulldogs. I am very proud and happy for the Ivey’s.”
Wren Baker, West Virginia Vice President and Director of Athletics
“I have known Ryan Ivey for many years and have been very impressed with his
incredible track record of building successful programs and leading with integrity. He is respected throughout intercollegiate athletics and has proven to be particularly successful at hiring talented coaches and administrators. Louisiana Tech is a tradition-rich program and I look forward to watching Ryan help add to the storied history at LA Tech.”
Brent Jones, Troy Director of Athletics
“I am extremely happy for Ryan on being appointed Director of Athletics at Louisiana Tech. LA Tech has an illustrious history of success and Ryan is the right person at the right time to lead Bulldog Athletics into the future of intercollegiate athletics. I have known Ryan personally for almost 20 years and he is a man of character, integrity, vision, and passion. He will do an amazing job and continue to build upon the great work of Eric Wood and Tommy McClelland.”
