John Wildhack

John Wildhack (born October 23, 1958) is the 11th director of athletics at Syracuse University. Prior to this position, Wildhack was the executive vice president for programming and production at ESPN, where he had worked for 36 years.

John Wildhack
Current position
TitleAthletic director
TeamSyracuse Orange
ConferenceACC
Biographical details
Born (1958-10-23) October 23, 1958[1]
Buffalo, New York, U.S.[2]
Alma materSyracuse University

Career

ESPN

Wildhack career at ESPN spanned 36 years, in which he held a number of leadership roles.[3][4] He started at ESPN in 1980 as a production assistant and steadily rose through the ranks to become the executive vice president for programming and production in 2014.[5] In his role as executive vice president, Wildhack was responsible for 50,000 hours of content annually and reported directly to ESPN President John Skipper.[6]

Wildhack was in charge of all production efforts at ESPN, in addition to content acquisitions and scheduling. He managed all league and conference relationships and negotiated all broadcast rights, including the NBA, SEC, College Football Playoff, ACC, Big 12, US Open Tennis, Rose Bowl, Sugar Bowl, WNBA, AAC, and MWC.[3][7] He was responsible for several firsts at the network, including producing ESPN’s first live regular-season college football game in September 1984 (BYU–Pitt) and its first live NFL game in August 1987.[8]

Wildhack was an honoree at the "Newhouse at 40" Gala in 2005.[7]

Syracuse

In July 2016, Wildhack was announced the 11th director of athletics at his alma mater, Syracuse University.[2][9][5] He replaced Mark Coyle, who had spent only 11 months with the Orange before leaving for the same job at University of Minnesota.[3][10] He had no prior experience in athletic administration, but his experience in the sport business industry and his connections with Syracuse University made him a preferred candidate for the job.[1][11][12][13]

At Syracuse, he is responsible for leading the daily operations of a 20-sport athletics department with more than 600 student-athletes. During Wildhack’s four-year tenure (As of 2020), Syracuse athletes competed in 39 NCAA national championship events (42 total), won 23 conference championships (four team, 19 individual), and two national championships.[14]

Wildhack secured a $118 million investment from the University for renovation of the Carrier Dome, which underwent a roof replacement, air conditioning, and facilities upgrade.[15][16] It reopened in fall 2020.[17]

Off the field, he helped launch an in-house production unit in 2017 that has broadcast 301 live events and generated nearly 1,000 hours of content on the ACC Network and the conference’s digital platform, ACC Network Extra. Multiple teams registered perfect Academic Progress Report scores and in 2018 the university’s four-year average of 987 was the highest since tracking began.[18]

In August 2020, SU extended his contract through 2025.[14][19][20] In September 2020, he donated $1 million to SU athletics.[21]

He is a member on the Advisory Board for the David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics at Syracuse University.[22]

Personal life

Wildhack was born in Kenmore, New York and graduated from Kenmore West Senior High School in 1976.[23][11] He attended Syracuse from 1976 to 1980, earning a bachelor of arts degree in telecommunications from the S. I. Newhouse School of Public Communications.[6]

Wildhack is married to Amy (née Swanson), and they have two sons: Tommy, James. He is also the father of a son, M.J. The family lives in Jamesville, New York and has a summer home on the Sodus Bay.[24] Wildhack's father, sister, brother, two nephews, and sister-in-law are all Syracuse graduates.[11][9] His older brother, Henry, previously worked in the SU athletic department from 2006 to 2011 with AD Daryl Gross.[6]

References
  1. Sorendo, Lou (January 28, 2020). "Meet John Wildhack". 55 Plus Magazine for For Active Adults in Upstate New York. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  2. Scalese, Sarah (July 6, 2016). "John Wildhack '80 to Become Syracuse University Director of Athletics". SU News. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  3. Adelson, Andrea (July 6, 2016). "ESPN's Wildhack leaving to be Syracuse AD". ESPN. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  4. Krulewitz, Josh (July 28, 2016). "ESPN colleagues salute John Wildhack as he departs to become Syracuse's AD". ESPN Front Row. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  5. Libonati, Chris (July 12, 2016). "For John Wildhack, Tuesday was a homecoming". The Daily Orange. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  6. Gutierrez, Matthew (July 6, 2016). "8 things to know about new Syracuse Director of Athletics John Wildhack". The Daily Orange. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  7. "Get to Know John Wildhack '80" (PDF). Syracuse University News. July 2016. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  8. Skipper, John (July 6, 2016). "A salute to John Wildhack". ESPN Front Row. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  9. Kekis, John (July 12, 2016). "Syracuse introduces new AD John Wildhack". Associated Press. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  10. Carlson, Chris (May 11, 2016). "SU AD Mark Coyle leaving for position at Minnesota". Syracuse Post-Standard. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  11. Carlson, Chris (July 19, 2016). "How John Wildhack rose from couch-surfer to Syracuse AD". Syracuse.com. Retrieved April 26, 2021.
  12. Kilgore, Adam (July 6, 2016). "Analysis: What Syracuse's hire of an ESPN executive tells us about college sports". Washington Post. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  13. Axe, Brent (May 12, 2016). "Mark Coyle gave Syracuse a clue on how to replace him". Syracuse.com. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  14. "Syracuse University Extends Director of Athletics John Wildhack's Contract Through Mid-2025". SU News. August 20, 2020. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  15. Roth, Leo (May 15, 2018). "Syracuse University OKs funding for Carrier Dome upgrades, including a new roof". Democrat and Chronicle. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  16. Smith, John (May 14, 2018). "More than a New Roof, Syracuse University to Invest $118 Million for Stadium-Like Fan Experience". WAER. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  17. Payne, Jacob (September 24, 2020). "Syracuse Athletics Redefines 'Success'". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  18. Roth, Leo (December 14, 2018). "Q&A: Syracuse University sports flourish under athletic director John Wildhack". Democrat and Chronicle. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  19. Tamurian, Niko (August 20, 2020). "Syracuse University extends John Wildhack's contract by five years". WSTM-TV. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  20. Axe, Brent (August 26, 2020). "John Wildhack's journey as Syracuse University AD has only just begun". Syracuse.com. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  21. Carlson, Chris (September 17, 2020). "Syracuse AD John Wildhack donates $1 million to athletic department". Syracuse Post-Standard. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  22. "Sport Management Advisory Council - Falk College". falk.syr.edu. Syracuse University. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  23. Pergament, Alan (July 6, 2016). "Wildhack, Kenmore native and Bills fan, named athletic director at Syracuse". The Buffalo News. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  24. Ditota, Donna (July 12, 2016). "John Wildhack's wife worked at ESPN, sons "die-hard" SU fans". syracuse.com. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
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